Hands on Discovery Center

“The board membership committee, after obtaining the consent of each candidate, shall distribute to each board member, at least ten (10) days prior to the annual election meeting or any meeting at which an officer or board member is to be elected, a notice setting forth a proposed single slate of candidates for any officer position to be filled and at least one candidate for each of the board positions to be filled, setting forth the terms of each, where appropriate. Additional nominations for any officer position to be filled, after obtaining the consent of the nominee, may be made by petition signed by two (2) members of the board and delivered to the chairman of the board membership committee at least one (1) week prior to the election. No member may sign a petition for more than one candidate for the same office. If vacancies occur in the board of directors or the officers of the corporation prior to the annual election meeting, they may be filled at any regular or special meeting, at which a quorum is present, provided that notice is given in accordance with the provisions of the article. The individual elected shall serve for the remainder of the term of the director or officer which he replaces. The board membership committee shall promptly notify candidates of the outcome of the election.”

“The organization provides a draft copy of form 990 in pdf format for all board members for their review. After all board members have reviewed the form 990 and agree to it's accuracy, the form 990 is then filed.”

“Officers, directors chief employed executive and chief employed finacial executive will annually disclose or update to the chairman of the board of directors on a form provided by the organization their interests that could give rise to conflicts of interest, such as a list of family members, substantial business or investment holdings, and other transactions or affiliations with businesses and other organizations or those of family members. For each interest disclosed to the chairman of the board of directors, the chairman will determine whether to: (a) take no action; (b) assure full disclosure to the board of directors and other individuals covered by this policy; (c) ask the person to recuse from participation in related discussions or decisions within the organization; or (d) ask the person to resign from his or her position in the organization or, if the person refuses to resign, become subject to possible removal in accordance with the organization's removal procedures. The organization's chief employed executive and chief employed finance executive will monitor proposed or ongoing transactions for conflicts of interest and disclose them to the chairman of the board of directors in order to deal with potential or actual conflicts, whether discovered before or after the transaction has occurred.”

“This policy on the process for determining compensation for hands on discovery center applies to the compensation of the following persons employed by the organization: chief employed executive, officers or key employees as defined below. As of this time, there are no officers or board members receiving any compensation. The process includes all of these elements: (1) review and approval by the executive committee of hands on discovery center; (2) use of data as to comparable compensation; and (3) contemporaneous documentation and recordkeeping. 1. Review and approval: the compensation of the person is reviewed and approved by the executive committee of the organization, provided that persons with any conflicts of interest with respect to the compensation arrangement at issue are not involved in this review and approval. 2. Use of data as to comparable compensation. The compensation of the person is reviewed and approved using data as to comparable compensation for similarly qualified persons in functionally comparable positions at similarly situated organizations. 3. Contemporaneous documentation and recordkeeping. There is contemporaneous documentation and recordkeeping with respect to the deliberations and decisions regarding the compensation arrangement. The chief employed executive is the person who has ultimate responsibility for implementing the decisions of the organizations's governing body or for supervising the management, administration or operations of the organization.”

“Officers are defined as a person elected or appointed to manage the organization's daily operations, such as a president, vice-president, secretary or treasurer. The officers of the organization are determined by reference to its organizing document, bylaws, or resolutions of its governing body, or as otherwise designated consistent with state law, but at a minimum include those officers required by applicable state law. Included as officers are the organization's top management official and top financial official. Key employees are employees of the organization who meets all three of the following tests: (a) receives reportable compensation from the organization and all related organizations in excess of 150,000.00 for the year. (b) the employee:(i) has responsibility, powers, or influence over the organization as a whole that is similar to those of officers, directors, or trustees; (ii) manages a discrete segment or activity of the organization that represents 10% or more of the activities, assets, income, or expenses of the organization as compared to the organization as a whole; or (iii) has or shares authority to control or determine 10% or more of the organization's capital expenditures, operating budget, or compensation for employees. (c) is one of the 20 employees that satisfy the 150,000.00 test and responsibility test with the highest reportable compensation from the organization and related organizations for the year.”

“Any request for the review of governing documents, policies or financial records will be forwarded to the board of directors. The board will review the request and then take appropriate actions to make the requested documents available.”

“The discovery center's mission is to support education for learners of all ages by providing out-of-school learning experiences which cannot realistically be offered within the constraints of a formal school program. The discovery center's role in relationship to area schools is to complement existing programs by offering learning opportunities which will extend and enhance, but not supplant the school experience. Toward these ends, the discovery center conducts participatory programs and such other activities as the board of directors deems necessary to promote the expressed purposes of the discovery center.”