Squeakland Rules of Governance - Draft
(derived from Sugar labs governance rules http://wiki.sugarlabs.org/go/Sugar_Labs/Governance)
Squeakland is a community project, implemented by volunteer contributors from all over the world. A governance model can help ensure that the project is run in a professional, disciplined, and equitable manner. Good governance lets the community engage in discourse and provides a transparent mechanism for arbitration in the hopefully rare circumstances in which it is necessary.
Some attributes that are necessary for good governance include: meritocracy, transparency of process, open access to anyone who has demonstrated the skills to contribute, and a means to ensure a balance of control so that no one special interest wrests control of either the discourse or the decision-making.
Software Freedom Conservancy
Squeakland has asked to be a member of the Software Freedom Conservancy (SFC). This would place the project under the umbrella of a 501.3(c) foundation. "The Conservancy provides member projects with free financial and administrative services, but does not involve itself with technological and artistic decisions. By joining the Conservancy, member FLOSS projects can obtain the benefits of a formal legal structure while keeping themselves focused on software development." Governance must be maintained by Sugar Labs on its own behalf to provide for the long term success and stability of Sugar.
The application is still in review. The application documents are known to the Squeakland board members and will be published later in the final version.
Transactions
As a fiscal sponsor for FOSS projects, the Conservancy provides member projects with financial and administrative services:
- Request for payment
- Project proposal approval
(* License request) not yet included
Squeakland Board
The central administrative body of Squeakland is termed the Squeakland Board.
Squeakland shall be governed by a board, consisting of seven (7) members, elected annually by the Squeakland community---the Squeakland Membership. The board shall meet at least twice per year to discuss various topics pertaining to the regular activities of the Squeakland Project and Squeak Etoys. (It is expected that more frequent meeting will be required in the early stages of the program.) The minutes to these meetings shall be posted publicly on the Squeakland wiki.
The members of the Squeakland Board may be removed from the position at any time by a majority vote of the Community Members. Upon the resignation or removal of a member of the Squeakland Board, the Community Members shall elect a replacement Community Member to serve on the Squeakland Board.
The Squeakland Board will elect a single individual to communicate with the Conservancy (the "Representative") and shall notify the Conservancy promptly following the election of a new Representative. The Representative will have the authority to instruct the Conservancy on the Project's behalf on all matters.
Decision Panels
The Squeakland Board's role is to manage the day-to-day affairs of Squeakland and to help the community to build consensus. On the rare occasion of a contentious issue on which no general consensus can be reached, the Squeakland Board is responsible for convening a Decision Panel. The Sueakland Board will be responsible for determining when a Decision Panel is required and for selecting members for the Decision Panel. Members of the Squeakland Board are not permitted to serve on a Decision Panel. A Decision Panel will solicit community input, discuss (in private if they deem it necessary), reach a conclusion internally, and produce a report documenting their conclusion. (Anyone may submit advice to a Decision Panel.) The Squeakland Board will review and ratify Decision Panel reports.
Advisory Board
The advisory board is made up of organizations and companies that support Squeakland. The Advisory Board has no decision-making authority but provides a vehicle for its members to communicate with the Squeakland Board and help the Directors guide the overall direction of Squeak Etoys and the Sugar Labs Project.
Advisory board member companies pay an annual fee which helps finance the operations of the Sugar Labs Project.
Teams
The Squeakland Board is responsible for establishing teams as necessary.
Each team will include at least one member from the Squeakland Board (non-voting), who will serve as a recording secretary, and three (3) to five (5) additional members (initially appointed by the Squeakland Board and subsequently elected) from the community.
Special Interest Groups (SIGs) may be established by any member. They can be formed around any topic and, if they prove to be useful, can be designated as official teams.
(Advisory teams will provide input in advance of Oversight Board meetings and may be asked on occasion to send a representative to a meeting of the Oversight Board.) Note: Do we need/want this?
Squeakland Membership
Squeakland members are all contributors to the Squeakland project. Members can run for election to the Squeakland Board, vote in the elections for the Squeakland Board, and suggest referenda.
Any "significant and sustained" contributor to Squeakland is eligible for membership. Although it is difficult to specify a precise definition, a contributor generally must have contributed to a non-trivial improvement of the Squeakland project or Squeakland activity. Contributions may be code, documentation, translations, maintenance of project-wide resources, running an Etoys pilot, or other non-trivial activities which benefit Squeakland. Membership eligibility is an individual determination: while contributions made in the course of employment will be considered, they will generally be ascribed to the individuals involved, rather than accruing to all employees of a "contributing" corporation. The Membership and Elections Team (MET) will oversee membership applications (Please apply by sending email to ...(to be decided)).
The Membership and Elections Team will review the membership list for currency once per year. Any member may join this team.
Applying for membership
All submissions MUST be sent to (mailaddress) by (deadline). Submissions sent to other email addresses or sent after the deadline will not be processed for this year's election. Someone on the MET will reply to your query within 2 business days.
In your email, please include:
- Your name
- Your (IRC, Wiki, mailaccount?) username
- A description of your contribution to Squeakland Foundation, links are preferable.
Squeakland Board Referenda
At times an issue may arise that merits gathering consensus from the community. Any member of the Squeakland Foundation can suggest a referendum. To be accepted, a request for a referendum must be endorsed by 10% of all of the membership. The overall referendum process is overseen by the Membership and Elections Committee, which can be reached at (address).
A 75% vote of all of the members can override a Squeakland Board decision.