| linden_tree_pta_bylaws.doc |
Article I - Name
The name of the association shall be the Linden Tree Elementary PTA
Article II - Objectives
The objectives of the Association are to provide support and resources to the school for the benefit and educational growth of the children; to develop a cooperative working relationship between the parents and staff of our school; to develop parent leadership and build capacity for greater involvement; to foster and encourage parent participation on all levels; and to provide opportunities and training for parents to participate in school governance and decision-making.
Article III - Membership
Section 1 Eligibility
Parents of students currently attending PS 567, are automatically members of the Linden Tree Elementary PTA. Membership shall be open to all teachers and staff such as paraprofessionals, school aides, and school secretaries. Parents include parents by birth or adoption, step-parents, legally appointed guardians, foster parents, and persons in parental relation to a child currently attending PS 567. Parents of a child who is attending PS 567 full time while on the register of a citywide program are automatically members of the Linden Tree Elementary PTA. At the beginning of each school year, the association shall send a welcome letter to inform parents, teachers, and staff of their automatic membership status and voting rights.
Section 2 Dues/Donations
Dues/ Donations will not be collected and are not a requirement for membership, voting or candidacy.
Section 3 Voting Privileges:
Each parent of a child currently enrolled at PS 567 shall be entitled to one vote. Proxy voting or absentee balloting is prohibited. Each teacher, paraprofessional, school aide, and school secretaries currently employed at the school shall be entitled to one vote. The right of a member to vote may be limited by the Conflicts of Interest restrictions outlined in Chancellor’s Regulation A-660 (CR A-660).
Article IV – Officers
Section 1 Titles
The officers of the association shall be: president or co-presidents, secretary, treasurer, and fundraising chair. The association must elect the mandatory officers: president, secretary, and treasurer, in order to be a functioning PA. There shall be no qualifications for any office other than to be a parent of a child attending PS 567
Section 2 Term of Office and Term Limits
The term of office shall be from July 1st through June 30th. All parent members are eligible to run for any office.
Term limits for each officer position for the association shall be unlimited consecutive one year terms. The candidate who has served the maximum number of terms may be elected to serve an additional term provided no other interested candidate is nominated and is willing to serve.
Section 3 Duties of Officers
President: The president shall preside at all meetings of the association and shall be an ex-officio member of all committees except the nominating committee. The president shall appoint chairpersons of PA committees with the approval of the executive board. The president shall delegate responsibilities to other PA members and shall encourage meaningful participation in all parent and school activities. The president shall attend all regular meetings of the presidents’ council and shall be a mandatory member of the school leadership team. The president shall meet regularly with the executive board members in accordance with these bylaws to plan the agendas for the general membership meetings. The president shall be one of the eligible signatories on checks. The president shall attend OFEA professional development seminars relating to association leadership. The president shall assist with the June transfer of records to the incoming executive board.
First Vice –President: Shall assist the President and shall assume the Presidents duties in his/her or their absence or at the President’s request. The first vice president shall be one of the check signatories and will serve as chairperson on the standing budget committee. The first vice president shall assist with the June transfers of association records to the incoming executive board.
Second Vice –President: Shall assist the President or Vice President and shall assume the Presidents duties in his/her or their absence or at the President request. The second vice – president shall be one of the check signatories and will create and maintain the volunteer database.
Recording Secretary: The recording secretary shall maintain the official record (minutes) of the proceedings and actions of all association meetings. The secretary’s responsibilities shall include the preparation of notices, agendas, sign-in sheets and materials for distribution. The secretary shall prepare and read the minutes of each association meeting and shall distribute copies of the minutes at the next scheduled meeting for review and approval by the general membership. The secretary shall maintain custody of the association’s records on school premises. The secretary shall incorporate all amendments into the bylaws and shall ensure that signed copies of the bylaws with the latest amendments are on file in the principal’s office. The secretary shall be responsible for reviewing, maintaining and responding to all correspondence addressed to the association. The secretary shall assist with the June transfer of all records to the incoming executive board.
Corresponding Secretary: Shall assist the Recording Secretary and shall assume the Recording Secretary duties in his/her or their absence or at the Recording Secretary’s request.
Treasurer: The treasurer shall be responsible for all financial affairs and funds of the association. The treasurer shall also be responsible for maintaining an updated record of all income and expenditures on school premises and shall be one of the signatories on checks. The treasurer shall adhere to and implement all financial procedures established by the association. The treasurer shall be prepared to present and provide copies of financial reports at all association meetings. The treasurer shall also prepare and provide copies of the interim and annual financial reports. The treasurer shall make available all books or financial records for viewing by members upon request and for audit. The treasurer shall attend OFEA professional development seminars relating to financial affairs. The treasurer shall assist with the June transfer of all records to the incoming executive board.
SLT: The School Leadership Team (SLT) provides a structure for school-based decision making and the development of a collaborative school culture. The SLT members develop educational policies for their school and align resources to those policies. SLTs provide ongoing evaluations and assessments of a school’s educational programs and their affect on student achievement. The SLT in each school is composed of an equal number of parents and staff and must meet at least once a month.
Title1 Committee: The Title I /Committee represents the Title I parent community1 and participates with the School Leadership Team (SLT) in the joint review, planning and improvement of the school’s Title I program. To meet its responsibilities the Title I Parent Committee will work in a consultative role with the SLT and communicate with the school’s Title I parents.
Section 4 Election of Officers
Executive Officers (President, Secretary, and Treasurer shall be elected between the third Wednesday in May and the third Friday in June for a one-year term beginning July 1. Any timeline established by the PA/PTA to complete the nominations and election process must adhere to this timeframe. Vice President Chair1 and 2, Corresponding Secretary, Title 1 Committee and fundraising chair will be elected at the first meeting in the fall, held in October.
. Employees of the school, including parent coordinators, may not serve as association officers.
- Nominating Committee: A nominating committee can be established during a general membership meeting preceding the election. The nominating committee shall consist of three to five members. The majority of the committee members must come from the general membership. The remaining members of the nominating committee shall be selected by the president, subject to the approval of the executive board. The nominating committee shall choose one of its members to serve as chairperson. No person employed at PS 567 shall be eligible to serve on the nominating committee.
No person who is running for office may serve as a member of the nominating committee.
The nominating committee shall solicit candidates from the membership in writing, in English and other languages as appropriate, for recommendations of candidates for all offices. The nominating committee will also be responsible for conducting the election meeting. This includes the following:
- canvassing the membership for eligible candidates;
- preparing and distributing all notices of any meeting pertaining to the nomination and election process, in accordance with CR A-660. Notices should be translated into languages spoken by parents in the school whenever possible;
- preparing ballots, attendance sheets, a ballot box, tally sheets and all other materials pertaining to the election;
- verifying the eligibility of all interested candidates prior to the election;
- ensuring that an opportunity is provided to all members allowing for nominations, including self-nomination, to be taken from the floor and then officially closed during the election meeting;
- scheduling the election at a time that ensures maximum participation;
- ensuring that only eligible members receive a ballot for voting;
- ensuring that the election is certified by the principal or his/her designee immediately following the election;
- Notices: The meeting notice and agenda for the Spring general membership election meeting shall be distributed in accordance with CR A-660’s notice requirements. All meeting notices and agendas shall be available in English and translated into languages spoken by parents in the school whenever possible. The distribution date shall appear on all notices. If nominations have been closed, the election meeting notice shall list all candidates in alphabetical order by surname under the office for which they are nominated.
- Contested Elections and Use of Ballots:
- Written ballot shall be used in all contested elections.
- Names of candidates shall appear on the ballot in alphabetical order by surname under the title of the office(s) for which they were nominated. Names of candidates for the positions of co-presidents must be listed as a team.
- Ballots shall be printed with voting instructions in English and other languages spoken by parents in the school whenever possible.
- Ballots shall be distributed once voter eligibility has been established.
- Ballots shall be counted immediately following the election and in the presence of the members.
- Ballots shall be retained for six months by the chairperson of the nominating committee or if there is no nominating committee, by an officer. If she/he will no longer be an eligible member after June 30, the ballots shall be turned over to the incoming secretary.
- Uncontested Elections:
- Officer Vacancies:
- Expedited Election Process:
Section 5 Education Council Selectors
In the case of co-presidents, co-secretaries and/or co-treasurers, the remaining executive board members will vote to choose who will be the CEC, CCSE, CCELL or CCHS selectors.
Section 5 June Transfer of Records
The outgoing PA executive board shall arrange for the orderly transfer of records and information of the PA, which shall include an overview of all PA transactions for the school year, to the incoming executive board. At least one meeting will be scheduled during the month of June for this purpose. Any member of the executive board may request the assistance of the presidents’ council during this process.
Section 6 Disciplinary Action
Any officer who fails to attend three (3) consecutive executive board or general membership meetings shall be removed from office by recommendation of the executive board or motion from a member and two-thirds vote of the membership present. The officer shall be given the opportunity to submit in writing an explanation showing good cause which explains his/her reason for not attending these meetings for the Board’s consideration.
PA officers may also be removed for unsatisfactory performance by following the procedure outlined below:
- At any general membership meeting, a PA member may make a motion to begin the process of removing an executive board member for unsatisfactory performance.
- If the motion is approved by two-thirds of the assembled members, the PA must select a review committee by majority vote. Executive board members may not serve on the review committee.
- The review committee will gather relevant information and present its findings to the general membership to allow the members to make an informed decision about the motion. Findings must be presented in writing at a general membership meeting within 30 school days of the date the motion was presented. The PA’s notice and agenda must indicate that a vote will be taken by the general membership regarding the removal of a PA executive board member.
- The result of the motion must be submitted in writing to the principal, which the principal must forward to the appropriate superintendent and the CFEO.
Article V - Executive Board
Section 1 Composition
The executive board shall be composed of the elected officers of the association and chairpersons of standing committees. Employees of PS 567 shall be ineligible to serve as an elected officer of the association. No DOE employees may serve as mandatory officers: president, secretary, and treasurer. Officers shall be expected to attend all executive board meetings.
Section 2 Meetings
Regularly scheduled meetings of the executive board shall be held monthly, September through June, on the [First Tuesday] of every month at [6:00 pm], unless such date shall fall on a legal or religious holiday, in which case the meeting shall be held on the following or previous [Tuesday].
Section 3. Voting
Each member of the executive board shall be entitled to one vote.
Section 4. Quorum
Four members of the executive board shall constitute a quorum, allowing for official business to be transacted.
Article VI – General Membership Meetings
Section 1 General Membership Meetings
- The general membership meetings of the association shall be held on the First Tuesday of each month from September through June, at 6:00 PM unless such day falls on a legal or religious holiday. In such instances, the meeting shall be held on the following or previous Tuesday as determined by the executive board. Written notice of each membership meeting shall be distributed in languages spoken by parents at the school, whenever possible. Notice must be send at least ten days prior to the scheduled meeting. The date of distribution shall appear on all notices.
- All meetings, including committee and executive board meetings must be held in the association’s home school. Under no circumstances are PA meetings to be held in private residences or commercial venues (e.g. restaurants and private clubs).
- All eligible members may attend and participate during general membership meetings and may speak to agenda items subject to restriction in these bylaws.
- Observers may speak and otherwise participate, if acknowledged by the chair.
Section 2 Order of Business
The order of business at meetings of the association, unless changed by the executive board shall be [may be adjusted]:
- Call to Order
- Reading and Approval of Minutes
- President’s Report
- Treasurer’s Report
- Principal’s Report
- School Leadership Team Report
- Committee Reports
- Old Business
- New Business
- Adjournment
Section 3 Quorum
A quorum of five- The quorum for a general membership meeting must consist of representation by at least 9 PTA members, including a minimum of 4 executive board members and 5 parent members.] members of the association shall be required in order to conduct official association business.
Section 4 Minutes
Minutes of the previous meeting shall be available in written form and read for approval at every general membership meeting. The minutes of any association meeting must be made available upon request to any member.
Section 5 Special Membership Meetings
5.1 A special membership meeting may be called to deal with a matter of importance that cannot be postponed until the next general membership meeting. The president may call a special membership meeting with a minimum of 48 hours written notice to parents stating precisely what the topic of the meeting will be.
- Upon receipt of a written request from three association members, the president must call a special membership meeting within five working days of the request and with 48 hours written notice to parents.
Section 6 Parliamentary Authority
Meeting rules of order should be adopted for use as a guide and included in these bylaws. Where no meeting rules of order are adopted, Robert’s Rules of Order – Newly Revised will be deemed to apply, provided that it is consistent with laws, policies, rules, and regulations.
Article VII - Committees
Section 1 Standing Committees
1.1 The president will appoint standing committee chairpersons with the approval of the executive board. Ad-hoc committees shall be established by executive board approval. Only chairpersons of the standing committees will be allowed to vote on executive board issues. The standing committees of the association are the following [Below are suggested standing committees. The association must vote to determine which standing committees to include in the bylaws.]:
Membership: The membership committee shall be responsible for encouraging parent participation, outreach and recruitment. The Chairperson for the Membership committee shall make every effort to coordinate their outreach efforts and strategies with the school’s Parent Coordinator. The membership committee shall also prepare a newsletter to all members which contains, at a minimum, messages from the principal, PA/PTA president, list of executive board members, all PA/PTA meeting dates, student and parent events, school policies, PA budget and any other material deemed appropriate by the association. The committee shall also be responsible for maintaining a current list of members which shall be available without home addresses and telephone numbers at every membership meeting.
Budget: The budget committee shall be responsible for drafting 1) a proposed budget each spring for approval by the membership, 2) a written review of the prior year's budget, both of which must be presented for vote at the May membership meeting, and 3) presenting the budget process. (See Article VIII, Section 3.)
Audit: The audit committee shall conduct an internal audit or shall recommend that an external audit of all financial affairs of the organization be conducted based upon their initial findings. The treasurer shall make all books and records available to them. The audit committee shall prepare a written report or provide copies of the external report to be presented to the membership at a general membership meeting or upon completion of their review and investigation.
Article VIII - Financial Affairs
Section 1 Fiscal Year
The fiscal year of the association shall run from July 1 through June 30.
Section 2 Signatories
The president, Vice President(s), treasurer, and fundraising chair shall be authorized to sign checks. All checks require at least 2 signatures. The 2 signatories of a check may not be related by blood or marriage. Under no circumstances may spouses, siblings, in-laws or other relatives or members of the same household sign the same PA check. A PA member may not sign a check if she/he has any direct or indirect interest in the expenditure.
Section 3 Budget
The executive board shall be responsible for the development and/or review of the budget process, which includes:
- The outgoing executive board must review the current budget, annual financial status, accounting, expenditures and outstanding bills and prepare a proposed budget for the next school year. The proposed budget must be presented to and approved by the membership no later than the May meeting.
- The incoming executive board must review the proposed budget in September for presentation and discussion during the September meeting. Budget amendments may be proposed at this time.
- The executive board must present the budget process for membership approval no later than the October meeting.
- The counting and handling of any cash, checks, or money orders received by the PA, must be completed by at least 2 PA members. These PA members cannot be related by blood or marriage. Funds must be counted in the school on the same day of receipt. The PA’s financial records must display the total amount of funds and the signatures of the PA members who participated in counting the funds.
- No parent or staff member shall collect fund raising proceeds from any student without the written approval from the principal.
- All funds shall be deposited in the bank account by authorized executive board members within 24 hours of receipt, whenever possible. No funds shall be kept in a member’s home but shall be secured and locked in the school. PA funds must be taken to the bank for deposit by at least 2 authorized members.
- Documentation related to every transaction must be maintained at the school (e.g., cancelled checks, deposit receipts, purchase orders, PA minutes related to the financial transactions, etc.)
3.2 The budget may be amended by vote of the general membership at any membership meeting.
- All expenditures not included in the budget at the time of its adoption must be approved by resolution of the membership.
- The executive board is authorized to make an emergency expenditure not to exceed [insert emergency expenditure dollar amount] with a 2 thirds approval by the executive board. These expenditures shall be reported to the general membership at the next association meeting in writing by the treasurer. The minutes of the meeting must reflect a vote taken by the association to accept this action.
4.1 The president shall request volunteers to form an audit committee of 3 to 5 persons. Executive board members who are not eligible signatories on association checks may serve on the audit committee. The majority of the committee shall be comprised from the general membership.
4.2 The audit committee shall conduct an audit of all financial affairs of the association with the help of the treasurer who shall make all books and records available to them. The audit committee may also recommend that an external audit of the association’s financial records be conducted.
4.3 Additional duties of the audit committee may include the examination of all relevant financial statements and records of disbursements, verification of all association equipment and ensuring compliance with bylaw provisions for the transaction of funds.
4.4 The audit committee shall prepare a written report or provide copies of the external report to be presented to the membership at a general membership meeting or upon completion of their review and investigation. This report shall be included for review and discussion during the June transfer of records.
Section 5 Financial Accounting
5.1 The treasurer shall prepare the Interim Financial Report by January 31st and the Annual Financial Report by the June meeting, including all income, expenditures, and other transactions. These reports shall be presented and reviewed by general membership. Copies of these reports shall be provided to the principal.
5.2 The treasurer shall be responsible for all funds of the association and shall keep accurate records in a form consistent with these bylaws and applicable Regulations of the Chancellor. In accordance with Chancellor’s Regulation A-610, parents must obtain written approval from the principal before collecting fund raiser proceeds from students. The treasurer and at least one other PA officer shall transport all funds to the bank, and deposit slips shall identify the source of all deposited funds. All parties involved in financial transactions shall initial the deposit slips. All records of the association including checkbooks, ledgers, cancelled checks, invoices, receipts etc., shall be maintained and secured on school premises.
Article IX – Amendments and Regular Review of Bylaws
These bylaws may be amended at any regular meeting of the association by a two-thirds vote of the members present, provided the amendment has been presented in writing to the membership at the previous meeting, and appears in the notice of the meeting at which it is to be amended. Amendments are effective immediately unless otherwise specified. A thorough review of these bylaws shall be conducted every 3 years. All provisions of these bylaws must conform to CR A-660 and Department of Education guidelines. Any PA/PTA member may present a motion at a general membership meeting to amend a provision of the bylaws that is not in compliance with CR A-660. Amendments that bring the bylaws into compliance must be voted on immediately after the motion is presented. A two-thirds vote of the membership is required for approval.
These bylaws as set forth above have been voted on and approved by the membership. The most recent amendment was approved, in accordance with the provisions of Article IX, at the membership meeting held on____09________14_____2015___________.
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