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Article
1 - Name
The name of this corporation shall be Jacob Wismer Parent Teacher Organization, Inc. (the “PTO”). Article 2 - Objectives The objectives of the PTO shall be to: A. Promote education, communication and understanding among the students, parents, staff, administration, and community of Jacob Wismer Elementary School (the “School”); B.
Supply and facilitate parental and community aid to the School; C.
Aid the School in projects and public information as they relate to the
School’s educational programs; D.
Promote the welfare of children and youth in home, school and community; E.
Promote parental support for and cooperation with the teachers and
administrators of the School in education of the children and youth enrolled in
the School; and F.
Enhance and augment the basic curriculum through volunteerism and student
enrichment programs. Article 3 - Policies
The policies of the PTO shall be as follows: A. The PTO shall be noncommercial, nonsectarian, nondiscriminatory, and nonpartisan. Neither the name of the PTO nor the name of any of its members, officers, or directors in their official capacity shall be used in connection with any commercial concern or with any partisan interest, or for any purpose other than the regular work of the PTO B. The PTO shall not seek either to direct the administrative activities of the School or to control its policies. C. The program of the PTO shall be education, fundraising, and social and community activities. D. The PTO may cooperate with other organizations and agencies active in child welfare, such as conference groups or coordinating councils, provided that no commitment shall bind the PTO beyond the current school year. E. No substantial part of the activities of the PTO will include campaigning in connection with ballot measures, and under no circumstances shall the PTO engage in political activity either for or against any candidate for public office. Article 4 - Membership All parents, guardians, teachers, and staff associated with the School are and shall be members of the PTO (individually, a “member” and collectively, the “members”). Article
5 - Officers, Directors, Liaisons, and Elections
Section 1.
Officers and Terms of Office
A. All officers, directors, and liaisons must be members of the PTO B. The officers of the PTO, each of whom shall also be a director of the PTO, shall consist of a (1) President, (2) Vice President of Fundraising, (3) Vice President of Community Events, (4) Secretary, (5) Treasurer, and (6) Member at Large. “No person shall hold more than one office at a time.
In the office of President, two people may share responsibilities and duties as
Co-Presidents, if deemed necessary by the nominating C.
The officers shall be elected at the annual election meeting of the
members in May of each year, and shall serve a term of one year from July 1
through June 30. Newly elected
officers will assume their official duties at the last PTO meeting of the school
year after the outgoing officers have completed their business and turned the
meeting over to the newly elected officers. D.
No person shall hold the same elected position for more than two
consecutive one-year terms. Section 2.
Nominations and Elections
A. A nominating committee shall make nominations for officers. The chair of the nominating committee shall be a PTO officer not seeking reelection. The nominating committee shall consist of at least three but no more than five members with not more than two such persons being directors not seeking reelection. The President shall appoint the members of the nominating committee no later than April 1 of each year. B. The nominating committee shall seek candidates for each of the six officer positions described in Article 5, Section 1, Paragraph B. The nominating committee shall use all reasonable means to solicit the names of persons willing to serve as officers of the PTO, including, but not limited to, PTO newsletters, the School Journal, the School web site, notices on community bulletin boards, and member suggestions. C. The nominating committee shall organize, facilitate and promote an open forum (the “Candidates’ Forum”) where each candidate will share his or her ideas and reasons for seeking election as an officer of the PTO. The nominating committee shall be responsible for notifying the School community of the date, time, and location of the Candidates’ Forum via all reasonable means, including, but not limited to, those listed in above in Article 5, Section 2, Paragraph B. D. The nominating committee shall seek and accept member input with respect to the candidates following the Candidates’ Forum. E. The nominating committee shall present to the Board of Directors (the “Board”), by April 30 each year, a slate of candidates for each of the officer positions. In formulating the slate, the committee shall give weight to the following criteria: 1.
With respect to the position of President:
weight shall be given to the candidates with prior service on the PTO
board. 2.
With respect to the Vice Presidents, Secretary, and Treasurer: weight shall be given to the candidates with involvement in
PTO activities and regular attendance at PTO meetings. 3.
With respect to the Member-at-Large:
weight shall be given to the candidates that have no previous service as
an officer of the PTO or as a member of the Board. 4.
With respect to all of the officer positions:
weight shall be given to member input received by the nominating
committee at the Candidates’ Forum as deemed appropriate by the nominating
committee. F.
The nominating committee shall publicize the proposed slate of candidates
via the PTO newsletter, the School Journal, the School web site, and on
community bulletin boards. G.
The nominating committee shall present the proposed slate of candidates
at the annual election meeting of the members in May of each year.
The members may nominate additional candidates from the floor of the
annual election meeting, provided that the nominee participated in the
Candidates’ Forum. H.
If no additional candidates are nominated by the members, the members may
vote to elect the entire proposed slate by voice vote at the annual election
meeting. I.
If additional candidates are nominated by the members, an election by
secret written ballot shall take place for any office for which there are two or
more candidates. For those offices
for which there is but one candidate, the election may be made by voice vote at
the annual election meeting. J. A majority vote of the Board shall be sufficient to fill a vacancy occurring in an office. The person elected by the Board shall hold such position for the remainder of the term. In case of a vacancy in the office of President, another existing Director, chosen by the majority of the remaining Directors, shall fill out the remainder of the term of office of the President. The newly elected President’s former office will then be filled by a person not currently an officer or director elected as provided above in Article 5, Section 2, Paragraph J. Section 3.
Liaisons
A.
The Volunteer Coordinator, as chosen by the principal of the School,
shall serve as a liaison between the PTO, School staff, School volunteers, and
the community, in order to maintain a well-coordinated School volunteer program
as well as a well functioning PTO and volunteer team.
The Volunteer Coordinator shall endeavor to promote the goals of the PTO.
This position may be shared at the discretion of the principal of the
School. The Volunteer Coordinator
shall attend PTO meetings and assist in developing a volunteer roster for use by
the PTO, its officers and directors in organizing the PTO activities. B.
The Teacher Representative, as selected by the staff of the School, shall
act as a liaison between the PTO and the School staff and shall be responsible
for communication staff needs and requests to the PTO members.
This position may be shared at the discretion of the School staff.
The Teacher Representative shall attend PTO meetings. Article 6 - Board of Directors A. The Board shall consist of six directors. The Board shall at all times consist of the (1) President, (2) Vice President of Fundraising, (3) Vice President of Community Events, (4) Secretary, (5) Treasurer, and (6) Member at Large. B.
The Duties of the Board shall be to: 1.
Transact the necessary business in the intervals between PTO meetings; 2.
Create new standing committees or special committees; 3.
Review annual budgets prepared by the Treasurer before approval; and 4.
Perform any other activities reasonably required for the PTO to
accomplish its purposes as set forth in its Articles of Incorporation and these
Bylaws. Article 7 - Duties of Officers A.
The President shall preside at all meetings of the members of the PTO and
the Board. The President shall be
an ex officio member of all committees except the nominating committee,
and shall appoint the nominating committee as provided above. The President shall be the official representative of the
PTO, and shall act on behalf of the PTO in connection with the Administration of
the School. The President shall
also coordinate the work of the officers and committees and shall perform other
duties as may be necessary and proper for the operation and well being of the
PTO and the School. The President
shall receive the monthly bank statements from the bank. After reviewing the statements for appropriateness of
transactions, the statements will be forwarded to the Treasurer. B. The Vice President of Fundraising shall assist the President. The Vice President of Fundraising shall also oversee, jointly with the other Board Members, all fundraising efforts by the PTO. The Vice President of Fundraising shall delegate the actual fundraising efforts to appropriate committees. The Vice President of Fundraising shall be an ex officio member of all fundraising committees. The Vice President of Fundraising shall also perform other duties as may be delegated by the Board. The Vice President of Fundraising shall also preside over the Audit Committee as stated in Article 9, Paragraph G of these Bylaws. C.
The Vice President of Community Events shall assist the President and
shall perform the duties of the President in the absence or inability of that
officer to act on behalf of the PTO. The
Vice President of Community Events shall also oversee, jointly with other
members of the Board, all student/academic enrichment efforts by the PTO
The Vice President of Community Events shall delegate the actual
student/academic enrichment and community events efforts to appropriate
committees. The Vice President of
Community Events shall be an ex officio member of all student/academic
enrichment and community events committees.
The Vice President of Community Events shall also perform other duties as
may be delegated by the Board. D.
The Secretary shall keep an accurate record of all business transacted at
each PTO meeting and shall be responsible for all PTO correspondence and
acknowledgments. The Secretary
shall also be responsible for transcribing the minutes of the PTO meetings one
week after each meeting has been held. The
Secretary shall coordinate with various PTO committee heads for those
committees’ appropriate acknowledgments and expressions of appreciation.
The Secretary shall maintain for reference at each meeting a copy of
these Bylaws, the minutes from previous meetings of the Board and the meetings
of the members of the PTO, and the list of all standing committees and their
responsibilities. The Secretary
shall also perform such other duties as may be delegated by the Board. E.
The Treasurer shall receive all monies of the PTO, keep an accurate
record of the PTO receipts and expenditures, and pay out funds in accordance
with the approved budget as authorized by the PTO.
The Treasurer shall present a current financial statement at every PTO
meeting of the members. The
Treasurer shall be responsible for ensuring the filing of annual reports to the
Internal Revenue Service and other governmental bodies as required by law. F.
The Member at Large shall be a participating member of the Board,
shall attend all Board meetings and, as necessary, shall perform other duties
that are necessary for the operation and well being of the PTO and the School,
including, but not limited to, chairing the welcome committee and coordinating
communications between the PTO and other School groups H.
All officers shall: 1. Perform the duties prescribed in the Bylaws and any
additional duties which may be assigned to them from time to time; and 2.
At the final meeting of the school year, deliver to their successors all papers,
files, and records pertaining to their duties and responsibilities. I.
It shall be the responsibility of each officer to attend PTO meetings and
PTO events. If any officer misses three or more consecutive meetings, a
majority of the PTO board may declare the position vacant and the position shall
be filled at the next meeting. Article 8 – Site Council Selection Committee and Other Committees A.
Site Council Selection Committee 1.
The purpose of the site council selection committee shall be to select
the parent representatives to the School’s Site Counsel. 2.
The site council selection
committee shall be formed before the April PTO meeting each year.
The Committee shall be comprised of five parents or guardians of students
attending the School. One parent
must be from the PTO board and one parent must be a standing member of the
School’s Site Council. 3. During April of each year, the site council selection committee shall adopt an application for use in evaluating and selecting candidates. The site council selection committee shall also draft questions for use during interviews with the candidates. The site council shall provide a job description to applicants. 4.
During the first two weeks of
April of each year, the site council selection committee shall solicit
parents/guardians to be candidates via the PTO newsletter, the School Journal,
the School web site, postings on community bulletin boards, and announcements at
PTO, LSC and other parent meetings. 5. Each candidate shall complete a written application. All applications shall be made available in the School office from April 15th through April 30th each year. 6. The site council selection committee shall schedule and conduct interviews with all applicants. The site council selection committee shall complete all interviews by the end of the first week of May of each year. 7. The site council selection committee shall select the candidate it believes will best serve the School Site Council. The Committee shall notify candidates of its decision prior to public announcement. Selection shall be announced by the end of the second week of May. 8.
This provision shall be subject to
the bylaws of the School Site Council. B. The Board of Directors may appoint and create, or dissolve and terminate any standing or special committees from time to time in its discretion. Article 9 - Budget and Treasury A. The Board shall discuss and outline a preliminary budget at its April meeting each year. Using information from these preliminary budget discussions, the Treasurer shall prepare a proposed budget. The Board shall review and approve the proposed budget at its May meeting each year. If there are any changes, they shall be made and the final budget shall be presented to the Board and voted upon at its June meeting. B. The Treasurer shall maintain all funds of the PTO in an insured deposit account in a bank or savings and loan institution as directed by the Board. C. Cash receipts exceeding $50.00 must be verified by at least two members and one must be a director. D. All checks drawn on the PTO account shall be signed by at least one director. Any check issued for over $100.00 must be signed by at least two directors. Three directors will be authorized to sign on the PTO checking/savings accounts. E.
Any non-budgeted expenditures over $25.00 must be approved in advance at
a meeting of the Board or a meeting of the members of the PTO. F. The accounts of the PTO may be examined at any time but shall be examined at the end of each school year by an Audit Committee designated by the Board. The Audit committee will be coordinated by the Vice President and will include the incoming Treasurer and at least one other member who is not a director and who is appointed by the Vice President and approved at the final meeting of the year. Satisfied that the Treasurer’s report is correct, the Audit Committee shall sign a statement to that effect at the end of the report. The report will become part of the PTO records. G.
A minimum of $500.00 shall remain in the treasury each year as a
contingency fund to be passed to the new PTO Board in order to provide operating
funds to begin the PTO’s activities for the next school year. H.
The fiscal and corporate year of the PTO shall be July 1 through June 30. Article 10 - Board Meetings A.
Board meetings will be scheduled during the school year by the Board.
Board meetings will be attended by the Board, committee chairs and any
other interested members of the PTO. B. Board meetings may be rescheduled or additional Board meetings may be called from time to time by the Board as necessary, with not less than ten days prior notice to the PTO membership. C. A majority of the directors in attendance at a meeting of the Board shall constitute a quorum. A vote of a majority of the directors in attendance at such meeting shall pass any motion before the meeting. D.
The rules of procedure for the PTO Board meetings, as to matters not
expressly governed by these Bylaws or the Articles of Incorporation, shall be
those prescribed in Robert’s Rules of Order, Revised. Article 11 - Amendments These Bylaws may be amended at any meeting of the Board by a majority of the members present and voting at such meeting, provided there has been one-month prior notice of the proposed amendments to all members of the PTO. Article 12 - Dissolution In the event that the PTO is dissolved, all of its assets shall be distributed in accordance with the decisions or plans made by the previous year’s Board and consistent with these Bylaws and the Articles of Incorporation. This page was last updated on 05/31/08. |
