Highcrest Elementary School PTO Bylaws

Article I.

Name

The name of this organization is the Highcrest Elementary School Parent Teacher Organization Inc., (further referred to herein as PTO) a non-profit, tax-exempt volunteer organization as defined in section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code.

Article II.

Purpose

Section 2.01 The purpose of this organization is as follows: 1. To foster an environment which will enable parents and school personnel to work together in meaningful and supportive ways to enhance the quality of the educational experience for students, families and staff at Highcrest Elementary School. 2. To provide a series of activities designed to enhance the relationship between home and school. 3. The PTO may raise funds to finance its programs and activities. 4. The PTO shall be non-commercial, non-sectarian, non-partisan, and non-political. 5. The name of the PTO, or the names of any members of the PTO in their official capacities, shall not be used to promote a commercial, sectarian, partisan, or political concern. 6. It is not the purpose of the PTO to fund general charitable organizations, non-profit organizations, governmental organizations, for profit organizations or individuals unless the organization has a direct and substantial educational benefit for Wethersfield students. 7. The PTO shall not incur any indebtedness.

Article III.

Membership

Section 3.01 Parents or guardians of any Highcrest Elementary student and the staff of Highcrest Elementary are members. Section 3.02 A member has the following fundamental rights: 1. to be sent notices 2. to attend meetings 3. to present motions and speak on debatable questions 4. to vote; to nominate, or be, a candidate for office 5. to expect the enforcement of the rules of the organization and of parliamentary law 6. to resign from office or from the organization 7. to receive or have the right to inspect official records of the organization, i.e., an up-to-date copy of the bylaws, rules and minutes of the organization. 8. to have one (1) vote, and each member shall vote in person, with no more than two (2) votes per family. Section 3.03 Section 3.04 The privilege of holding office, making motions, and voting shall be limited to members. The PTO shall determine the means of collection and the amount of any voluntary dues.

Article IV.

Meetings of the Organization

Section 4.01 PTO general membership Meetings are usually held on the second Thursday of every month from September to June. The PTO shall hold a minimum of six (6) meetings per year. Section 4.02 General membership meetings address areas thought to be of interest of all members and may include guest speakers, including teachers, vendors, board of education members, or school administrators. Certain votes are taken by the general membership, including the nomination of Executive Board members and spending on initiatives.

1 04/02/09

Highcrest Elementary School PTO Bylaws

Article V.

Officers

Section 5.01 The PTO shall be governed by five (5) Officers: First Year Co-President, Second Year Co-President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer (the Executive Board). Section 5.02 All officers are elected for terms of one (1) year, except for Co-President who serves (2) consecutive one-year terms, one as First Year Co-President and another term as Second Year CoPresident. Any vacancy in office shall be filled by election at the next Annual Meeting, and prior to that time, the Executive Board, in its discretion, may fill the vacancy by temporary appointment. Section 5.03 Duties of Officers: 1. The Co-Presidents shall: a. Preside over all meetings of the PTO, including general membership meetings and Executive Board meetings. b. As chairperson of the Executive Board, call a meeting prior to each general membership meeting in order to prepare for the upcoming general membership meeting. c. Regularly confer with the school Principal. d. Act as coordinators for the members of the standing committees to bring about an effective organization. e. Transact necessary business in the intervals between meetings and such other business as may be referred to them by the PTO. f. Should a vacancy occur in a standing committee chairmanship or an executive board position, a co- president will seek a volunteer to fill that position subject to approval by the membership at the earliest opportunity. g. Be members ex officio of all committees except the nominating committee. h. Assist in budget preparation. i. Review and approve the newsletter before it is published; can also contribute articles or recruit others to put in timely information. j. Seek suggestions from other officers, the principal, teachers and parents regarding PTO activities and initiatives. k. Inform PTO members and Highcrest parents of all pertinent information regularly. 2. The Vice President shall: a. Assume all duties of co-presidents in case of the absence or incapacity of a co-president. b. Be a member of the Executive Board and assist in the planning of PTO meetings. c. Invite appropriate standing committee chairs to report at the monthly PTO meetings. d. Lead the committee portion of the monthly PTO meeting agenda. e. Invite certain committee chairs to special meetings, as appropriate. f. Suggest addition of new committees and retirement of old/obsolete committees and introduce recommendations at Executive Board meetings for a vote. g. Ask for a written report from all standing committees at the end of the year. h. Maintain/distribute/collect standing committee folders for the organization. 3. The Secretary shall: a. Take careful notes of the proceedings of PTO meetings as a basis for preparing the minutes. In the event he or she is not able to attend a meeting, shall find a temporary replacement to take notes. b. Prepare the minutes of each PTO meeting and make copies available to the Executive Board and to the Principal. c. Make adequate copies of the minutes available at PTO meetings. d. Report the minutes to the organization for correction and approval. e. Sign and date the approved minutes and maintain (2) copies, one to remain in an official minute book and one to remain in the office.

2 04/02/09

Highcrest Elementary School PTO Bylaws

f. Prepare and send required notices of meetings to all members. g. Be a member of the Executive Board and assist in the preparation and copying of a detailed agenda for the PTO meeting. h. Direct incoming correspondence from the PTO mailbox to appropriate parties. i. Carry on the official correspondence of the PTO as directed, except correspondence assigned to other officers, and maintain a correspondence file. j. Maintain the PTO bulletin board. 4. The Treasurer shall: a. Maintain all funds of the PTO and oversee the accounting of all monies collected or spent by the PTO. b. Present a statement of account at every meeting of the PTO and at other times when requested by the Executive Board and shall submit a full annual report at the close of the fiscal year. c. Be a member of the Executive Board and assist in the planning of PTO meetings. d. Help prepare the budget and act as chairman of an annual budget committee consisting of the Executive Board members. The budget committee prepares the annual budget for approval at the September general membership meeting. e. Payment of all non-budgeted disbursements, and exceeding the amount of $50.00, must be approved by the general membership. f. All checks and orders for payment by the PTO are signed by the Treasurer or the President.

Article VI.

Nomination & Election of Officers

Section 6.01 Prior to each Annual Meeting, and no later than the April meeting, the President shall establish a Nominating Committee, which will consist of at least two (2) and no more than four (4) members of the general membership. Members of this committee cannot be nominated for an officers position. Section 6.02 The Nominating Committee shall solicit members to fill Officer vacancies.

Section 6.03 The slate of officers shall consist of a First Year Co-President, Second Year CoPresident, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. The slate of Officers shall be presented at the May PTO meeting and elections will take place by ballot at the Annual meeting in June. Section 6.04 Additional nominations may be made from the floor at the May meeting, and will be included on the ballot at the June meeting. Section 6.05 Officers shall assume their official duties on July 1st.

Article VII.

Standing & Special Committees

Section 7.01 Standing or special committees shall be created by the Executive Board, with the approval of the membership as deemed necessary, to promote the objectives of the membership and carry on the work of the organization. A list and description of active committees will be maintained and available to members. Section 7.02 The chair of each committee shall present a plan of work to the Executive Board for approval. No committee work shall be undertaken without the consent of the Officers. Section 7.03 Committee Chairs shall keep detailed records of a Committees procedures and activities and transfer these records to the Vice President immediately upon termination of their responsibilities as Chair.

3 04/02/09

Highcrest Elementary School PTO Bylaws

Section 7.04 membership.

Committee Chairs and Committee Members shall be solicited from the general

Section 7.05 All Committee Chairs must report on their committees progress, and/or changes, to the Vice President in a timely manner. Section 7.06 If no volunteer steps forward to fill a Standing Committee Chairmanship, a discussion will be held by membership to determine the future of the committee for that fiscal year.

Article VIII.
Section 8.01

The fiscal year of the PTO begins on July 1st and ends the following June 30th.

Fiscal Year Accounting

Section 8.02 The Executive Board determines the budget for the fiscal year. It is adopted by a majority vote of the general membership at the September meeting at the start of the school year. Any disbursements made from the accounts of the PTO must be accounted for in the annual budget. Section 8.03 The PTO should not carry forward more than $2000 over the total operating expenses from the previous year. However, if a surplus occurs that cannot be disbursed during the fiscal year, a special line item will be created to separate these monies from the operating budget. The funds in this line item will be disbursed in a timely fashion or may accumulate to finance a large purchase. Section 8.04 The Treasurers accounts may be examined annually by an auditing committee appointed by the Co-Presidents and approved by the general membership.

Article IX.

Parliamentary Authority

Section 9.01 Roberts Rules of Order, Revised shall govern the organization in all cases in which they are applicable, and in which they are not in conflict with these bylaws. Section 9.02 Unless specified elsewhere in this document, all decisions of the PTO shall be decided by a vote of a simple majority of members present. A member who is present and chooses to abstain from the vote shall not be considered for voting purposes.

Article X.

Amendments

Section 10.01 These bylaws may be amended at any regular meeting of the PTO and by a majority vote of the membership in attendance, provided that written notice of the proposed amendment has been given to the members 48 hours prior to the meeting. Section 10.02 A committee may be appointed every three (3) years to review the existing bylaws and submit a recommended revised set of bylaws as a substitute for the existing bylaws, if it is deemed necessary. The requirements for adoption of a revised set of bylaws shall be the same as in the case of an amendment.

Article XI.

Dissolution

Section 11.01 A majority vote at a General Membership meeting may dissolve the Highcrest PTO. Notice of the proposal to dissolve should be sent to members two (2) weeks prior to this meeting. Section 11.02 Upon dissolution of the PTO, the Executive Board shall, after paying or making provision for the payment of all liabilities of the PTO, dispose of all assets of the PTO, in accordance with any provisions under section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Any such assets not disposed of in such a manner by the Executive Board shall be disposed of by the Court of Common Pleas of the County in which the principal office of the PTO is then located.

4 04/02/09