W D Richards Elementary School

ARTICLE I

Name

The name of the organization shall be the W. D. Richards Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO).

ARTICLE II

Purpose

Relationships between the students, teachers, staff, and parents of W. D. Richards Elementary School are a vital influence on the success of our children's futures. Therefore, the purpose of the PTO is to foster a sense of support, pride, and enthusiasm at the school and in the community. Through fund-raising and family activities, we will promote positive school and community relationships that enhance our children's educational environment.

·    Parents, teachers and staff will be able to form an alliance based on the common goal of improvement in the educational environment and opportunities for children.

·    Parents, teachers and staff will have the opportunity to act as advocates for the improvement in the educational environment and opportunities for children.

·    Parents, teachers and staff will be able to sponsor character- and morale-building activities as an extension of the educational environment.

ARTICLE III

Policies

A.

The purposes of this organization are promoted through educational and social programs directed towards parents, teachers, students and the general public.  The purposes are developed through conferences, committees, projects and programs; and are governed and qualified by the basic policies of this organization.

B.

The organization shall be non-commercial, non-sectarian, and non-partisan.

C.

The name of the organization or the names of any members in their official capacities shall not be used in any connection with a commercial concern or with any partisan interest or for any purpose not appropriately related to promotion of the purposes of this organization

D.

The organization shall cooperate with the school to support the improvement of education in ways that will not interfere with administration of the school and shall not seek to control its policies.

ARTICLE IV

Membership

Any parent or guardian whose child attends W. D. Richards Elementary School, any community member who resides in the W. D. Richards Elementary School District, or any faculty or staff member of W. D. Richards Elementary School who is interested in the purpose of the W. D. Richards PTO may become a member.

ARTICLE V

Meetings

A.

All meetings shall be governed by Robert's Rules of Order.

B.

General Membership Meetings. General meetings are to be held the first Tuesday of every month at 7:00 PM during the school term unless otherwise specified by the President and agreed upon by the officers.

C.

Special Meetings. Additional meetings of the organization may be called, either by vote of the Executive Committee or by petition of a majority of the General Membership. The time and place of all Special Meetings shall be announced at least seven (7) days prior to the meeting.

D.

Quorum. Those persons present at a properly called General or Special Meeting shall be designated as a quorum and shall be entitled to take action on behalf of the organization.

E.

Voting. A majority vote of the members present at any meeting shall be required for all action to be taken by the organization.

F.

Agenda.  Regular order of business by agenda should include:

1.      Update and corrections to minutes of the previous meeting.

2.      Financial report by the Treasurer.

3.      Reports from Vice-Presidents as necessary.

4.      Report from any other standing committee as necessary.

5.      Approve budget report and necessary bills within the budget.

ARTICLE VI

Officers

                     A.

Positions. The officers of the organization shall consist of a President, President-Elect, 1^st Vice President, 2^nd Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer.

                     B.

President. The President shall be the principal executive officer of the organization and, subject to the control of the Executive Committee and the direction of the membership, shall in general supervise and control all of the activities of the organization. The President shall be a member of the Executive Committee and, when present, shall preside at all meetings of the Executive Committee and all meetings of the membership. The President shall vote only in the case of a tie in a vote of the Executive Committee or the membership. The President shall select and appoint the chairpersons of all Standing and Special Committees and shall be an ex-officio member of all committees of the organization.  The President must have served the previous year as President-Elect. To be eligible to serve as President, a person must be the parent or guardian of a W. D. Richards student.

C.

President-Elect. The President-Elect shall be a member of the Executive Committee and, in the absence of the President, shall perform the duties of the President. The President-Elect shall perform such other duties as are assigned by the President or the Executive Committee. The President-Elect, after having served for one year, shall automatically become the President of the organization. To be eligible to serve as President-Elect, a person must be the parent or guardian of a W. D. Richards fifth grade or younger student.

The President-Elect shall be an ex-officio member of the Nominating Committee, Budget Committee, and Financial Committee.

The President-Elect shall be the ex-officio member of all financial related committees.  These committees may include, but are not limited to:

·         Market Day

·         Skating Party

·         Fall Fundraiser

·         Community Programs

D.

1^st-Vice-President. The 1^st Vice-President shall be a member of the Executive Committee.  The 1^st Vice-President shall be responsible for all volunteer related activities and shall be the ex-officio member of all volunteer related committees.  These committees may include, but are not limited to:

·         Grade Coordinator

·         Spring Fling Committee

·         Staff Appreciation Committee

·         Student Appreciation Committee

·         Buzz Book Committee

·         After Hours Committee

·         Destination Imagination Committee

The 1^st Vice-President shall be responsible for maintaining an updated volunteer list.

To be eligible to serve as 1^st Vice-President, a person must be the parent or guardian of a W. D. Richards student.

E.

2^nd Vice-President. The 2^nd Vice-President shall be a member of the Executive Committee and shall serve as W. D. Richards staff representative.  The 2^nd Vice-President shall serve as the liaison between the PTO and W. D. Richards staff. The principal shall appoint a staff member to be the 2^nd Vice-President.

F.

Secretary. The Secretary shall be a member of the Executive Committee. The Secretary shall be responsible for publicity for all events of the organization and shall act as a liaison between the school and the media. The Secretary shall keep the official history of the organization and shall keep an annual record of all of the activities of the organization. The Secretary shall keep the minutes of the proceedings of the membership and the Executive Committee, shall see that all notices are duly given in accordance with these Bylaws, and, in general, perform all duties incident to the office of Secretary and such other duties as may be assigned by the President or the Executive Committee. To be eligible to serve as Secretary, a person must be the parent or guardian of a W. D. Richards student.

G.

Treasurer. The Treasurer shall be a member of the Executive Committee. The Treasurer shall have charge of and be responsible for all funds of the organization and shall receive and give receipts for monies due and payable to the organization from all sources and shall deposit such funds in such banks or other organizations as are selected by the Executive Committee. The Treasurer shall make disbursements as authorized by the President, Executive Committee, or membership in accordance with the budget adopted by the membership. The Treasurer shall present a written financial report at each General Membership Meeting and at other times as requested by the Executive Committee. To be eligible to serve as Treasurer, a person must be the parent or guardian of a W. D. Richards student.

ARTICLE VII

Elections

A.

Procedure. The election of officers shall take place during the General Membership Meeting in March each year. All members of the organization may participate in the election. The Nominating Committee shall present a slate of officers for election. Further nominations may be received from the floor. The election of the slate, if non-contested, may be by voice vote. Any contested election shall be by written ballot.

B.

Term of Office. The term of each officer shall be one year, beginning at their installation at the March meeting of the school year and ending at the next year's installation.  With the exception of the offices of President and President-Elect, a person may be elected to the same or other office for more than one term. There shall be no election for the office of President, as the President-Elect shall automatically assume the position of President at the completion of his or her term.

C.

Nominating Committee. The Nominating Committee shall be responsible for receiving all suggestions for persons to serve as officers. The committee shall prepare a slate of officers to present for election by the membership. The committee shall contact all persons who will be nominated to confirm their willingness to serve. The committee shall insure that all nominees are Members and otherwise eligible to serve in the office.

D.

Selection. A majority of the votes cast by the Members shall be necessary for election. Should no person receive a majority of the votes cast, a run-off between the two (2) persons who received the largest number of votes shall immediately be held.

E.

Vacancies. If any vacancy in office due to death, resignation or inability to serve shall occur, the Executive Committee shall appoint a person for the unexpired portion of the term. However, should a vacancy occur in the office of the President, the President-Elect shall immediately assume the office. Should a vacancy occur in the office of President-Elect for any reason, the President shall appoint a person to fill the vacancy for the unexpired portion of the term.  The appointed President-Elect shall assume the duties of President the following school year term.

ARTICLE VIII

Executive Committee

A.

General Powers. The affairs, activities and operation of the organization shall be managed by the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee shall transact necessary business during the intervals between the meetings of the membership and such other business as may be referred to it by the membership or these Bylaws. It may create Standing and Special Committees, approve the plans and work of standing and special committees, present reports and recommendations at the meetings of the membership, prepare and submit a budget to the membership for approval, and, in general, conduct the business and activities of the organization.

B.

Membership. The membership of the Executive Committee shall consist of the President, President-Elect, 1^st Vice-President, 2^nd Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer. The principal of the school shall serve as ex-officio member and shall be entitled to vote.

C.

Meetings. Regular meetings of the Executive Committee shall be held during the year, the time to be established at the first meeting of the year. Special meetings may be called by the President or by a majority of the Executive Committee. Adequate notice of all meetings shall be given to all members of the Executive Committee and, in the absence of an emergency, at least seven (7) days in advance. When possible, notice of the meetings should be announced to all Regular Members of the organization. Any Member may address a meeting of the Executive Committee, but shall not be entitled to vote on matters before the body.

D.

Quorum. A majority of the regular members of the Executive Committee shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.

E.

Voting. The act of the majority of the members of the Executive Committee present at a meeting at which a quorum is present shall be required for all action to be taken by the Executive Committee.

ARTICLE IX

Standing and Special Committees

A.

Nominating Committee. The Nominating Committee shall be composed of three (3) persons, at a minimum, who shall be selected by the Executive Committee at the beginning of each school year. In addition, the President-Elect shall be an ex-officio member of the committee. The committee shall carry out its responsibilities, as specified in Article VII Section A.

B.

Budget Committee.  The Budget Committee shall review the budget and prepare a recommended budget for the fiscal year. The fiscal year shall be from August 1 to July 31.  The President shall be the Chairperson of the committee.  The President-Elect, 1^st Vice-President, 2^nd Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, and W. D. Richard's Principal shall serve as committee members. The budget for the fiscal year shall be presented to the General Membership at the May meeting and shall be approved no later than August 15 of the next school year.

C.

Financial Committee.  The Financial Committee shall conduct an annual audit of the Treasurer's account.  This action shall be performed during the month of April.  The committee shall consist of the Treasurer and two (2) other Members as appointed by the President at the beginning of each school year. The Chairperson shall report the results of the audit in writing to the Executive Committee, which must approve all such reports.

D.

Other Standing Committees. The Executive Committee may establish such other Standing Committees as it deems necessary and advisable.    The chairperson of each committee shall recruit the members for his or her committee.  Any Member may serve as a committee member. The Chairperson shall report the plans and activities of the committee to the Executive Committee, which must approve all such reports.

E.

Special Committees. The President and/or the Executive Committee may create Special Committees.  Special Committees shall be created for a specific time and/or task and shall cease to exist when that time or task has been completed, or at the end of the school year, whichever occurs first. The President shall appoint the chairpersons of all Special Committees.  Any Member may serve as a committee member. The Chairperson shall report the plans and activities of the committee to the Executive Committee, which must approve all such reports.

ARTICLE X

Finances

A. 

Budget. The Executive Committee shall present to the membership at the first General Meeting of the school year a budget of anticipated revenue and expenses for the year. This budget shall be used to guide the activities of the Executive Committee during the year. Any request for deviation from the budget must be submitted in writing to the Executive Committee.  If approval is granted by the Executive Committee, and the request is $200 or less, the request will be submitted to the General Membership for vote.  If the amount of the request exceeds $200, the request will be tabled to the next general membership meeting to allow members time to review the request.

B.

Obligations. The Executive Committee may authorize any officer or officers to enter into contracts or agreements for the purchase of materials or services on behalf of the organization. The officers shall not have the authority, however, to enter into such agreements on behalf of W. D. Richards Elementary School or the Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation, nor should they hold themselves out as having such authority.

C.

Loans.  No loans shall be made by the organization to its officers or members.

D.

Commercial Paper. All checks, drafts, or other orders for the payment of money on behalf of the organization in the amount greater than $100 shall be signed by the Treasurer and the President.  All checks, drafts, or other orders for the payment of money less than this amount need only be signed by the Treasurer.

E.

Deposits and Disbursements.  The Treasurer shall deposit all funds of the organization to the credit of the organization in such banks, trust companies or other depositories as the Executive Committee may select and shall make such disbursements as authorized by the Executive Committee in accordance with the budget adopted by the membership. All deposits and/or disbursements shall be made within a maximum of fourteen (14) days from the receipt of the funds and/or orders of payment.

F.

Financial Report. The Treasurer shall present a financial report at each General Membership Meeting of the organization and shall prepare a final report at the close of the year. The Executive Committee shall have the report and the accounts examined annually by the Financial Committee, who, if satisfied that the Treasurer's annual report is correct, shall sign a statement of that fact at the end of the report.

ARTICLE XI

Amendments

These Bylaws may be altered, amended or repealed and new Bylaws may be adopted by the Members at any General or Special Meeting.

ARTICLE XII

Authority

If any part of these Bylaws shall conflict with the decisions, policies or procedures adopted by the Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation, they shall be deemed null and void and the decision of the Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation shall, in all cases, control.

ARTICLE XIII

Dissolution

Upon dissolution of this organization, after paying or adequately providing for the debts and obligations of this PTO, the remaining assets shall be distributed to W. D. Richards Elementary School.  If W. D. Richards Elementary School ceases to exist, remaining PTO assets shall be distributed for one or more exempt purposes within the meaning of section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code, or shall be distributed to the federal government, or to a state or local government, for a public purpose.