GENERAL FRANCIS NASH HOME AND SCHOOL ASSOCIATION BY-LAWS
Amended __________, 2016
ARTICLE I:
NAME
The name of this association shall be the General Francis Nash Home and School Association
(the Association). The General Francis Nash Home and School Association is a chapter of the
North Penn School District Coordinating Council, Inc., established pursuant to the Pennsylvania
Non-Profit Corporation Law, Section 5511. To the extent the provisions of this chapter’s by-laws
conflict with the dissolution, purpose, or financial reporting requirements set forth in the
Coordinating Council by-laws, the provisions of the Coordinating Council by-laws shall prevail.
ARTICLE II:
OBJECTIVES
The objectives of the Association shall be:
A. To promote the welfare of children in the home, community, and in the school.
B. To inform parents of new educational methods, practices, and standards.
C. To promote cooperation between parents and the entire staff of General Nash in the
education of the children.
D. To provide a forum for the free exchange of ideas between the home and the school.
E. To raise money for activities and equipment not furnished by the North Penn School
District for the enrichment of the school program.
F. To enable the School Board and administration to draw upon the resources of the
Association in making studies of various issues, programs, and concerns within
the district; i.e. redistricting, class size.
ARTICLE III:
MEMBERSHIP
A. Families of General Nash students interested in the objectives of the Association and
willing to abide by the by-laws shall automatically be extended membership.
B. General Nash faculty members shall automatically be extended membership.
C. All members are welcome to to attend and vote at all Association meetings.
ARTICLE IV:
FINANCE
A. The fiscal year of this Association shall run from August 1st to July 31st.
B. An annual budget of estimated income and expenses shall be prepared by the
incoming Executive Board, presented at the August Association meeting, and put
forth for an approval vote at the September Association meeting.
C. Requests for funds that are included in the approved budget shall not require
additional approval.
D. Requests for funds that are not included in the approved budget should be requested
via the “request for funds form”. The request should be approved by the Executive
Board and majority vote of attendance at the next monthly Association meeting.
E. Sources of funds for this organization shall be:
1. Donations
2. Fundraisers or projects approved via the annual budget.
3. Special projects approved by the Executive Board officers.
F. As per the North Penn Coordinating Council group tax exempt agreement with the
IRS, games of chance (e.g. raffles), may not be used for fundraising purposes if the
proceeds exceed 5% of the Association’s gross annual income. Games of Chance
require a Small Games of Chance license from Montgomery County, approval by
the Association’s executive board, and approval by the North Penn School District
School Board. Bingo and pull tabs are prohibited. Please refer to the North Penn
Coordinating Council treasurer’s manual on the North Penn website for more
detailed information.
G. As per the North Penn Coordinating Council group tax exempt agreement with the
IRS, fundraisers using outside professional organizations are prohibited.
H. As per North Penn School Board regulations, no more than one “a-thon” may take
place during the fiscal year.
I. No long range projects requiring accumulation of funds to extend beyond the close of
the current fiscal year shall be undertaken without approval by simple majority of the
membership in attendance at a General Membership meeting.
J. Management of Incoming Funds:
1. Money collected from any Home & School function shall be counted,
collected, and deposited at the earliest time possible. Refer to the current
Money Collection Guidelines for details.
K. The Association is organized exclusively for charitable, educational, and scientific
purposes, including, for such purposes, the making of distributions to organizations
that qualify as exempt organizations under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue
Code, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code.
L. No part of the net earnings of the Association shall inure to the benefit of, or be
distributable to its members, trustees, officers, or other private persons, except that
the Association shall be authorized and empowered to pay reasonable
compensation for services rendered and to make payments and distributions in
furtherance of the purposes set forth in the purpose clause hereof. No substantial
part of the activities of the Association shall be the carrying on of propaganda, or
otherwise attempting to influence legislation, and the Association shall not
participate in or intervene in (including the publishing or distribution of statements)
any political campaign on behalf of any candidate for public office. Not withstanding
any other provision of this document, the organization shall not carry on any other
activities not permitted to be carried on (a) by an organization exempt from federal
income tax under section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding
section of any future federal tax code, or (b) by an organization, contributions to
which are deductible under section 170(c)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code, or
corresponding section of any future federal tax code.
ARTICLE V:
EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
A. The officers of this Association shall consist of a President and/or Co-President, a
Vice President, a Secretary, a Communications Coordinator, a Treasurer, and a
Controller, all of whom are members in good standing.
B. OFFICER DUTIES
1. The President and/or Co-President shall preside at all meetings of the
Association and shall be ex-officio members of all committees, except the
nominating committee; shall appoint coordinators in conjunction with the
Executive Board for all committees; and shall perform all other duties usually
pertaining to the office. Attendance at a meeting with the principal on a
monthly basis is required. Attendance at a meeting with the Superintendent
and Coordinating Council will also be required on a bi-monthly basis.
Qualifications for this office include having served as an officer on the
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Association and having attended five or more general
membership meetings during the past year.
The Vice President shall perform the duties of the President in the absence or
inability of that officer to act, and shall assist the President when called upon.
The Vice President shall coordinate the execution of the various fundraisers
throughout the year. This shall include: acting as a liaison between the
Executive Board and fundraiser coordinators to assure Executive Board
approval of fundraisers and fundraising communication; working with
fundraiser coordinators via email or meetings to schedule fundraising events
and programs throughout the year and reviewing all fundraising mailings and
presenting fundraising opportunities to the Executive Board, Association
members and/or the appropriate fundraising coordinator. Qualifications for
this office include having served as a Coordinator or as an officer of the
Association and having attended two or more General Membership meetings
during the past year.
The Secretary shall handle preparations for Home and School meetings,
including providing the agenda, taking minutes, publishing the minutes for
approval, attendance logs, board correspondence, and other duties as
needed. The Secretary shall provide minutes to the Communications Officer
each month for publication to the website. Attendance at 2 or more General
Membership meetings over the past year is a requirement.
The Communication Coordinator shall manage the Home and School section
of the website (updating it as needed), coordinate the making of
advertisement flyers with event coordinators for Home and School events, log
data for Home and School purposes such as volunteer participation and
responses to events, maintain the Activity Coordinator list, mange social
media accounts, and send out communications with updated information to
the members semi-monthly or as needed. Attendance at two or more General
Membership meetings over the past year is a requirement.
a. Oversee Volunteer Coordinator - This position updates and maintains
the Nash Volunteer Crew list throughout each school year and sends sign
ups for events from coordinators to the Nash Volunteer Crew.
The Treasurer shall keep accurate record of receipts and expenditures and
shall pay out funds in accordance with the approved budget as authorized by
the Association. The Treasurer shall issue all checks. The checks can be e
electronic or hard copy. Electronic checks shall be audited by another board
member once per month. Hard copy checks shall be signed by the Treasurer
and another board member. The Treasurer shall present a statement of
account at every General Membership meeting and at other times requested
by the executive board officers and shall present an annual report at the first
meeting of the school year. The Treasurer must submit reports to
Coordinating Council twice per year. The Treasurer must issue all W9 forms
and submit the corresponding 1099 forms for the calendar year. The
Treasurer should preferably have a math or financial background.
Qualifications for this office include having attended two or more General
Membership meetings during the past year.
The Controller shall receive all monies of the Association and be responsible
for making timely deposits to and cash withdrawals from the Association’s
bank account. The Controller is responsible for monthly audits of electronic
checks that have been issued by the Treasurer and will assist the Treasurer
as needed. The Controller should preferably have a math or financial
background. Qualifications for this office include having attended two or more
General Membership meetings during the past year.
ARTICLE VI:
ELECTIONS
A. NOMINATIONS
1. There shall be a nominating committee consisting of two members, once from
the executive board and one from the general membership who shall be
approved by the Executive Board at the beginning of January.
2. The Nominating Committee shall present a slate of qualified prospective
officers with one or more candidates for each office at the April meeting of the
general membership.
a. Additional nominees may be made by the general membership via the
Nominating Committee. Nominations will be closed prior to the May
election.
b. The consent of each candidate must be obtained before his/her name
is placed on the slate.
c. The slate of nominees shall be publicized prior to the election.
B. ELECTIONS
1. Nominations will be made and presented to the general membership for
election at the May General Membership meeting of the school year.
2. Election shall be by simple majority vote of the membership attending the May
General Membership meeting.
3. Newly elected officers shall assume the responsibilities of their office at the
conclusion of the last General Membership meeting of the current school year.
C. TERMS OF OFFICE
1. Officers shall serve a term of one year. A person may not be elected to the
same office for more than two consecutive terms. However, if no one comes
forward and the current officer is willing to continue in that capacity it will be
voted upon by the general membership.
2. Only the Vice President can temporarily fill an unexpected vacancy occurring
in the office of President before a nominating committee is created.
3. A vacancy occurring in any other office shall be filled for the remaining term by
a majority vote of the Executive Officers.
4. Any officers absent from two consecutive meeting without reasonable
justification will be removed from the office at the discretion of the Officers.
ARTICLE VII:
EXECUTIVE BOARD
A. MEMBERS
The President and/or Co President, Vice President, Communications
Coordinator, Secretary, Treasurer, and Controller shall constitute the Executive
Board.
B. DUTIES
1. To transact necessary business in the interval between meetings and such
other business as referred to it by the membership.
2. To approve the projects/plans submitted by the committees.
3. To submit an annual budget to the general membership for approval.
4. To approve a committee to serve as nominating committee.
5. To resolve any transitional issues between the incoming and outgoing
Executive Board.
ARTICLE VIII:
COMMITTEES
A. COMMITTEES
1. Committees and Functions
a. Coordinating Council Representative - To attend Coordinating Council
meetings and make reports at Home and School meetings.
b. School Board Representative - To attend North Penn School Board
meetings and make reports at Home and School meetings.
c. Room Parent Coordinators - To recruit, select, and organize room
parents.
d. 6th Grade Committee - To organize and raise funds for the 6th grade
class activities.
e. Yearbook - To organize, edit, and market an annual publication of
Nash activities.
f. Nominating Committee - To present a slate of qualified prospective
officers with one or more candidates for each office.
g. All committees need to abide by Coordinating Council by laws.
2. All committee projects/plans shall be submitted for review to the Executive
Board Officers prior to execution or implementation.
3. Committee coordinators may serve no more than two consecutive years
unless there are no other volunteers.
4. All committee coordinators shall be responsible for following the Committee
Coordinator Guidelines as presented at the annual Coordinator meeting in
the beginning of the school year.
B. SPECIAL COMMITTEES
Special or ad hoc committees may be appointed by the President and/or Co President with the
approval of the Executive Officers at anytime throughout the year.
ARTICLE IX:
PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY
The rules contained in Robert’s Rules of Order Revised shall govern the Association in all cases
to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these by-laws.
ARTICLE X:
DISSOLUTION
Upon the dissolution of the Association, assets shall be distributed for one or more exempt
purposes within the meaning of the 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. Any such asset not
disposed of shall be disposed of by the Court of Common Pleas of the county in which the
principal office of the Association is then located, as said Court shall determine, which are
organized and operated exclusively for such purposes.
ARTICLE XI:
REVISIONS AND AMENDMENTS
These by-laws may be reviewed as required at the direction of the President and/or Co
President and officers, but must be reviewed every two years to determine the degree of
relevancy. A committee will be appointed by the officers to review and if necessary, submit the
revised (modify existing article(s)) and/or amended (adding sections to or new articles) set of
by-laws as a substitute for the existing b- laws. Any amended or revised by-laws must be voted
upon during a General Membership meeting. Changes will pass with a two-thirds majority vote
of the members present and voting provided that notification of and copies of the proposed
changes are made available to all voting members at least two weeks preceding that General
Membership meeting.
A. STANDING POLICIES
1. The name of the Association or the names of any members in their official
capacity shall not be used for any commercial, partisan, or sectarian purpose.
2. This Association shall not seek to direct the administrative policies of the
school or to control its policies.
3. This Association may cooperate with other organizations and agencies active
in child welfare, such as conference groups or coordinating councils,
provided its representatives make no commitments that bind the group they
represent.
4. This Association must abide by and conform to the rules and regulations as
established by the school district. These rules and regulations are
incorporated in these by-laws by reference.
The by-laws of the General Francis Nash Home and School Association herewith have been
presented to the general membership and approved and accepted this
____________ day of __________________________ 2016.
Accepted by: __________________________________________________
Officer
___________________________________________________
Officer