ROCKY HILL COOPERATIVE NURSERY SCHOOL
BY-LAWS
Revised September 2011
ARTICLE I
Name
I. The name of the Corporation shall be the Rocky Hill Cooperative Nursery School,
Inc.
ARTICLE II
Purpose
I. The purpose of the Corporation is to provide a non-profit cooperative nursery school
for pre-school children.
ARTICLE III
Membership
I. The members of the Corporation shall be each parent or guardian of any child
enrolled in the nursery school.
II. In order to maintain membership in good standing, the following conditions must be
met:
A. Mandatory attendance by at least one parent or guardian at all meetings of
the membership.
B. For parents of children enrolled in the school as a co-op, regular assistance
to the teacher by one parent on a rotating basis throughout the school year.
C. For parents of children enrolled in the school, regular participation in the
maintenance and operation of the school through committee assignments.
D. Prompt payment of tuition fees.
E. Adherence to the rules and regulations of the Corporation.
ARTICLE IV
Officers (Board of Trustees)
I. The property, business and affairs of the Corporation shall be managed and
controlled by its Officers/Board of Trustees. The officers of the Corporation shall be
the President, Vice-President, Registrar(s), Treasurer, and Secretary. The officers
shall be members of the Corporation and shall serve without pay.
II. The officers shall be elected by the membership by a majority vote of those present
at its mandatory meeting in January to hold office for one year and until their
successors shall be elected and shall qualify. If necessary, additional officers may
also be elected at the fall membership meeting. Any officer may be removed from
office at any time by a two-thirds vote of those present at any membership
meeting. Terms are as follows:
A. President: January - January
B. Vice-President: September-September
C. Treasurer: January - January
D. Registrar: January-January
E. Secretary: September-September
ROCKY HILL COOPERATIVE NURSERY SCHOOL
III. The President shall preside at all meetings of the membership and of the Board of
Trustees and shall have general supervision and oversight of the property,
business and affairs of the Corporation.
IV. The Treasurer shall have general custody of the corporate funds and securities,
and general supervision of the collection of the accounts.
V. The Secretary shall attend all meetings of the membership and Board of Trustees,
and shall record the same in the minute books of the Corporation.
VI. The Registrar shall register all children and maintain all forms.
VII. The Board of Trustees may delegate the powers of duties of any officer in his
absence or disability to any other officer or Trustee at any time and may, from time
to time, assign additional duties and powers to any officer or Trustee. In case any
office shall become vacant, the Board of Trustees shall have the power to fill such
vacancy.
VIII. The Board has the final authority over all decisions concerning Rocky Hill Cooperative
Nursery School, Inc.
ARTICLE V
Staff
I. The teacher or teachers, subject to the supervision and control of the Board of
Trustees, shall supervise and operate the nursery school as to curriculum, hours,
activities, equipment and supplies, duties of assistants, and all other matters pertaining
thereto. The staff may be invited to attend any meeting and shall be called upon to
make reports and recommendations, but shall not be entitled to vote.
II. The school programs shall be run by qualified teachers, one of who shall be the
Director.
III. The teaching staff shall be evaluated by the parents twice a year. This evaluation will be
in writing and administered by the board. The first evaluation is due the first week of
December. It is to be reviewed by the staff prior to the January mandatory meeting,
and concerns are to be addressed at the January mandatory meeting. The second
evaluation is to be completed by April 1st. All evaluations must be reviewed and
discussed prior to new teacher contracts.
IV. The teaching staff shall be CPR certified with renewals every year. The budget shall
incorporate the cost of this expense.
V. The Board may hire an assistant Secretary to help maintain the school records,
correspondence, handbook and other work as needed to operate the school.
VI. Substitute teachers may be called upon if and when and needed. Qualifications: a
minimum of 60 college credits and fingerprinted by authorized agencies.
ROCKY HILL COOPERATIVE NURSERY SCHOOL
ARTICLE VI
School Year
I. The school year of the nursery school shall begin the second week in September and
shall end the last week of May unless extended by snow days. The school holidays
shall correspond with the school holidays of the Montgomery Township Schools.
ARTICLE VII
Meetings of the Membership
I. There shall be two compulsory meetings of the membership each year, the exact dates
of which shall be set by the President. The first meeting shall be before the school year
begins, the second in January. Attendance by one parent or guardian is mandatory.
II. The Board of Trustees shall serve as a nominating committee and shall present a slate
for election of officers at the January meeting. If more than one candidate seeks an
office, voting will be by written ballot; a simple majority will determine the winner. As in
all voting situations, members are entitled to one vote for each tuition paid.
III. Special meetings of the membership may be called by the President or by a majority of
the Board of Trustees, or by any ten members.
ARTICLE VIII
Committees
I. The Board of Trustees shall have power to appoint committees from time to time to
assist in the management and control of the property, business and affairs of the
Corporation. The Board of Trustees shall appoint the following standing committees:
A. A General Maintenance Committee which shall be responsible for the
maintenance of the nursery school equipment or facilities.
B. A Marketing Committee which shall be responsible to promoting and
improving awareness of the nursery school and all programs offered.
C. A Fundraising Committee to coordinate school fundraising initiatives.
D. A General Operating Committee to coordinate general operations as well as
special events such as field trips and other special events for the school.
ARTICLE IX
Enrollment Policy
I. The Board of Trustees will be guided by the following eligibility requirements and
enrollment policies:
A. The 4 year old program shall have a maximum of 10 students who attend 4
days of the week overlapping with the 3 year old program for 2 days where
mixed age instruction will take place.
B. The 3 year old program shall have a maximum of 10 students who attend 3
days of the week overlapping with the 4 year old program for 2 days where
mixed age instruction will take place.
C. Enrollment into each program when combined will not total more than 18
students.
D. Each child must be in good health and must present a certificate of good
health signed by a physician upon application.
E. Provided they are otherwise qualified, children of members and former
members will be preferred for membership in the three old group.
F. The student body shall be approximately divided as to sex.
ROCKY HILL COOPERATIVE NURSERY SCHOOL
G. The Corporation shall maintain a racially, non-discriminatory policy as to
students and shall not discriminate against applicants and students on the
basis of race, color and national or ethnic origin.
H. Candidates who enter the three year old class must reach the age of three by
December 31 of the same year.
I. Candidates who enter the four year old class must reach the age of four by
December 31 of the same year. The four year old program is designed for
children who will enter kindergarten the following school year.
J. The Board of Trustees has the authority to make special program exceptions
for families on a case by case basis, when the target enrollment of 16 has not
been achieved by August 31st and if, and only if, it is deemed to be in the
financial best interest of the Corporation to make such exceptions.
ARTICLE X
Registration and Tuition Fees and Fines
I. Annual tuition may be established by a majority vote of those present at any meeting
of the membership.
II. The Board of Trustees shall prepare an annual budget for the fiscal year and present
the budget for approval at the Fall membership meeting. The tuition fee shall be
payable by the parents of enrolled children twice a year at the beginning of each
semester.
III. The tuition fee may be adjusted during the fiscal year by a majority vote of those
present at any meeting of the membership.
IV. An application fee, on behalf of each child applying, shall be due and payable upon
submission of application for enrollment. This registration fee is in addition to the
tuition fee and is not refundable for any reason. The amount is to be determined at a
spring board meeting.
V. A non-refundable tuition deposit of $500.00 is due upon acceptance to the school.
This deposit will be applied to the second (winter) tuition payment. If not paid by May
1st, your child’s spot may be forfeited to the next child on the waiting list.
VI. Fines are as follows:
A. There will be a $25 fine for each late tuition payment.
B. There will be a $100 fine for missing the mandatory meetings or cleanups
unless exceptional circumstances prevail.
C. There will be a ten percent (10%) fine of the total annual tuition due for any
withdrawal after July 31.
ARTICLE XI
Withdrawal
I. Tuition fee is not refundable, except under the following conditions:
A. That a teacher and/or Head Teacher, following a consultation with the Board
of Trustees, advises the parent to withdraw the child and the parent,
accepting this recommendation, withdraws the child. In the event that the
parent does not agree with/or questions the teacher's recommendation, the
parent may appeal to the Board of Trustees for reconsideration.
B. That the parents withdraw a child for reasons of health, in which case a
doctor's certificate must accompany the withdrawal request. (In both cases, A
ROCKY HILL COOPERATIVE NURSERY SCHOOL
and B, tuition will not be refunded for the portion of the semester the child has
already attended and an additional ten percent (10%) of the total annual
tuition will be withheld.)
II. In the event that the parents wish to withdraw a child for other reasons, such as
moving, dissatisfaction, etc., tuition will be guaranteed by the parents either by
paying the full amount themselves or finding an acceptable replacement for their
child.
III. Parents must give at least thirty (30) days notice of withdrawal in order for the
Board of Trustees to fill the vacancy created by such withdrawal.
ARTICLE XII
Classroom Participation
I. Due to liability insurance, the following classroom participation restrictions apply:
A. Observation and/or participation in a class will only be permitted for
prospective students accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. Such visits
are scheduled through the Registrar.
B. Other than the above observation, only enrolled students may participate in
classroom activities. See Field Trip Policy for exceptions.
ARTICLE XIII
Amendment of By-Laws
I. The Board of Trustees, by a two-thirds vote of those present at any meeting called
for such a purpose, shall have power, subject to the reserved power of the
membership to alter or repeal the same, at the meeting in January or any other
meeting called for such purpose, to make, alter, or amend the By-Laws of the
Corporation.
ARTICLE XIV
Dissolution
I. Upon the dissolution of the Corporation, 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.
Any such assets not to be disposed of shall be disposed of by the Superior Court of
the State of New Jersey exclusively for such purposes or to such organization or
organizations as said Court shall determine, which are organized and operated
exclusively for such purposes.
ARTICLE XV
Fiscal Year
I. The fiscal year of the Corporation shall begin on July 1.