Bylaws
Of
Friends-the Parent Teacher Organization
Of the
Sutton Elementary School and Simonian Center for Early Learning
I.
II.
III.
IV.
Name: The name of the organization shall be Friends- the Parent Teacher
Organization (PTO) of Sutton Elementary and the Simonian Center for Early Learning.
Purpose: The purpose of the organization shall be to aid the students of Sutton
Elementary School and the Simonian Center for Early Learning by providing support
for their educational and recreational needs and to promote cooperative open
communication between administration, teachers, and parents.
Memberships:
A. Regular Membership- all parents and/or legal guardians of students who
currently attend Sutton Elementary School or the Simonian Center for Early
Learning and all current faculty and staff shall be eligible for membership in
the organization. Regular Members shall have the right to attend and
participate in all meetings and activities of the organization, but shall not
have the right to vote or hold office.
B. Voting Membership- All Regular Members who are current in the payment of
annual dues, as established in the Section IV herein, shall be designated as
Voting Members. Voting Members shall have the right to vote on all issues
before the membership, to elect officers, to hold office and to serve as
program coordinator.
Membership Dues:
A. Amount – The organization shall authorize and collect membership dues to
be used for the operation of the organization. The amount shall be $10.00.
Any change of the amount of the dues shall be approved by a majority vote
of the Voting Members.
B. Financial Hardship – No Regular Member shall be denied the right to
participate in the activities of the organization or to become a Voting
Member due to financial hardship. The Leadership Team shall establish a
V.
VI.
procedure for alternative payments or waivers to insure compliance with this
policy.
Meetings:
A. Regular Meetings – A monthly General Membership meeting shall be held during
each school year. The time and place of the meetings shall be announced prior
to the meeting.
B. Special Meetings – Additional meetings of the organization shall be called, either
by vote of the Leadership team or by petition of a majority of the Voting
Members.
C. Program/Event Meetings – program Coordinators may call meetings of individual
Standing or special Committees and the Committee’s volunteers. The time and
place of planned Program/Event Meetings shall be announced at the monthly
General Membership Meeting.
D. Quorum – those persons present at a properly called General Membership 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 Voting Members present at any meeting shall be
required for all action to be taken by the organization.
Officers: the Leadership Team shall consist of the officers of the organization (the
Chairperson, two (2) Assistant Chairpersons, Secretary, Assistant to the Treasurer,
and the Treasurer) and the principals of the Sutton Elementary School and the
Simonian Center for Early Learning.
A. Chairperson – The Chairperson shall be the principal executive officer of the
organization and, subject to the control of the Leadership Team and the
direction of the membership, shall in general supervise and control all of the
activities of the organization. The Chairperson shall be a member of the
Leadership Team and, when present, shall preside at all meetings of the
Leadership Team and all meetings of the membership. The Chairperson shall be
an ex-officio member of all committees of the organization. The Chairperson
shall maintain proper lines of communication with school administration.
B. Assistant Chairpersons (two) – The Assistant Chairpersons shall be members of
the Leadership Team and, in the absence of the Chairperson, shall perform the
duties of the Chairperson. The Assistant Chairperson(s) shall preside at all
meetings of the organization in the absence of another officer. The Assistant
Chairperson(s) shall serve as an aid to the Chairperson. One Assistant
Chairperson shall supervise and assist all Standing Committees and the other
Assistant Chairperson shall supervise and assist all Special Committees. In the
VII.
case that a vacancy occurs in the office of Chairperson, the Assistant
Chairperson(s) shall serve the unexpired term.
C. Secretary – The Secretary shall be a member of the Leadership Team. The
Secretary shall record the minutes of the meetings of the membership and of the
Leadership Team. The Secretary shall receive from the Membership
Coordinators an accurate Member Phone List and Program Volunteer Lists. The
Secretary shall maintain and update all records of the organization in the
“Procedure Book” including, a copy of the By-laws, minutes of the meetings,
member phone list, program volunteer list, program operating procedures and
history, treasury reports, and calendar of events. The Secretary shall ensure a
written updated Program Operating Procedures and financial report is obtained
from the Program Coordinator within 30 days of each event. The “Procedure
Book” shall reside with the Secretary and be available at all meetings. The
Secretary shall provide a copy of the minutes of every monthly meeting to the
editor of Chalk Talk.
D. Treasurer and Assistant to the Treasurer – the Treasurer and Assistant to the
Treasurer shall be a member of the Leadership Team. The Treasurer and
Assistant to the Treasurer shall have charge and be responsible for all funds of
the organization. The Treasurer and/or Assistant to the Treasurer shall collect
and keep account of all monies of the organization in a timely manner. All
disbursements in excess of $250.00 will require the review and approval of the
Chairperson. All disbursements must be documented with a receipt. All accounts
shall be reconciled on a monthly basis. A written Treasurers Report indicating all
revenue and disbursements shall be provided at each meeting of the
organization or at the request of the Leadership Team. A copy of the Treasurers
Report shall be given to the Secretary. A fiscal year Proof of Cash shall be
provided to the Leadership Team at the end of each term. A book of the
Treasurer shall be turned over to the new Treasurer with a statement signed by
the Leadership Team that the books are in order.
Elections
A. Procedure – the election of officers shall take place during the last General
Membership Meeting of each year. All Voting Members of the organization may
participate in the election. Written nominations are received by the Secretary.
Only those persons that have signified their consent to serve if elected shall be
nominated for of elected to office. Election of officers shall be by written ballot.
A majority of the votes cast by the Voting Members shall be necessary for
election.
VIII.
IX.
B. Term of Office – The term of each officer, except for the Treasurer, shall be one
(1) year, beginning on July 1 and ending on June 30 of each year. The term of
Treasurer shall be two (2) years. A person shall not be eligible to serve more than
three (3) consecutive terms in the same office.
C. Vacancies – A vacancy occurring in any office shall be filled for the unexpired
term by a person elected by a majority vote of the Leadership Team. Should a
vacancy occur in the office of the Chairperson, one of the Assistant Chairpersons
shall serve the unexpired portion of the term.
The Leadership Team
A. General Powers – The Leadership Team shall manage the affairs, activities, and
operation of the organization. The Leadership Team shall transact necessary
business during the intervals between the meetings of the membership and
other business as may be referred to it by the membership, school faculty or
administration. It m ay create Standing or Special Committees, approve the plans
and work of Standing and Special Committees, present reports and
recommendations at the meetings of the membership, and , in general, conduct
the business and activities of the organization. The Leadership Team shall select
and appoint the volunteer Program Coordinators of all Standing and Special
Committees.
B. Membership – the membership of the Leadership Team shall consist of the
Chairperson, Assistant Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer, and Assistant Treasurer
of the organization and the principal and/or assistant principal of Sutton
Elementary School and the Simonian Center for Early Learning.
C. Meetings – Special meetings may be called by the Chairperson or by the majority
of the Leadership Team. Adequate notice of all meetings shall be given to all
members of the Leadership Team. When possible, notice of the meetings should
be announced to all Regular and Voting Members of the organization. Any
Regular or Voting member may attend a meeting of the Leadership Team.
D. Quorum – A majority of the members of the Leadership Team constitute a
quorum.
E. Voting – A majority vote of the members of the Leadership Team present at a
meeting at which a quorum is present shall be required for all actions to be
taken by the Leadership Team.
Standing and Special Committees
A. Standing Committees – The Leadership Team may establish Standing
committees, as it deems necessary and advisable. The Leadership Team shall
appoint the program coordinators of all Standing Committees. Only Voting
Members may serve as program coordinators. Any Regular Member may serve
as a program volunteer. The program coordinator shall report the plans and
activities of the committee to the Leadership Team, which must approve all such
reports.
B. Special Committees – The Leadership Team may create Special Committees.
Special Committees shall be created for a specific time and/or task and shall
cease to exist when that time and/or task has been completed. The Leadership
Team shall appoint the program coordinators of all Special Committees. Only
Voting Members may serve as program coordinators. Any Regular Member may
serve as a program volunteer. The program coordinator shall report the plans
and activities of the committee to the Leadership Team, which must approve all
such reports.
C. Program Coordinators – The Program Coordinators are volunteers, who shall be
selected and appointed by the Leadership Team to be in charge of, coordinate
and run a Standing or Special Committee program sponsored by the
organization. Only Voting Members shall serve as Program Coordinators. The
Program Coordinators shall obtain a copy of the Program Volunteer List and the
Program operating Procedures and History from the Secretary. The Program
Coordinator shall submit a written event proposal and Program Budget to the
Leadership Team prior to the event. Any legal contracts require the review and
approval of the Leadership Team. The Program Coordinator shall ensure that all
Program Volunteers have an opportunity to participate. The Program
Coordinator shall be responsible for overseeing and coordinating all subcommittees. The Program Coordinator shall submit a written addendum to the
Program Operating Procedures and the final budget/financial report to the
Secretary within 30 days after the event. The Program Coordinator shall present
a program update at each meeting of the organization. If the Program
Coordinator is unable to attend the meeting of the organization, then she/he is
responsible for providing an update to the Chairperson prior to the meeting. The
Program Coordinator shall submit a written article about the event to the Chalk
Talk editor including a list of all donations. The Program Coordinator is
responsible for sending all thank you and donation acknowledgements to the
appropriate companies/individuals.
D. Membership Coordinators – The Membership Coordinator shall be appointed by
the Leadership Team. The Membership Coordinators shall review, revise, and
distribute the organization’s Enrollment Form during the first week of the new
school year. The Membership Coordinators shall compile a Master Member
Phone List and Program Volunteer Lists from the Enrollment Forms. The Master
Member Phone List and the Program Volunteer Lists shall be submitted to the
X.
XI.
Secretary. The Membership Coordinators shall be responsible for distributing
monthly meeting reminders to the membership at large and submitting meeting
reminders to the Sutton Cable Advisory Board. The Membership Coordinators
shall plan and coordinate bi-monthly meeting events and shall have the
authority to form a committee of volunteers to assist with the programs as
needed.
Finances
A. Budget – The Leadership Team shall present to the membership at the first
Regular Meeting of the year a budget of anticipated revenue and expenses for
the year. This budget shall be used to guide the activities of the Leadership Team
during the year. Any substantial deviation from the budget must be approved in
advance by the membership.
B. Obligations – The Leadership Team may authorize any Officer or Program
Coordinator to enter into contracts or agreements for the purchase of materials
or services on behalf of the organization. The Officers or program Coordinators
shall not have the authority, however, to enter into such agreements on behalf
of the Sutton Elementary School or Simonian Center for Early Learning, nor
should they hold themselves out as having such authority.
C. Loans – No loans shall be made by the organization to its officers or its members.
D. Commercial Paper – All checks, drafts or other orders for the payment of money
on behalf of the organization shall be signed by the Treasurer or by any other
person as authorized in writing by the Leadership Team.
E. The Treasurer shall deposit all funds of the organization to the credit of the
organization in such banks or other depositories as selected by the Leadership
Team. The Treasurer shall make such disbursements as authorized by the
Leadership Team in accordance with the budget adopted by the membership or
an approved program budget. All deposits and/or disbursements shall be made
within a maximum of thirty (30) days from the receipt of the funds and/or orders
of payment.
F. Financial Reports – 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 Leadership Team shall have the reports and the accounts
examined annually by an auditor or an informal audit 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.
Amendments
These Bylaws may be altered, amended or repealed and the Voting Members at any
Regular or Special Meeting may adopt new bylaws.