FENTON, MISSOURI

PARENT TEACHER ORGANIZATION

BY-LAWS

Last revision: November 2010 

ARTICLE I:  NAME

The name of this organization is the Uthoff Valley Parent Teacher Organization (Uthoff Valley PTO), located in Fenton, Missouri.  It is a local independent PTO, having no affiliation with any other association being it state or national in origin.

ARTICLE II:  ARTICLES OF ORGANIZATION

The Organization exists as an unincorporated association of its members.  Its Articles of Organization comprise these Bylaws as from time to time amended, and its articles of association, if any.

In the absence of separate articles of association, the Bylaws shall be deemed to be the articles of association.  In the event of any conflict between these Bylaws and the articles of association, these Bylaws shall govern.

ARTICLE III:  OBJECTIVES

The objectives of this Organization are:

1.         To promote the welfare, care, and protection of our children at home, school and in the community.

2.         To raise the standards of home life.

3.         To raise funds for programs and equipment to further the education of our children.

ARTICLE IV:  BASIC POLICIES

The following are basic policies of this Organization:

1.         The Organization shall be noncommercial, nonsectarian, and nonpartisan.

2.         No part of the net earnings of the Organization shall be for the benefit of, or be distributed to, its members, officers, or other private persons, except that the Organization shall be authorized and empowered to pay reasonable compensation for services rendered.

3.         The name of the Organization, or the names of any members in their official capacities, shall not be used in connection with a commercial concern, or with any partisan interest, or for any purpose not appropriately related to promotion of the objectives.

4.       The Organization shall not, directly or indirectly, participate or intervene in any way, including the publishing or distribution of statements, in any political campaign on behalf of, or in opposition to, any candidate for public office; or devote more than an insubstantial part of its activities to attempting to influence legislation by propaganda or otherwise.

5.      The Organization shall work with the schools to provide quality education for all children and shall seek to participate in the decision making process establishing school policy, recognizing that the legal responsibility to make decisions has been delegated by the people to the Board of Education.

6.      The Organization may cooperate with other organizations and agencies concerned with child welfare, but a PTO representative shall make no commitments that bind the Organization.

7.         Notwithstanding any other provisions of these Constitution and Bylaws, 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 of 1986 (or the corresponding provisions of any future United States Internal Revenue Law), or

                        b. by an organization contributions to which are deductible under Section 170(c))(2) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (or the corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue Law.

8.      In the event of the dissolution of the Organization, the Executive Committee shall, after paying or making provisions for the payment of all of the liabilities of the Organization, dispose of all the assets of the Organization exclusively for the purpose of the Organization in such manner, or to such organization(s) operated exclusively for charitable; educational, or scientific purposed as shall at the time qualify as an exempt organization(s) under Section 501 ( c ) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 ( or the corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue Law), as the Executive Committee shall determine.

ARTICLE V.  MEMBERSHIP

Any Uthoff Valley parent, guardian, or staff member may become a member of this organization. Membership in this Organization shall be available without regard to race, color, creed, or national origin.

ARTICLE VI:  OFFICERS AND THEIR ELECTION

 SECTION 1 - OFFICERS

1.      The officers of the Organization shall be a President (which can be one or two person position), five Vice Presidents, a Recording Secretary, and a Treasurer.

2.      These officers shall be elected annually by ballot at the April meeting.  If there is but one nominee for any office, the election may be by voice.

3.      Officers shall assume their official duties following the close of the May meeting and shall serve for a term of one year.

4.      No person shall serve more than two consecutive terms in the same office. 

SECTION 2 - THE ELECTION

1.      A Nomination Committee consisting of four members shall make nominations for officers: three shall be appointed by the President(s) (one from the Executive Committee and two from the Organization) and the fourth member shall be by the Principal or his/her representative.  The committee shall elect its own chairperson.   Additional recommendations to the Nomination Committee from any PTO member can be made in March.  The Nomination Committee shall report at the regular March meeting of the Executive Committee no more than three names of candidates for each office to be filled.

2.     The Nomination Committee shall present a slate of nominees to the Organization at the April meeting for election.  Additional nominations may be made from the floor prior to the election.

3.     Only those persons who have consented to serve if elected shall be nominated   for, or elected to such office, and voting shall not be limited to the nominee.

4.      A vacancy occurring in an office during the school year shall be filled by majority vote of the Executive Committee, due notice ( 7 days) of such a meeting must be given.  In case a vacancy occurs in the office of the President, the Vice Presidents, in their order, shall serve the unexpired term.  If the Vice Presidents decline to serve the unexpired term, the Executive Committee will nominate a new President to be approved by a majority of the Organization.

5.     Any officer who misses 3 consecutive monthly meetings without notification to the President will vacate his/her position.  The position will be filled according to #4 above. 

ARTICLE VII.  FISCAL YEAR

The fiscal year will be from July 1 through June 30.

SECTION 1 – FINANCIAL TRANSACTIONS

1.       All requests for a PTO check must be made on a Check Request Form even though requests for monies have been approved.  Receipts must be given at time of request or shortly after money is spent.   These Check Request Forms are to be filed and kept for reference throughout the year.

2.        A cash box with petty cash needs to be provided to Team Leaders as requested for fundraising events throughout the year.  All petty cash transactions need to be recorded on receipts as it occurs.

3.         All monies received from income items should be cross-counted with someone and a receipt given to the Team Leaders handing over the money.  The money then needs to be totaled with details (check #’s, last name, amount) logged as a list to be filed for reference throughout the year.

4.        All income monies need to be deposited as quickly as possible; the deposit slip filed for reference.

(See the Duties of the Treasurer for additional information)

ARTICLE VIII:  EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

SECTION 1

         The Executive Committee shall consist of the officers of the Organization and the Principal of the school or his/her representative.  The immediate Past President may serve as an advisory member.

SECTION 2

         The duties of the Executive Committee shall be to transact necessary business in the intervals between Organization meetings, and other such business as may be referred to by the Organization; approve plans of work of the standing committees; present a report at the regular meetings of the Organization; appoint an auditing committee and other special committees; review and submit to the Organization for approval an annual budget and approve routine bills within the limit of the budget; shall approve non-budgeted expenditures not to exceed 33 1/3% of the approved PTO operations budget.

SECTION 3

         Regular meetings of the Executive Committee shall be held monthly during the school year, the time to be fixed by the committee at its first meeting of the year.  A simple majority of the Executive Committee members shall constitute a quorum.  Special meetings of the Executive Committee may be called by the President(s) or by the majority of its members.

ARTICLE IX:  STANDING COMMITTEES

         There shall be such standing committees created by the Executive Committee as may be required to promote the objects and interest of the Organization.  The appointed members of standing committees shall be selected upon recommendations of the Nomination Committee with final appointment by the school Principal.  Their terms of office shall be for one year.  Chairpersons of such committees shall present plans of work to the Executive Committee and no work shall be undertaken without the approval of the Executive Committee.

ARTICLE X.  MEETINGS

1.     At least three (3) general meetings of the Organization shall be held during the school year, unless otherwise provided by the Organization or by the Executive Committee.

2.     Special meetings may be called by the Executive Committee.

3.     The May meeting shall be the last regular meeting of the year.  At this time, the annual reports shall be received.

ARTICLE XI.  PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY

            Robert‘s Rules of Order shall govern the Organization in all cases in which they are applicable.

ARTICLE XII: AMENDMENTS

1.     These Bylaws may be amended at any regular meeting of the Organization by a  two-thirds (2/3) vote of the members present and voting, provided that written notice of the proposed amendment shall have been given at least 30 days prior to the meeting.

2.     A committee may be appointed to submit a revised set of Bylaws as a substitute for the existing Bylaws, only by a majority vote at a meeting of the Organization, or by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Executive Committee.  The requirements for adoption of a revised set of Bylaws shall be the same as in the case of an amendment.

ARTICLE XIII: DUTIES OF THE OFFICERS

 PRESIDENT/CO-PRESIDENTS

The President(s) is(are) the officer(s) in charge of the overall management of the PTO.  The President’s responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

·               Partner with the VP’s to organize the Open House days in conjunction with the Principal and Committee members, providing information displays for parents.  For example, Fund Raising coupons, Fall Fund Raiser, Market Day, Volunteer sign-ups etc.

·               Act as liaison between teachers/parents and teachers/principal.

·               Work with principal and staff to meet the goals of the school and PTO.

·               Attend meetings with principal to discuss school and PTO issues.

·               Organize and attend monthly PTO meetings and General Meetings.

·               Attend monthly Presidents’ Forum meetings and report back to the board.

·               Attend SEC Coalition meetings as required.

·               Attend all meetings as directed by District.

·               Manage all committees as assigned.

·               Appoint and set up new committees to perform special projects/events.

·               Communicate with Board Members on issues that arise between monthly meetings.

·               Prepare and update By-Laws/Job Descriptions with the help of the Executive Board.

·               Attend PTO sponsored functions

·               Respect all holidays (religious/non-religious) when scheduling meetings and functions.

·               Help create, prepare and manage budget with Treasurer throughout the school year.

·               Meet with Principal and Treasurer to discuss budget requests.

·               Authorize all expenditures ordered by the Executive Board and sub committees.

·               Authorize special monetary requests under $100.00, where needed.

·               Manage the PTO Operating Expense Budget.

·               Organize and present “Volunteer of the Year Awards”.

·               Organize “Teacher of the Year” collection and purchase gift.

·               Order volunteer badges.

·               Partner with Treasurer to ensure Tax Return is sent to IRS (deadline: November 15th each calendar year).

·               Work with the Webmaster to ensure that the PTO website is being updated and therefore utilized by parents.

SECRETARY

The Secretary is an officer and will record the minutes of all meetings of the PTO and the Executive Committee.  The Secretary should make copies of the minutes and forward to all Board members within twenty (20) days after the meeting.

·               The Secretary will keep a file of all recorded minutes, agendas, treasurer’s report etc. in a Recording Secretary notebook.

·               The Secretary will be responsible for sending thank you notes when deemed necessary.

·               Sending out notices, or notifying otherwise, all members of the Executive Committee of scheduled (monthly meeting reminders) or special Executive Committee meetings.

·               The Secretary will also keep on file the by-laws, job descriptions, a list of all standing and special committees and their members.

·               The Secretary will call the meeting to order in the absence of both the Presidents, and will preside until a Chairperson pro-tem is elected.

·               The Secretary will conduct all correspondence of the PTO as directed by the President/Board, on behalf of the PTO.

·               After the minutes from previous month have been approved by the Board, e-mail a copy to the teacher maintaining the school website to be posted.  A copy of the minutes should also be posted on the PTO website.

·               The Secretary will perform other duties as assigned by the President/Board. 

TREASURER

The Treasurer is the officer in charge of all the funds of the PTO.  The Treasurer’s responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

1.        Preparing a budget of income and expenditures for the ensuing year using information gathered/provided by other PTO officers, appointed members, & principal.

A.        A Budget Request Form is made available to all teachers/staff prior to the end of the current school year.  All requests for PTO monies must be submitted using this form.  Blank forms will be available through the school office, the PTO President and the PTO Treasurer.

B.        The Executive Committee will review and decide on all major income categories and budget the income for the following school year using information gathered from committee chairs and the previous year’s income. 

C.        A proposed budget is prepared for both income and expenditures using information based on the previous year’s activity and the Budget Request Forms collected from teachers/staff.  The Executive Committee will review for appropriateness.

D.       The proposed budget is presented to the PTO membership at its first meeting of the year for approval and/or changes.

E.        Any necessary changes and/or revisions will be made and presented at the next meeting for approval. 

F.        After approval, a final budget will be printed & filed for use throughout the school year.

2.        Once the budget is approved, each person or grade requesting monies is to be notified by returning a signed copy of the Budget Request Form to them.  The Treasurer will indicate if the PTO approved, did not approve, or partially approved their request for expenditure and why.

3.       The Treasurer will present a financial statement (previous month’s transactions) at every meeting, as well as other times when requested.  A current budget report will be given to the President monthly.  A full oral and written report will be made at the spring meeting.

4.        The budget report needs to be kept up-to-date by promptly entering each deposit and/or check written so that reports are accurate.  This needs to be done using the PTO’s software – QuickBooks.

5.        Once bank statements are received, the checkbook should be balanced using QuickBooks.

6.        Mid-year, a report needs to be generated showing which approved budget items still need to be spent.  Those teachers/staff/Team Leaders should be contacted in an effort to close out the budget by the end of the year.  This information should be provided to the PTO President for informational purposes.

7.        Also mid-year, a report should be generated showing fundraising income/expenses/profit to date.  This information is helpful in tracking the projected budget and predicting any major adjustments that may need to be made.  This information should be provided to the PTO President for informational purposes.

8.        At the end of the fiscal year, the PTO accounts will be audited by an auditing committee or an outside auditing firm.

9.        Other duties as assigned by the Executive Committee. 

VP SCHOOL PROJECTS

·               Attend all Board meetings and other PTO sponsored functions as determined by Board.

·               Partner with Treasurer and Team Leaders to create initial team budgets and management of the budgets through the year.  When there are discrepancies team with Treasurer and Team Leader to resolve.

·               Manage all teams as assigned.

·               Partner with Team Leaders on upcoming events and help recruit volunteers if needed.

·               Update Board at monthly meetings on upcoming events, potential issues and/or change.

·               Give feedback to Board at the end of each activity/event.

·               Organize displays for Back to School Open House event, if applicable.

·               Partner with other VP’s and Presidents to organize Volunteer Sign-up at Open House.

·               Represent teams at Open House.

·               Respect all holidays (religious and non-religious) when scheduling team meetings and events.

·               Represent the Board in a positive, cohesive manner with knowledge of all events or the ability to forward to the appropriate representative.

·               Communicate appropriately with Team Leaders/Co-Leaders.

·               Keep detailed notes regarding VP position for next volunteer.

 VP SCHOOL SUPPORT

·               Attend all Board meetings and other PTO sponsored functions as determined by Board.

·               Partner with Treasurer and Team Leaders to create initial team budgets and management of the budgets through the year.  When there are discrepancies team with Treasurer and Team Leader to resolve.

·               Manage all teams as assigned.

·               Partner with Team Leaders on upcoming events and help recruit volunteers if needed.

·               Update Board at monthly meetings on upcoming events, potential issues and/or change.

·               Give feedback to Board at the end of each activity/event.

·               Organize displays for Back to School Open House event, if applicable.

·               Partner with other VP’s and Presidents to organize Volunteer Sign-up at Open House.

·               Represent teams at Open House.

·               Respect all holidays (religious and non-religious) when scheduling team meetings and events.

·               Represent the Board in a positive, cohesive manner with knowledge of all events or the ability to forward to the appropriate representative.

·               Communicate appropriately with Team Leaders/Co-Leaders.

·               Keep detailed notes regarding VP position for next volunteer.

·               The VP will organize the parent liaison list for each grade level to be used for networking announcements from the PTO to the parents.

VP SCHOOL EVENTS

·               Attend all Board meetings and other PTO sponsored functions as determined by Board.

·               Partner with Treasurer and Team Leaders to create initial team budgets and management of the budgets through the year.  When there are discrepancies team with Treasurer and Team Leader to resolve.

·               Manage all teams as assigned.

·               Partner with Team Leaders on upcoming events and help recruit volunteers if needed.

·               Update Board at monthly meetings on upcoming events, potential issues and/or change.

·               Give feedback to Board at the end of each activity/event.

·               Organize displays for Back to School Open House event, if applicable.

·               Partner with other VP’s and Presidents to organize Volunteer Sign-up at Open House.

·               Represent teams at Open House.

·               Respect all holidays (religious and non-religious) when scheduling team meetings and events.

·               Represent the Board in a positive, cohesive manner with knowledge of all events or the ability to forward to the appropriate representative.

·               Communicate appropriately with Team Leaders/Co-Leaders.

·               Keep detailed notes regarding VP position for next volunteer.

VP FUNDRAISING

·               Attend all Board meetings and other PTO sponsored functions as determined by Board.

·               Partner with Treasurer and Team Leaders to create initial team budgets and management of the budgets through the year.  When there are discrepancies team with Treasurer and Team Leader to resolve.

·               Manage all teams as assigned.

·               Partner with Team Leaders on upcoming events and help recruit volunteers if needed.

·               Update Board at monthly meetings on upcoming events, potential issues and/or change.

·               Give feedback to Board at the end of each activity/event.

·               Organize displays for Back to School Open House event, if applicable.

·               Partner with other VP’s and Presidents to organize Volunteer Sign-up at Open House.

·               Represent teams at Open House.

·               Respect all holidays (religious and non-religious) when scheduling team meetings and events.

·               Represent the Board in a positive, cohesive manner with knowledge of all events or the ability to forward to the appropriate representative.

·               Communicate appropriately with Team Leaders/Co-Leaders.

·               Keep detailed notes regarding VP position for next volunteer.

VP CARING SCHOOLS COMMUNITY

·               Attend all Board meetings and other PTO sponsored functions as determined by Board.

·               Partner with Treasurer and Team Leaders to create initial team budgets and management of the budgets through the year.  When there are discrepancies team with Treasurer and Team Leader to resolve.

·               Manage all teams as assigned.

·               Partner with Team Leaders on upcoming events and help recruit volunteers if needed.

·               Update Board at monthly meetings on upcoming events, potential issues and/or change.

·               Give feedback to Board at the end of each activity/event.

·               Organize displays for Back to School Open House event, if applicable.

·               Partner with other VP’s and Presidents to organize Volunteer Sign up at Open House.

·               Represent teams at Open House.

·               Respect all holidays (religious and non-religious) when scheduling team meetings and events.

·               Represent the Board in a positive, cohesive manner with knowledge of all events or the ability to forward to the appropriate representative.

·               Communicate appropriately with Team Leaders/Co-Leaders.

·               Keep detailed notes regarding VP position for next volunteer.

 WEBMASTER

·               Solicit PTO for information to place on PTO website.

·               All website updates must be submitted to the UV Principal and Co-Presidents through the SharePoint electronic workflow approval process.

·               Post all PTO communications, agendas, meeting minutes, flyers, and forms thereby reducing the need for printing and distribution of paper copies.

·               Organize a PTO spotlight on a biweekly basis.

·               Be a liaison for the PTO, school, and parents with regards to events and announcements.

·               Perform major updates of the webpage at the beginning of the school year.

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