CONSTITUTION AND BY_LAWS of
Pine Grove School Parents and Teachers Organization
Article 1
NAME
Section 1: Name:
A. The name of this organization shall be the Pine Grove School Parents and Teachers Organization, abbreviated as PTO.
Article 2
PURPOSE
Section 1: Purpose:
A. The Purpose of the organization shall be to:
1. Educate the Community at large regarding issues that directly involve Pine Grove School.
2. Nurture a sense of unity and continuity within the school system.
3. Sponsor shared activities with both parents and children.
4. Conduct fundraising for Pine Grove School.
5. Stimulate communication between home, school and the Rowley community.
6. Encourage parental and/or community input and involvement.
7. Benefit all students in the Pine Grove School whether it be of a social, cultural or any enriching cultural
Article 3
MEMBERSHIP
Section 1: Membership:
A. Membership shall consist of any parents, guardian, teacher or community member that is interested in the children of Pine Grove School.
B. Participation is encouraged in PTO functions.
Section 2: Dues:
A. Dues shall be left to the discretion of the PTO Board per calendar year.
Article 4
Officers and SUB- Committees
Section 1: Officers:
A. The Members of the Organization at large shall elect from a slate of candidates presented by the Nomination Committee a President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and Parliamentarian. Candidates must be parents, guardians or staff of Pine Grove School.
B. The Officers shall hold office for a one (1) year term, but any officer may serve more than one year if re-elected by the members at large,
C. In the event that a vacancy needs to be filled, the balance of the term shall be filled by an individual nominated by the remaining elected officers.
Section 2: Sub- Committees:
A. The following Sub Committees shall consist of volunteer members
1. The Nomination Committee: To conduct a fair and non discriminatory annual PTO election by organizing the collection for nominations of officers, creating a slate of officers, presenting the slate to the members at large, and tallying the votes for electing new officers.
2. Pine Times Committee; the compilation and reproduction of monthly Pine Times newsletters to be distributed to youngest and only child and the community at large.
3. Special Events and Fundraising Committee: every event will have its own committee chair, Board Member Advisor, and committee with the following authority: They will be responsible for reporting monthly at each PTO meeting to present progress of event, and will report at least once after the event for a post-event report to members at large.
Article 5
VOTING
Section 1: Voting for Officers: The Nomination Committee will present ballots for officers to the members at large in May, to be voted on. Nominees need not be present at this May meeting.
A. A Quorum (3 out of 5 Officers) of the PTO Officers for the following school year will be installed by their outgoing counterparts, and all PTO members present at the last meeting of the Organization held in June.
B. A motion brought to vote shall be passed by the majority of voting members present.
C. In order to cast a vote you must be present at the meeting, as voting takes place. Absentee ballots will not be considered.
Section 2: General Voting:
A. A motion brought to vote shall be passed by the majority of voting members present.
B. In order to cast a vote you must be present at the meeting, as voting takes place. Absentee ballots will not be considered.
C. If an unforeseen motion that needs to be brought to vote falls between scheduled PTO meetings, an E-mail vote to all members will take place after a 2 day period of e-mail discussion from the day e-mail first was sent. E-mail voting cannot be used as an absentee ballot on motions being voted on at meetings.
Section 3: Executive Voting:
A. A motion brought to vote shall be passed by a 2/3rds vote in an executive session of the Officers. All motions brought to vote by the Executive Committee shall be within the guidelines of Powers and Duties of Officers (ref: Article 7)
Article 6
MEETINGS
Section 1: Meetings:
A. The PTO will meet on a monthly basis at Pine Grove School, for the duration of the school year. Additional meeting changes will otherwise be determined by consensus of the Officers.
1. The Agenda will be the primary format for that meeting.
2. At a minimum the agenda will include the reading and distribution of the Treasurer’s report and Secretary’s Report, and an Administrative Report.
3. Only Items that are of social, cultural or enriching nature will be placed on the agenda.
4. Request to be placed on the agenda must be submitted to the President of Designate one week prior to scheduled meetings.
5. Any Requests for funding of monies by PTO shall have a representative present at the meeting where as it is discussed.
Article 7
POWERS AND DUTIES OF THE PTO OFFICERS
Section 1: POWERS:
A. The Officers shall be the governing body of the organization at large and shall have general management and control over the affairs of the organization.
B. The Officers shall have the authority to approve all expenses of up to $100.00 All expenses over $100.00 must have the approval of 2/3rds of the total number of members in attendance at a regularly scheduled organization meeting.
C. They shall be able to elect or appoint sub-committees and prescribe the power and duties of such sub-committees, and are to have one (1) member of the Officers to oversee each sub committee, to oversee the development of the committee event.
D. They shall be able to designate or substitute an officer to perform the duties of that officer in the event of absence or disability.
E. They shall meet whenever deemed necessary for an executive session of the organization at large.
Section 2: DUTIES:
A. President:
1. The President shall preside over the organizations meetings, be an ex-officio member of each Sub-Committee and with the other officers schedule regular and special meetings.
B. Vice President:
1. The Vice-President shall assist the President whenever needed and conduct meetings in the absence of the President.
C. Secretary:
1. The Secretary shall keep a true record of the minutes of each meeting held by the organization and of the executive sessions of officers and will receive minutes of all sub-committee meetings
2. The Secretary will handle all correspondences and present to the membership all communications received from the membership and other sources.
3. The Secretary shall have general charge of the records and papers of the organization at large.
D. Treasurer:
1. The Treasurer shall collect and keep an accurate account of all monies of the organization for past and present years.
2. The Treasurer shall be responsible for communication with the IRS regarding the organizations tax exempt 501 (c) 3 status.
3. The Treasurer shall collect and keep separate records for each sub account created under the organization’s main ledger account to support and manage other committees within the Pine Grove Community.
E. Parliamentarian:
1. The Parliamentarian shall advise on correct parliamentary procedures according to the by-laws and Roberts Rules of Order the by-laws will take precedence.
2. The Parliamentarian will also act as the time-keeper at all meetings to keep the members on task to the matters at hand.
F: Applies to Above Officers to transfer all forms, books, business papers, meeting minutes, etc. that are the property of the PTO board to the incoming officers no later than July 1st of said year.
Section 3: SUB COMMITTEES:
A. the following Sub Committees shall exist and shall perform these responsibilities:
1. Nominating Committee: Responsible for bringing forth a list of candidates for the ballot of officers, closing the ballot to nominees one week prior to date of election.
2. Pine Times Committee: Responsible for educating the community, disseminating information and maintaining contact with the media regarding the organizations activities.
3. Special Events and Fund Raising Committee: Responsible for planning and coordinating activities to raise funds for projects which will enrich the programs and services at Pine Grove School and to further the goals of the organization at large. Each event will have its own committee chair and committee with the following authority and responsibility:
a. Report monthly progress of event development and post- event report to the members at large
b. Gain prior approval from Central office regarding permission for such events.
Article 8
CHANGES IN THE By-LAWS
Section 1: Changes in the by-laws:
A. Written notices stating the nature of the proposed change(s) shall be sent at least seven (7) days before the meeting date at which the change(s) is (are) to be voted on.
B. An affirmative vote of 2/3 of those members attending said meeting shall be required to change or amend the by-laws.
Article 9
DISSOLUTION
Section 1: Dissolution:
A. In the event of dissolution of the organization at all monies held by the organization shall be turned over to any succeeding organization, or a restricted account established for the students of Pine Grove School for future field trips not to exceed $20 per student until it is dissolved.
B. All records shall remain to be stored on school property.
