Article 1: Name and History The name of the organization is Woodland Heights School PTO (WHS PTO).
Article 2: Mission To support and assist Woodland Heights Elementary School to Educate, Enrich and Empower children to learn, dream and live as responsible world citizens.
Article 3: Purpose The purpose of this organization is to
Involve parents to assist with various school activities/functions/services.
Provide financial assistance where needs are identified.
Foster a community atmosphere.
Support the mission and vision of the school district.
Article 4: Membership Any current WHS parent or legal guardian of a student currently enrolled in the school, the principal and all faculty members of the school are considered qualifying members of the PTO. Members must sign in at meetings or when newly enrolled to be considered a registered member, which affords that member voting privileges.
Article 5: General Policies The WHS PTO name or the names of any members in their official capacities shall not be connected to any commercial concern, any partisan interest, or for any purpose not directly related to the promotion of WHS PTO’s interests. The WHS PTO is a non-profit, non-commercial, non sectarian, non-partisan organization. The WHS PTO shall work with the school to provide quality education for all children, and shall seek to support the mission and vision of the school, recognizing that the legal responsibility to make decisions has been delegated by the people to the boards of education. The WHS PTO officers shall work with the principal to plan and set dates for PTO activities and meetings. All proposed fund raiser activities shall be submitted to the principal for approval prior to undertaking any activity for such fundraiser. The WHS PTO shall make no commitments on behalf of the PTO unless specifically designated by the PTO board.
Article 6: Officers The board should consist of the following: Chair Treasurer Secretary Principal As interest and membership allows, the board may also consist of: Co-chair Volunteer coordinator Teacher Representatives
Members of the Board, excluding the principal, will serve no more than three years consecutively in the same position. Exception: if the person is voted in by write-in then they may serve. The Board will have the authority to approve up to $1000 expenditure by a simple majority of the Board and up to $5000 unanimously.
Elected Officers: Chairperson
Works with the principal coordinating PTO activities with school needs to include the meeting schedule for the year.
Attends all meetings.
Can serve as the second signature on the checking account for the organization.
Is a parent representative.
Shall prepare a summary for the monthly parent newsletter.
May call additional meetings at his/her discretion.
Has the authority to limit discussions on a specific topic for one meeting.
Prepares the agenda for the Board meeting, gathers input from the principal and other PTO members. The agenda should be distributed to the Board members one week prior to the meeting.
Gather and research potential fundraisers or delegate task to a PTO member
Co-Chair
Shall act as an aide to the Chairperson.
Performs the duties of the chairperson in his/her absence.
Secretary
Record the minutes of the meetings.
Disperse the minutes to all board members within one week of the meeting.
Shall notify members of general PTO meetings at least one week prior.
Maintain current and past records for 5 years.
Check the WHS PTO email regularly and report to the Board.
Send out “Thank Yous” to businesses and individuals that help to support PTO efforts.
Treasurer
Has custody of all funds for the WHS PTO.
Keep full and accurate account of receipts and expenditures.
Make disbursements as authorized by the Board in accordance with the budget.
Shall bring a financial report to all meetings.
Has checks signed by 2 persons if the check is over $100.
At the end of his/her term- assist the incoming treasurer and chairperson in review of the books.
Maintain current and past financial records for 7 years.
Teacher Representative
Shall act as a liaison between the WHS PTO and WHS Staff members.
Shall assist the Principal in the presentation of funding requests on behalf of the staff.
Shall report PTO activities as staff meetings when necessary.
Principal
Act as an advisor and represent WoodlandHeightsSchool.
Serves as a voting member of the WHS PTO.
Volunteer Coordinator
Meets regularly and works closely with the school administration staff to plan the volunteer program.
Discusses the needs of the school.
Sends out Volunteer Request sheets at the beginning of each school year and maintains them to contact volunteers.
Arranges for publicity and recruitment.
Contacts volunteers for activities.
Makes sure all volunteers know to sign in when volunteering.
Article 7: Elections
An election will be held yearly to select the Board of the PTO.
In March the Chairperson will call for nominations for upcoming open positions on the Board. Nominations will continue to be accepted until three weeks prior to the final PTO meeting of the school year.
A notice will also appear in the March newsletter seeking nominations of individuals interested in serving on the Board or Committee Chair. This notice will appear in the newsletter and school website. A nomination form detailing job descriptions will also appear in the newsletter.
The Chairperson or designee will prepare the ballot to be distributed at the final PTO General Meeting. Votes will be cast by secret ballot.
A plurality shall constitute an election.
One vote per member of the organization.
Voters must have been present at a minimum of 3 PTO meetings during the school year.
Assuming duties following elections:
Officers elected shall assume their official duties following the close of the year’s final meeting and shall serve for a term of 1 year and not to exceed 3 years consecutively in the same position. (Exception: unless voted in by write-in)
Outgoing officers will meet with newly elected officers before the end of the school year to discuss responsibilities of the office and turn over any records and/or pertinent information regarding the position and/or organization.
A vacancy occurring in any office shall be filled for the unexpired term by a person elected by a majority vote of the Board, notice of such election having been given to the general assembly. In case a vacancy occurs in the office of Chairperson, the Secretary and Treasurer will serve in this position until a new Chairperson can be elected into position.
Article 8: Finances
All funds raised by the PTO shall be placed in an account designated the Board. PTO checks will be signed by the Treasurer and one other Board member if over $100.00.
An amount of money will be left in the account at the end of each year to cover any unpaid expenses and obligations plus a reserve amount of at least $750 for K-5 each and $200 for PreK with the addition of $500 for 5th grade graduation for field trips. Any unused funds by a grade level shall move forward with that grade. At the end of the school year, any monies left in the 5th grade account will roll back into the PTO main account. The Treasurer shall report field trip expenses to teachers and the Board monthly.
ALL expenses shall be voted on by the Board.
In the event that this organization dissolves, assets will be distributed evenly amongst the 7 grade levels (PreK-5) at Woodland Heights School to be used in a manner for classroom/school enrichment (ie: books, plays, field trips, education programs, etc).
Article 9: Meetings
Meetings shall be held once per month at 6:30 p.m unless voted on by the Board to change the meeting. The meeting dates shall be set forth at the 1st meeting of the new school year. The Chairperson may call extra meetings at his/her discretion.
All items to be discussed at the meeting shall be presented as an agenda item and put on the schools website at least one week before the meeting.
A 10% of the membership will constitute a quorum. This body of the membership shall be sufficient in taking action on items presented at general meetings.
A majority vote of the quorum shall be required to take action on items presented at general meetings.
Article 10: Amendments The by-laws may be amended by a majority vote of the entire Board at any regular PTO meeting.
Each member of the board shall keep a copy of the by-laws. The by-laws shall also be posted on the WHS PTO website.