BYLAWS OF THE OUR LADY OF THE SACRED HEART (OLSH) PARENT-TEACHER ORGANIZATION
ARTICLE I ‑ NAME
The name of this organization is Our Lady of the Sacred Heart School Parents‑Teachers Organization (OLSH PTO). The PTO operates within the school organization.
ARTICLE II ‑ MISSION STATEMENT
The OLSH PTO supports the Catholic education of the students of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart School.
ARTICLE III ‑ OBJECTIVES
1. Support the education and welfare of OLSH students.
2. Facilitate communication among parents, teachers, administrators, and the community.
3. Organize fundraisers and community building events.
4. Coordinate parent volunteers.
ARTICLE IV ‑ BASIC POLICIES
1. All monies collected by OLSH PTO will be used to benefit the OLSH School and its students.
2. No monies or other assets of the OLSH PTO shall be distributed to its members, executive officers, administrative advisors or other private persons, except for reimbursement of expenses incurred as approved by the OLSH PTO Executive Board.
3. Funds my be carried over to the next school year if a specific long‑term goal has been approved.
4. Any requests for PTO funding that have not been discussed previously by PTO, or those requests that may set a precedent, should be discussed with the Pastor and Principal prior to approval.
5. In the event of the dissolution of the OLSH PTO, its assets will be distributed to the OLSH Parish.
6. All agenda items are required by noon on the Tuesday one week prior to the PTO meeting. The agenda will be sent out in the Friday school packet prior to the meeting.
7. Items not appearing on the agenda cannot be discussed at a meeting. This requirement can be waived if the meeting attendees vote to agree to the waiver.
8. New agenda items will be proposed and discussed at one meeting, and the voting on the proposal will occur at the following meeting. This requirement can be waived if the meeting attendees vote to agree to the waiver.
9. Only the pastor or his officially designated delegate may sign contracts.
ARTICLE V ‑ GENERAL MEMBERSHIP
1. The membership of the organization consists of parents and guardians of the students, and the teachers of OLSH School. All members have voting rights. The Principal and staff are excluded from holding an elected office. These people serve as advisors to the OLSH PTO and its Executive Board.
2. The Executive Board of the OLSH PTO will consist of the following officers:
a. President
b. Vice President
c. Secretary
d. Treasurer
3. Advisory Board Members of the OLSH PTO will consist of the following:
a. Pastor
b. Principal
c. Teacher Liaison(s)
4. The Pastor and the Principal shall be ex‑officio members of the Executive Board who shall have no vote except in the event of a tie vote on matters submitted to the general membership. A majority vote of the Advisory Board members will break the tie. The pastor and principal have veto power over any PTO decisions.
5. PTO officers have the same rights as members to make motions, debate and vote. All officers can vote. Note, however, that officers cannot make motions on subjects in which they have a personal and/or financial interest.
ARTICLE VI ‑ OFFICERS AND THEIR ELECTIONS
1. The term for each Executive Office is one year from July 1‑June 30.
2. It is recommended that the vice-president automatically assumes the office of president after the one year term. All other offices will be handled with the annual election of officers.
3. Board members may serve for a limit of 2 consecutive terms. However, if there is no successor, the current officer may, if elected by the voting members, continue their role for an additional one year term or until a successor is elected and installed. A maximum of 3 years can be served in any board position.
4. Candidates for a PTO officer position must be a parent or guardian of an OLSH student. It is recommended that candidates attend PTO meetings, or have served on a PTO committee or volunteered in school.
5. A Nominating Committee of 1-2 volunteers will be established by the PTO Executive Board at the January meeting.
6 .. Voting will be by secret ballot and counted at the April meeting by the Nominating Committee. Ballots will not be used if there is only 1 candidate for an office.
7. A board member may be removed from office if he/she is absent from 3 or more consecutive PTO meetings or by a consensus vote of the general membership for failure to fulfill the duties of the office.
ARTICLE VII ‑ DUTIES OF OFFICERS
1. The Executive Officers supervise the affairs of the organization between its business meeting; fix dates, hour and place of meetings; make recommendations to the PTO and perform other duties as specified.
2. Executive Board
a. President
*Presides over and facilitates general membership and board meetings.
*Reviews minutes of the last PTO meeting.
*Reviews bank statements monthly.
*Provides a written agenda for each general membership and board meeting.
*The president should possess a working knowledge of parliamentary procedures.
*It is recommended that the president attends Finance Committee meetings and reports on their activities at the general membership meetings. Another board member may attend if a scheduling conflict exists.
b. Vice President
*Performs the President's duties in her/his absence.
*It is recommended that the vice president attends Parish Council meetings and reports on their activities at the general membership meeting. Another board member may attend if a scheduling conflict exists.
*Oversees the chairpersons of the PTO committees.
*It is recommended that the vice-president assumes the president position after a one year term.
c. Secretary
*Records minutes of general membership and board meetings.
*Keeps attendance records for general membership and board meetings.
*Discusses the minutes of the previous meeting.
*Keeps an official log of PTO meetings.
*Updates PTO website.
*It is recommended that the secretary attends School Commission meetings and reports on their activities at the general membership meetings. Another board member may attend if a scheduling conflict exists.
d. Treasurer
*Maintains a bank account on behalf of the OLSH PTO.
*Keeps an accurate record of receipts and expenditures.
*Works with other officers, committee chairpersons and general membership to prepare the fiscal budget for the following year.
*Provides all bookkeeping records to an Audit Committee.
*Sends year-end financial report to the Pastor or Parish Business Manager.
3. Advisory Board Members
a. Pastor
*Serves as a member of the PTO Advisory Board.
*Reports on Parish issues and activities.
*Works with the Executive Board to set goals.
b. Principal
*Serves as member of the PTO Advisory Board.
*Reports on school issues and activities.
*Works with Executive Board to set goals and work toward achieving them.
c. Teacher Liaison
*Serves as a member of the PTO Advisory Board.
*Volunteers to represent faculty at PTO meetings.
*Presents the needs or concerns of the faculty.
*Keeps the faculty abreast of upcoming events.
ARTICLE VIII - Meetings
1. OLSH PTO general membership meetings will generally be held every month of the school year starting in September and ending in May. Meetings may not be held in those months when no new business exists.
2. Business shall be transacted by the approval of consensus vote of members present and voting at the general meeting. When a consensus cannot be met, a majority vote will prevail.
3. In order to transact official business, at least 12 different school families must be represented at the PTO meeting for a quorum to exist.
4. The president and secretary must be present to conduct a meeting.
5. Board meetings may be called at the discretion of the PTO president.
6. The president can call a special meeting with a 10 business day notice to the general membership.
ARTICLE IX - Accounting Procedures
1. Reimbursement for all expenses will be made only after receipts for expenditures have been documented on the Check Request and/or Expense forms. These forms should be submitted to the OLSH PTO Treasurer within 30 days of the expenditure.
2. A cash advance to cover expenses prior to a purchase must be documented in detail on the Check Request form at least 5 business days in advance. All unused monies must be returned to the Treasurer immediately following the purchase.
3. Special monetary requests for non-budgeted items must be submitted to the OLSH PTO Executive Board for discussion at the OLSH PTO general meeting. Vote for approval will be at the general meeting.
4. The OLSH PTO Executive Board may approve a financial request not to exceed $100.00 if a decision regarding the financial allocation must be made prior to the next general membership meeting. This must be documented in the Treasurer’s report and signed by 2 members of the Executive Board.
5. An Auditing Committee of 2-3 volunteers established by the PTO Executive Board will review all financial records twice a year in January and June.
ARTICLE X - Rules of Order
Authority for governing this organization shall be Roberts Rules of Order, Revised.
ARTICLE XI - Amendments
A two-thirds majority of the membership present may amend these bylaws at any general meeting of the OLSH PTO providing notice has been given to the members in writing of the proposed amendment at least one month in advance.
These OLSH PTO Bylaws were developed by the PTO Bylaws Committee comprised of Mrs. Nancy Tebbe, Mrs. Mary Beth Armstrong, Mrs. Yvonne France and Mrs. Karen Stevenson. Fr. Ron Williams, Ms. Joanne Fischesser and Mr. Quint Robinson reviewed the bylaws, and any changes requested by them were incorporated into the bylaws discussed with the PTO general membership on May 13, 2008. Changes requested by the general membership have been made, and these are the approved PTO Bylaws effective May 13, 2008.
Tamara Anderson, PTO President
Jeanne Fisher, PTO Treasurer
Katie Leary, PTO Vice-President
Karen Stevenson, PTO Secretary