Bylaws of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart School Parents-Teachers Organization (OLSH PTO)
ARTICLE I - NAME
The name of this organization is Our Lady of the Sacred Heart School Parents-Teachers Organization (OLSH PTO).
ARTICLE II - MISSION STATEMENT
Facilitate communication in a respectful way in order to foster a faith-centered relationship among parents, teachers and others who are involved in Our Lady of the Sacred Heart School in its goal of providing a quality Catholic education.
ARTICLE III - OBJECTIVES
1. Promote the education and welfare of OLSH students.
2. Facilitate communication among parents, teachers, administrators, and the community.
3. Organize fundraisers and 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 their 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. If a specific long-term goal has been approved, additional funds may be carried over to the next school year.
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.
ARTICLE V - GENERAL MEMBERSHIP
1. The membership of the organization consists of parents and guardians of the students 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 offices:
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
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.
ARTICLE VI - OFFICERS AND THEIR ELECTIONS
1. The term for each Executive Office is one year from July 1-June 30. Officers may hold (by election ) the same office for more than 1 term.
2. A Nominating Committee of 2-3 volunteers will be established by the PTO Executive Board at the January meeting.
3. Voting will be by secret ballot and counted at the April meeting by the Nominating Committee.
4. A board member may be removed from office if he/she is absent from 3 or more consecutive PTO meetings or by a majority 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.
b. Vice President
*Performs the President's duties in her/his absence.
*Attends Parish Council meetings and reports on their activities at the general membership meeting.
*Oversees the chairpersons of the PTO committees.
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 and official log of PTO meetings.
d. Treasurer
*Maintains a bank account on behalf of the OLSH PTO
*Keeps an accurate record of receipts and expenditures.
*Works with other officers and committee chairpersons 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 be held every month of the school year starting in September and ending in May. Attempts will be made to have the meetings on the 2nd Wednesday of the month.
2. Business shall be transacted by the approval of a majority (51%) of members present and voting at the general meeting.
3. Board meetings may be called at the discretion of the PTO president.
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 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. Willet, Mrs. Tebbe, Mary Gordon, Pam Kennedy and Karen Stevenson. Father Jack and Mrs. Adelmann reviewed and approved the bylaws in August, 2005. Any changes requested by them were incorporated into the Bylaws discussed with the PTO general membership on October 19, 2005. Changes requested by the general membership have been made, and these are the current PTO Bylaws effective October 20, 2005.
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Jamie Brenner, PTO President Alison O’Neill, PTO Treasurer
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Heather Von Lehmden, PTO Vice-President Karen Stevenson, PTO Secretary