PTA Bylaws
ARTICLE I The name of the association shall be: "THE PARENT TEACHER ASSOCIATION OF P.S. 279" ARTICLE II OBJECTIVES To provide support and resources to the school that
enhances the educational growth of our students. To promote and support an interactive environment between
parents, school and community. To foster and support parent volunteerism and leadership
in school governance, educational decision-making and all
aspects of school life. To provide parental representation and consultation on
relevant educational issues. ARTICLE III MEMBERSHIP Section 1 Membership- 1.1 All parents, legally appointed guardians, designated
persons or persons in parental relation to students
currently attending P.S. 279 and all staff with the
exception of persons in supervisory positions. 1.2 A list of designated persons shall be on file with
the PTA executive board. The list shall be maintained by the
principal. The process for designation and participation
eligibility is described in Chancellor's Regulation A-660.
The period of designation shall be from July 1st &endash;
June 30th and must be renewed each year. 1.3 Only parents, legally appointed guardians, designated
persons and persons in parental relation to students
currently attending P.S. 279 may vote to offer or withdraw
membership to and from staff. Any such proposal requires an
amendment to the bylaws as defined in Article X and shall
become effective July 1 following ratification. 1.4 The amount of dues shall be requested as a
contribution and established yearly by the recommendation of
the executive board and approval of the membership at the
May meeting. The membership committee shall advise parents
and staff that payment of dues is not a requirement for
membership and does not effect voting or running for
office. Section 2. Voting Privileges- Each parent, legally appointed guardian, designated
person or person in parental relation to a child currently
attending P.S. 279, and each eligible staff member, shall be
entitled to one vote regardless of the number of children
they have attending the school. Members deemed to have a conflict of interest as
specified in these bylaws and the Policy and Regulations of
the Chancellor shall not be permitted to vote on related
issues. Section 3. Notice to Parents- At the beginning of the school year the association shall
distribute a letter to all parents, guardians, designated
persons, persons in parental relation to a student currently
attending P.S. 279 and all eligible staff advising them of
their rights and obligations as stated herein and encourage
volunteer participation. ARTICLE IV EXECUTIVE OFFICE Section 1. Titles- President 1st Vice President 2nd Vice President (optional) 3rd Vice President (optional) Treasurer Recording Secretary Corresponding Secretary Section 2. Term of Office- The term of office shall be a one (1) year term beginning
from July 1 through June 30. There shall be no limit to the number of terms by which a
member shall succeed her/himself in the same office. Section 3. Qualifications- Eligibility for office is limited to parents, legally
appointed guardians and persons in parental relation to
students currently attending P.S. 279 who are not employed
in the school and have attended at least one (1) general
meeting during the current school year. Designated persons are ineligible to hold an elected
office. Eligibility for the offices of President, 1st Vice
President and Treasurer is limited to current board members
who have completed one (1) full year of satisfactory board
service. Section 4 Duties of Officers- President The President shall preside at all meetings of the
association and shall be an ex-officio of all committees
except the Election Monitoring Committee and the Audit
Committee. He/she shall appoint all committee chairpersons
with the approval of the executive board. The president
shall be one of the signatories on checks. The president
shall meet with the entire executive board monthly, at a
minimum, and insure compliance with the bylaws. The
president shall delegate responsibilities to other PTA
members and shall encourage meaningful participation in all
parent activities. The president or designee shall meet at
least quarterly with the principal and the superintendent
and consult on mandatory topics as defined in regulations.
The president shall attend all regular meetings of the
President's council and be a core member of the School
Leadership Team. The president or his/her designee shall
represent the PTA on district committees. The president
shall be entitled to a monthly stipend of $100, this stipend
is to commence in September and end in June of the same
school year. 1st Vice President The first vice-president shall assist the president and
assume the duties of the president in his or her temporary
absence or at the request of the president. If the president
steps down or is removed from his/her position during the
school year the vice president will assume the duties of the
president for the remainder of the school year. If this
vacancy occurs in the months preceding the term of
president, the position should be awarded to person who was
next in line for the position of presidency. The election
committee based on the election process will determine this.
He/she shall chair a major or standing committee; the 1st
vice president shall be one of the signatories on
checks. 2nd Vice President (optional) The second vice president shall assist the president and
the first vice-president. The 2nd vice president shall fill
in the vacancy of first vice president following the same
procedure indicated in the duties of president (Sec 4). The
2nd vice president shall chair a standing committee. 3rd Vice-President (optional) The third vice-president shall assist the president,
first vice-president and second vice-president. The 3rd vice
president shall fill in the vacancy of 2nd vice president
following the same procedure indicated in the duties of
president (Sec 4). The 3rd vice president shall chair a
standing committee. Recording Secretary The recording secretary shall maintain the official
record of the proceedings and actions of all association
meetings. The recording secretary shall prepare and read the
minutes of each association meeting and shall make the
minutes available upon request. The recording secretary
shall maintain custody of the association's records. He/she
shall prepare and maintain all sign-in sheets of association
meetings. The recording secretary shall sign and incorporate
all amendments into the bylaws and shall ensure that copies
of the amended bylaws are on file in the principal's office
and in the District Office. The recording secretary shall
chair a standing committee. Corresponding Secretary The corresponding secretary shall record the mail
received by the association and prepare responses as
directed by the president. He/she shall prepare and
distribute mailings as well as notices of all association
meetings. He/she shall maintain all files, rosters, books,
regulations, and logs of the association in the PTA office,
and chair a standing committee. The secretary shall assist
the treasurer with the June transfer of all PTA records to
the incoming executive board. The correspondent secretary
shall chair a standing committee. Treasurer The treasurer shall be responsible for the transaction of
all association monies to the bank accounts of the
association as set forth in these bylaws and all relevant
regulations. He/she shall maintain and record, in the PTA
office, all deposit slips with appropriate identification of
funds as well as an updated record of income and
expenditures. He/she shall provide financial reports at all
association meetings. The treasurer shall be responsible for
preparing and providing the January 31 interim and June
annual accounting reports required by the Department of
Education in accordance with the bylaws of the
association. The treasurer shall be one of the signatories on all
checks. The treasurer shall not serve on the Audit
committee. The treasurer shall prepare and assist the
secretary with the June transfer of all PTA records to the
incoming executive board. The Treasure shall chair a
standing committee in accordance with these bylaws. Section 5. Elections- Election Monitoring Committee The election monitoring committee shall consist of three
to five (3-5) members to be elected by the membership at the
March meeting. The majority must come from the membership.
The election committee shall choose one of its members to
serve as chairperson. No person employed in P.S. 279 shall
be eligible to serve on the election committee. Members of the election monitoring committee are not
eligible to run for office. An eligible member of the
committee may be considered as a candidate if she/he
immediately resigns from the committee in writing. The election committee shall seek out the membership in
writing, in English and other languages as appropriate for
recommendations of candidates for all positions. The
election committee will also be responsible for conducting
the election process. This includes the following: Preparing and distributing all notices regarding this
process in the applicable languages, where possible (i.e.,
meeting notices, agendas, reminder notices, tear-off
applications, etc.) Canvassing the membership for all eligible candidates
and, determining and verifying the eligibility of all
interested candidates. Reporting the names to date of those
candidates during the April general meeting. Ensuring that an opportunity is provided to all members
allowing nominations to be taken from the floor during the
April general meeting. Officially closing the nomination process. Reporting the names of all eligible candidates and the
positions they are seeking, to the membership at least two
(2) weeks prior to the May election. Ensuring that only eligible members receive a ballot for
voting. Conducting the May election. Slots for executive offices other than President,
Treasurer and Recording Secretary may be left open, if so
recommended by the election committee, after the May
election meeting. This is to accommodate nominations and
delegates from among parents of students in the incoming
grades. In the following September, the election committee
shall notify, in writing the general membership of these
vacancies. At the first general meeting, the committee shall
request nominations from the floor. The committee shall notify the general membership, in
written notification, of the slate immediately following the
meeting so that the election may be held at the next
regularly scheduled meeting. If no nominations are made from
the floor at the September meeting the President can appoint
someone to that position. The membership should made
notified in writing of that appointment as soon as it is
made. All regulations shall apply and the election committee
shall maintain involvement until the elections are
officially closed. Notice- The notice and agenda for the April general meeting shall
be distributed not less than ten (10) days prior to the
date. It shall list the positions that nominations will be
open for and eligibility requirements for office. The notice and agenda for the May general meeting shall
be distributed not less than ten (10) days prior to the
date. It shall list all candidates, in alphabetical order,
under the office for which they were nominated. The exact
time the election will take place shall appear on the
meeting notice. Voting requirements- Each parent, guardian, designated person or person in
parental relation to a student currently attending P.S. 279
and staff member, with the exception of supervisory
personnel, is entitled to one vote. Election and use of ballots- At the May general meeting the Election Committee shall
be responsible for conducting the election. Voting shall be by ballots prepared by the election
committee. Names of candidates shall appear on the ballot,
in alphabetical order, under the title for which they were
nominated. Ballots shall be in English and any other
languages as appropriate, where possible. Ballots shall be
distributed following a member's signing the verification
sheet. Ballots shall be counted immediately and in the
presence of the members. Ballots shall be retained for six
(6) months in the PTA office. If there shall be but one
candidate for any or each office, by membership consent, the
recording secretary shall cast one vote for that office or
the entire slate. Certification of Election- When the final tally is complete or when a single vote is
cast in an uncontested election, the chairperson of the
Election monitoring committee shall announce the results of
the election to the membership and state that those results
are official. The chairperson shall notify the principal in
writing of the results by May 31st. A notification should
also be sent to the parent coordinator at the District
Office. Section 6. Installation of Officers- Installation of officers shall take place at the June
general meeting. The members should be introduced to all new
members. . A meeting between the incoming and outgoing officers
shall be arranged, by June 30, for the transfer of records,
inventory items, keys, membership cards and any items
pertinent to the transaction of PTA business. Section 7. Vacancies- 7.1 The first Vice-president shall fill a vacancy
occurring in the office of the president. Officers who wish to resign their positions once an
election has been certified must do so in writing to the
president. At that time, he/she shall turn over all records
to the president. Recommendation of the executive board and approval of the
general membership shall fill any member-at-large vacancy.
Nominations can be taken from the floor to fill any
positions for members at-large. Section 8 Conflict of Interest- Any officer or member-at-large who has any direct or
indirect interest in a business dealing with any matter
pertaining to the school, community school district or
Department of Education must withdraw from discussion and/or
vote on such matter. Such interest must be disclosed and
reflected in the minutes. Any association member employed by the Department of
Education may not serve as an elected officer if they are
employed at P.S. 279 and have a child attending P.S.
279. Any association member employed by the Department of
Education at P.S. 279 is prohibited from serving as parent
members on school governance and C-30 committees. ARTICLE V EXECUTIVE BOARD Section 1 Composition- The Executive Board shall be composed of the elected
officers and the members-at-large. The Executive Board shall be composed of no less than
five (5) and no more than fifteen (15) members. A staff member, elected by the staff, shall be invited to
attend executive board meetings as a non-voting liaison. No persons employed by P.S. 279 shall be eligible to
serve on the executive board. Section 2. Responsibilities- All executive board members must understand the
objectives of the association, as well as their rights and
responsibilities, as set forth in these bylaws and all
relevant regulations. The executive board shall plan and implement the tasks
necessary to execute and fulfill the objectives stated in
these bylaws and the programs and policies adopted by the
membership. It shall determine and recommend eligible
members to fill vacant positions. It shall have the
authority to spend up to three hundred dollars ($300.00) for
emergency needs, each month, without prior approval of the
membership. Such expenditures are to be reported, by the
treasurer, at the next general meeting. All officers and members-at-large shall chair at least
one (1) committee, standing or ad hoc, during the school
year. It shall be the duty of all executive board members to
attend and participate in at least three (3) PTA sponsored
social or fundraising activities during the school year. It
shall be the duty of all executive board members to attend
all executive and general membership meetings of the
association. In the event of an anticipated absence, prior
notification must be given to the president, designated
vice-president, or recording secretary. The number of
excused absences is a matter of presidential discretion. Section 3. Disciplinary Action- Any executive board member, who fails to attend three (3)
consecutive executive board meetings without good cause,
following written notice from the executive board, shall be
removed from office by recommendation of the executive board
or motion from a member and two-thirds vote of the
membership present. The association's notice and agenda must
cite that a vote will be taken by the membership as a
disciplinary action against an executive board member. Any officer or member-at-large shall be considered in
neglect of duty if they have not satisfied the requirements
as stated herein, and will be subject to notification
indicating termination due to neglect of duty, by the
president, with the approval of the executive board. Officers and executive board members accused of
misconduct or neglect of duty may be removed only after: Any PTA member presents a motion during any meeting of
the association. The motion must be approved by vote of the
general membership. The President must assemble a review
committee. The majority of the review committee must be comprised
from the general membership. Executive board members against
whom charges are being contemplated may not serve on the
review committee. The review committee must investigate, examine and obtain
all relevant documents, interview all pertinent witnesses,
etc. in order to conduct their fact-finding review. The
committee must consider all pertinent facts and information.
The executive board member(s) against whom charges are being
contemplated has the right to provide a statement to the
committee. The committee must present its findings and
recommendations during a general membership meeting within a
period of sixty (60) calendar days from the date of
establishment of the review committee. The association's
notice and agenda must cite that a vote will be taken by the
membership regarding disciplinary action. The general
membership shall then vote to remove or absolve the board
member (s). Section 4 Meetings- Regular meetings of the executive board shall be held on
the second or fourth Monday of every month at P.S. 279 at
7pm unless such date shall fall on a legal or religious
holiday, in which case the meeting will be held the
following or previous week. A schedule of executive board meetings shall be prepared
by the president and, shall be distributed to the membership
at the beginning of the school year. A copy of the meeting
date shall be available upon request. The president may call a special meeting of the executive
board with a minimum of twenty-four (24) hours telephone
notice to the executive board and report to the general
membership at the next general membership meeting. Upon written request of at least five (5) executive board
members, the president must call a special executive board
meeting within five (5) days after receipt of request and
report to the general membership at the next general
membership meeting. Section 5. Voting- Each member of the executive board, unless specified
herein, is entitled to one (1) vote. Section 6. Quorum- Seven (7) members of the executive board shall constitute
a quorum allowing official business to be transacted. ARTICLE VI MEETINGS Section 1 General Membership Meetings- General Membership meetings shall be held at least six
(6) times per year, at P.S. 279 with the first meeting held
before October 31st. In September, the president, with the
approval of the executive board, shall schedule dates and
times, based on membership survey results, for the current
year. A schedule of general membership meeting dates and times
shall be prepared for distribution at the first general
membership meeting of the school year. When possible, a
written notice of each meeting, including agenda, shall be
distributed ten (10) days prior to the scheduled
meeting. All members of the association may attend and participate
at membership meetings subject to restrictions as specified
in the Chancellor's regulations and these bylaws. All other
persons may attend, as observers, and may participate at the
discretion of the chair. Section 2 Special General Membership Meetings- A special meeting may be called to deal with matters of
importance that cannot be held until the next scheduled
general meeting. The president may call a special general
meeting with a minimum of forty-eight (48) hours written
notice to parents and staff stating precisely what the topic
of the meeting will be. Upon receipt of a written request from ten (10)
association members, the president must call a special
general meeting within five (5) working days of the request
and with forty-eight (48) hours notice to parents and
staff. Section 3 Quorum- A quorum of ten (10) members of the association shall be
required for the conduct of official business. Section 4 Order of Business- The chair shall have the right to determine the order of
business at all meetings, with the exception of the Reading
and Approval of the Minutes, which will be the first order
of business at all meetings. The following business will be conducted at all
meetings: -Reading and Approval of the Minutes -Treasurer's Report -Committee Reports -President's Report -Old Business -New Business Time shall be allowed at each meeting for members of the
association to speak. The chair shall set a time limit. Section 5 Minutes- Written minutes of the previous general or special
meeting shall be available in written form and read for
approval at the next general membership meeting. The minutes
must be made available upon request to any member. ARTICLE VII COMMITTEES Section 1 Standing committees- There shall be the following standing committees of the
association: Fundraising- It shall be the responsibility of the
fundraising committee to research, plan and execute all
fundraising activities approved by the membership, and
supervise sub-committees, as needed, in accordance with all
regulations. The committee chairperson shall collect all
monies from such activities, record the income and turn all
funds over to the Treasurer for deposit in accordance with
these bylaws and all applicable regulations. The fundraising
committee chair, at the next general meeting after each
fundraising activity shall report all income, expenditures
and profit from that activity, pursuant to "Parent
Association and the Schools". In May the committee shall
present to the General Membership all proposed fundraising
activities planned for the following year prior to signing
any contracts or agreements. All fund raising activities
involving students during school hours should be planned
discussed with the principal. Hospitality- It shall be the responsibility of the
hospitality committee to plan, purchase, maintain an updated
inventory on food stuffs and supervise sub-committees for
refreshment for all meetings of the association and at its
activities as approved, by the general membership, in the
budget. Budget- It shall be the responsibility of the budget
committee to draft a proposed budget each spring for
approval by the general membership at the May general
meeting. In addition, it is the responsibility of the budget
committee to prepare a written review of the prior year's
budget for discussion at the May general membership
meeting. Audit &endash; It shall be the responsibility of the
audit committee to prepare an audit of all financial affairs
of the association. They shall prepare a written report to
be presented to the general membership at its May meeting or
upon completion of their review and investigation, as
applicable. Communication- it shall be the responsibility of the
communication committee to publish as approved in the
budget, an association bulletin (Newsletter) in October,
February, April, May, and June, which shall be distributed
to parents, staff and the community. At a minimum, the
bulletin shall contain: reports by the principal, president,
treasurer; a list of current board members; general
membership and, executive board meeting dates; community school board
information deemed appropriate by the association. Program- It shall be the responsibility of the program
committee to establish sub-committees to research, plan,
schedule, and publicize programs for general membership
meetings based on the goals of the association, and to
propose budgets for review by the executive board prior to
spending for any PTA sponsored event, and to ensure that the
budget is adhered to. Membership- It shall be the responsibility of the
membership committee to supervise sub-committees to
disseminate all membership forms and letters; collect and
record contributions; maintain current membership
information and recruit volunteers from the information
obtained on membership forms. A volunteer data bank shall be
made available to committee chairpersons as the need
arises. Graduation- It shall be the responsibility of the
graduation committee to supervise sub-committees to plan and
implement all activities involving the association and the
senior class as approved in the budget, and to consult with
a senior class teacher liaison on relevant matters. Committees and committee chairpersons or co-chairpersons
shall be appointed and removed upon recommendation of the
president, with the approval of the executive board. It
shall be the responsibility of each chairperson of a major
or standing committee to supervise all sub-committees.
He/she shall schedule meetings with sub-committee
chairpersons to oversee that sub-committees have scheduled,
planned and managed the required activities. He/she shall
insure compliance with bylaws and all regulations for all
sub-committees and report monthly to the general
membership. Section 2 Ad Hoc Committees When an issue or situation arises that necessitates the
formation of a committee, an ad hoc committee shall be
formed by the president to meet the need, and will be
dissolved when the need no longer exists. The president shall appoint the chairperson(s) of all ad
hoc committees from the executive board, the general
membership or the school community. The chairperson(s) of ad hoc committees shall not be
voting members of the association unless they are current
members of the executive board or fulfill the requirements
stated herein. ARTICLE VIII FINANCIAL AFFAIRS Section 1 Fiscal Year- The fiscal year shall run from July 1 through June
30th. Section 2 Signatories- The president, 1st vice president and treasurer shall be
authorized as signatories. All checks require at least two
signatures. Signatories shall not be related by blood or
marriage. Section 3 Budget- As specified herein, the budget committee shall be solely
responsible for preparation of the budget for the
association. The budget shall be amended by vote of the general
membership at any general membership meeting. Section 4 Fundraising- As specified herein, the fundraising committee shall be
solely responsible for all fundraising activities for the
association, in accordance with all regulations. The chairperson of the committee responsible for the
event and the president shall count the funds in the
presence of another officer. The treasurer shall deposit all receipts in a timely
fashion. The treasurer and one officer shall transport all
funds to the bank and all deposit slips shall clearly
identify the source of all monies deposited. The chairperson of the fundraising committee in
conjunction with the treasurer shall file all reports in
accordance with regulations and report to the general
membership. Section 5 Audit- At the April general meeting, the president shall request
volunteers to form an audit committee of three to five (3-5)
persons. Executive board members, other than those who are
check signatories may serve on this committee. The majority
of the committee should be comprised from the general
membership. The audit committee shall be solely responsible for the
preparation of all audit reports of all financial affairs of
the association with the help of the treasurer who shall
make all books and records available to them. The audit committee shall prepare a written report of all
financial affairs to be presented to the membership at the
May general membership meeting. Section 6. Financial Accounting- The treasurer shall prepare an interim financial
accounting report by January 31 and have an annual financial
accounting report of all income and expenditures, by June
30. A copy of the accounting summary thereof must be filed in
the principal's office and distributed to all parents and
staff. Section 7. Financial Records- All financial records of the association shall be
maintained and secured, solely by the treasurer, in the
school office of the association. Section 8. Financial Records Review- All financial record reviews shall be conducted in the
presence of executive board officers. Financial record reviews shall include a written request
from the association member identifying the items to be
reviewed. Financial record reviews shall include a review sheet
citing the items reviewed and signatures by the officers and
association members present. ARTICLE IX. PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY Robert's Rules of Order shall govern all procedural
questions not covered by these bylaws, provided they do not
conflict with law, policy, regulations and these bylaws. ARTICLE X. AMENDMENTS These bylaws may be amended at any regular general
meeting of the association by a two-thirds vote of the
members present, provided the amendment has been presented
in writing to the membership at the previous meeting, and
appears in the meeting at which it is to be amended.
Amendments are effective immediately unless otherwise stated
in the motion. A thorough review of these bylaws shall be conducted
every three (3) years. Presented for review by the Bylaw Review Committee to the
general membership- 4/14/2003 These bylaws as set forth above have been voted on and
approved by the Membership. The most recent amendment (s) were approved, in
accordance with the provisions of Article X, at the
membership meeting held on May 12 2003. (Month) (Day) (Year) Signed By: ___________________________ __________________________ ___________________________ Changes made to the by-laws are: Designated person may not hold office Legally appointed guardian replaced guardian Election monitoring committee replaced Election
nominating committee The term Department of Education replaced the term Board
of Education Grammar and reconstruction of some sentences were also
made.
The Parent Teacher Association of P.S. 279
May 2003
P.T.A. President
Recording Secretary
(Month) (Day) (Year)
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