BY LAWS
Edinbrook
Elementary Parent Teacher Organization
The objectives of the Edinbrook Elementary Parent
Teacher Organization shall be:
A.
To
enhance student learning.
B.
To
represent parents’ views to the staff, district, community, legislature.
C.
To
promote family involvement.
D.
To
provide communication between the general public and the school in order to
secure for every child the highest physical, mental, social and academic
advantages.
The basic policies of the Edinbrook Elementary Parent Teacher Organization shall be:
A.
Promote
and provide input into the development of the academic and social curriculum in
Edinbrook Elementary School from information furnished by administration,
staff, parents and other sources.
B.
This
Organization shall work with the school to provide quality education for all
children and youth and shall seek to advise and participate in the
decision-making process establishing school policy.
C.
The
name of the organization, or the names of any members in their official
capacities, shall not be used outside of the regular work of the organization
if not pre-approved by the board.
D.
In
the event of the dissolution of the organization, its assets shall be donated
to District 279 for the benefit of Edinbrook Elementary students.
All parents, guardians, teachers and staff
members of Edinbrook Elementary are members of the Edinbrook PTO. There will be no dues collected.
Article V. Board
Members
A.
The
elected Board Members of this Organization shall be the President, Vice
President, Secretary, Treasurer, Fundraising Committee, Welcome Wagon
Representative, and Publicity Representatives.
Additional elected positions, at the Board’s discretion, may include,
but are not limited to: PTO Meeting
Coordinator, Community Education Planning Advisory Committee (CEPAC) and
District Planning Advisory Committee (DPAC).
B.
The
term of each Board Member shall be one year with the exception of Treasurer, which
shall be a two-year term. The
President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer shall not be eligible to
serve in the same office for more than two consecutive terms.
C.
All
positions shall be filled and introduced by the final meeting of the school
year. All Board Members shall remain in
office until their successors have assumed their responsibilities.
D.
Committee
Chairpersons will be filled by volunteers designated throughout the school
year. Suggested activities for which
Chairpersons may be necessary include:
Bingo, School Carnival, Book Fair, Sixth Grade Recognition, Talent Show,
Magazine Sales, Gold C, School Dance, Ice Cream Social, Gift Wrap Sales and
Diner’s Club Cards. See Standing Rules
for the procedures for these events.
E.
All
Board Members shall attend Parent Teacher Organization meetings and be prepared
to give a report if called upon to do so.
F.
A
vacancy occurring in any office except that of President shall be filled for
the unexpired term by a person elected by a majority vote of the remaining
Parent Teacher Organization Board. In
case a vacancy occurs in the office of the President, the Vice President shall
succeed said office.
G.
The
Parent Teacher Organization Board will consist of the elected and/or appointed
Board Members, Committee Chairpersons, building principal or his/her designee
and teacher representatives. All board
members of the Parent Teacher Organization have voting rights with the
exception of the school principal.
H.
Election
of Board Members will be held in the spring of each year. Nominations will be open to the general
Parent Teacher Organization membership.
All officers shall perform the duties outlined in these bylaws and those assigned from time to time. Upon the expiration of the term of office or in case of resignation, each officer shall turn over to the president, without delay, all records, books, and other materials pertaining to the office, and shall return to the treasurer, without delay, all funds pertaining to the office.
A.
President
Responsibilities of the President include, but are
not limited to, the following:
·
Prepare
agenda and lead meetings effectively
·
Participate
in committees for PTO events
·
Participate
in committees as requested by the school principal
·
Serve
as the contact person for all PTO functions
·
Follow
up on all issues to make certain concerns are addressed
·
Meet
regularly with school principal and resource manager to discuss current issues
and concerns
·
Be
available to parents and teachers as needed
·
Serve
as contact for staff and student sympathy
The time commitment for this position is
approximately four (4) hours per week average.
The recommended qualifications for this position
include good organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills. The president will ideally be someone who,
at the beginning of his/her term, will have at least three (3) years remaining
as an Edinbrook parent. Additionally,
one year of PTO service prior to volunteering for president is recommended.
B.
Vice
President
The Vice President shall act as an assistant to the President and shall perform the duties of the President in the absence or inability of that Board Member to serve. He/She would assume the duties of the President in the event of his/her resignation.
C.
Secretary
Responsibilities of the Secretary include, but are
not limited to, the following:
·
Record
the minutes of all meetings of the organization
·
Present
the minutes at the following meeting for approval and make available copies of
such minutes to all members of the Board and interested members
·
Have
a current copy of the bylaws
·
Maintain
an up-to-date membership list
·
Perform
other duties as assigned
D.
Treasurer
Responsibilities of the Treasurer include, but are
not limited to, the following:
·
Have
custody of all PTO funds
·
Assure
all funds are deposited into appropriate organization account(s) in a timely
manner
·
Keep
a full and accurate account of receipts and expenditures
·
Make
disbursements as authorized by the president, executive board, or organization
·
Have
checks or disbursements signed by authorized person(s) as necessary
·
Present
financial reports at every meeting of the organization and at other times when
requested by the executive board
·
Be
responsible for the maintenance of such books of account and records as conform
to the requirements of the executive board and organization
·
Relinquish
records to individual(s) acting in an auditing capacity for review
·
Prepare
and file annual taxes on behalf of the organization
The time commitment for this position is
approximately four (4) hours per week average.
The recommended qualifications for this position include
possessing a strong financial aptitude and knowledge of or willingness to learn
the PTO’s financial software.
Additionally, the treasurer should possess good organizational,
communication, and interpersonal skills.
The Treasurer’s accounts
shall be examined annually by an Auditing Committee of not less than three
members who, satisfied that the Treasurer’s annual report is correct, shall
sign a statement to that fact at the end of the report. The Auditing Committee shall be appointed by
the Board at least two weeks prior to the last Parent Teacher Organization
meeting of the school year.
The Treasurer and any other
Board Members who have signing authority on the Organization accounts shall be
bonded and insured.
E.
Fundraising
Committee
The Fundraising Committee is responsible for
organizing four major fundraisers throughout the school year. Detailed information regarding these
fundraisers may be found in the Standing Rules. The committee should have at least four members with each member
being chairperson of one major fundraiser.
As chairperson for a fundraiser, you are responsible
for arranging any kick-off event, promoting the fundraiser during the sale,
handling any problem orders, getting the money to the treasurer in a timely
manner, and being the contact person for parents to call with questions.
There are a few smaller fundraisers that require
very little time, mostly just a contact person for various organizations such
as Target and Planet Green (ink cartridge recycling).
F.
Welcome
Wagon
Welcome Wagon Representative shall send out letters of welcome to the parents/guardians of any new student who is transferred into Edinbrook Elementary during the school year. These letters shall contain dates and times of upcoming Parent Teacher Organization meetings as well as names and phone numbers of parent contacts for each grade level.
Each new student in grades 1-6th will receive three fifty-cent coupons to the school store.
The Welcome Wagon Representative
will be responsible for the making and distributing of such coupons. (The
Welcome Wagon Representative may consider giving the coupons to the school
counselor. The school counselor may then distribute the coupons to each new
student.)
Informational forms (which include the name of the new
student(s), grade of the new student(s), teacher's name(s), parent/guardian's
names and the location of where the new student(s) is being transferred from)
will be forwarded to the Welcome Wagon Representative by the office staff at
Edinbrook Elementary.
G.
Publicity
Representative
The Publicity Representative from Edinbrook
Elementary shall be responsible for communicating information to the community
via appropriate media (newspapers, radio or television). Communication to newspapers should include
written articles or announcements and photos if they are available.
H.
Meeting
Coordinator
The meeting coordinator works with the PTO president and the school principal to gather ideas and speakers for PTO general meetings.
I.
District
Planning Advisory Council (DPAC) Representative(s)
Edinbrook Elementary sends parent representative(s) to this Advisory Council. These members meet throughout the school year to share information and formulate recommendations to the School Board regarding areas of achievement and evaluation, program assessment and student services.
J.
Community
Educations Program Advisory Council (CEPAC)
The purpose of this organization is to:
·
Assist
in the development of the district’s community education program
·
Maintain
two-way communication between all schools and the community education
department
·
Promote
citizen involvement in the planned activities of community education
·
Provide
for effective communication and support between other community education
sub-committees, advisory councils or task forces
·
Cooperate
and/or coordinate with other civic, faith, service, and governmental
organizations when necessary, to provide for the needs of the community
CEPAC consist of representatives from schools and
the community at large and are chosen based on their interest in community
education and willingness to be an active participant of CEPAC.
CEPAC meets approximately six (6) times during the
school year, every other month. Meetings
are held at the Education Service Center (ESC) in the cafeteria, which is room
90. The ESC is located at 11200 93rd
Avenue North, Maple Grove, MN
55369. All meetings begin
promptly at 5:15 pm and end approximately at 6:30 or 7:00 pm. Prior to the start of each meeting is an
optional light dinner with other CEPAC members.
Being both a member of CEPAC and Edinbrook’s PTO
requires the volunteer to attend the Edinbrook PTO board meetings as well as
CEPAC meetings. The volunteer acts as
an information liaison between the two communities.
K.
Principal
The Principal shall sit on the Board in an advisory
position, be eligible to sit on all sub-committees, and contact district
personnel when necessary. The Principal
shall not have voting power.
L.
Teacher
Representative(s)
Designated teacher(s) shall sit in on the scheduled board meetings and share information with the staff. The Teacher Representative(s) need to be available to staff to answer questions or address concerns regarding the PTO.
All meetings are open to the public. All meetings will follow an agenda that will
be determined at the previous meeting and will be available three (3) days
prior to the date of the meeting. Any
person wishing to be placed on the agenda should contact the PTO President.
One third of the total number of board members shall
constitute a quorum for the transaction of business in any meeting of this
organization.
The fiscal year of this organization shall begin on July 1 and end on the following June 30.
Robert’s Rules of Order shall govern this
organization in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are
not in conflict with these bylaws.
Article
X. Amendments
A special committee may be appointed to submit a revised set of bylaws to be approved by a quorum vote of the PTO board members.
Bylaws
- Edinbrook Elementary School Parent Teacher Organization
Prepared on May 5, 1995
Revised 03/11/02
STANDING RULES
Article
I. General Information
The purpose of the Standing Rules is to supplement
the By-Laws of the Edinbrook Elementary Parent Teacher Organization.
If a conflict exists between the Standing Rules and
the By-Laws of the Organization, the By-Laws shall take precedence.
These rules may be revised by a quorum vote at any
business meeting of the Organization provided it is on the agenda prior to the
meeting at which the revision is voted upon.
The Secretary shall maintain a current copy of these
rules and the By-Laws.
Article
II. Financial Procedures – Effective
2/11/02
1.
The
President shall oversee the bonding of the Treasurer. The purpose of this policy is to make certain that each Treasurer
is properly bonded in a timely manner.
2.
The
Board shall purchase accounting software for the Treasurer’s use. It will be required that this software be
utilized for PTO record keeping and financial reporting.
3.
All
checks made payable to “cash” require two authorized signatures regardless of
amount.
4.
All
requests for payment shall be properly documented. Acceptable forms of documentation include prepared forms, written
requests, and store receipts.
5.
Bank
deposits must be made on a weekly basis.
Fundraising volunteers, or others responsible for collecting or handling
funds, must submit the funds to the Treasurer on a timely basis, preferably
within 48 hours of collecting funds.
6.
Each
bank deposit shall have complete documentation detailing the composition of the
entire deposit. Receipts and deposit
slips shall be attached to the appropriate monthly bank statement.
7.
The
Treasurer shall keep a detailed record of all returned checks. In the event of returned checks, the
Treasurer shall attempt to personally contact the payer and requested payment
for the check amount in additional to all related fees charged by the
bank. If necessary, the Treasurer shall
follow up with a letter approved by the school Principal. The PTO shall be notified at each meeting as
to the status of uncollected returned checks.
8.
Prior
to releasing any checks, the Treasurer shall verify that sufficient funds are
available in the checking account to pay those checks. The PTO accounts should never be in a
deficit position.
9.
Any
check written in excess of $50 shall have two authorized signatures.
10.
All
voided checks shall be clearly marked as such by the Treasurer. All voided checks shall be documented in the
accounting software utilized by the PTO and attached to the checking account
statements.
11.
It
is the responsibility of the Treasurer to remain informed as to the bank fees
that could have an adverse effect on the PTO accounts. Upon learning of account structure changes
imposed by the bank, the Treasurer shall promptly notify the PTO Board and the
Board shall make decisions on how to handle the situation.
12. All funds shall be counted by at least two board members who count the funds together.
13. All funds shall remain at the school until ready for deposit into the appropriate bank account.
Article
III. Procedures for
Fundraisers/Activities
This area shall contain information regarding
specific requirements and procedures for the following school fundraisers and/or
activities: Bingo, School Carnival,
Book Fair, Sixth Grade Recognition, Talent Show, Magazine Sales, Gold C, School
Dance, Ice Cream Social, and Gift Wrap Sales.
Specifics to include: permit
requirements, number of cash boxes needed, amount of cash required for each
event, fundraising contact names, addresses and telephone numbers.
A.
Gold
C Coupon Books
This fundraiser starts the second week of school and will run two full weeks. Coupon books are labeled for each student. All books must be returned or purchased so careful inventory must be kept. There are prizes awarded at the end. Time commitment for this fundraiser is approximately 20 hours for each committee member, with a little more for the chairperson, over the course of two to three weeks.
B.
Gift
Wrap Sales
This is our biggest money making fundraiser, which starts immediately following the coupon books. It will also run two full weeks. Inventory of who returns their envelope is not necessary but tallying orders is more complex. Prizes are awarded with the orders when they are distributed in mid-November. Pizza parties traditionally are given to the highest selling class in each grade level. Time commitment for this fundraiser is approximately 30 hours for each committee member, with a little more for the chairperson, over the course of two weeks, including the distribution day in November.
C.
Scholastic
Book Fairs
There are two book fairs each year, one in the fall
and one in the spring. Books are set up
in the art room for one-week periods and also during conferences. The chairperson is responsible for getting
volunteers to sell books during open hours.
Time commitment for this fundraiser is approximately 10 hours for the
chairperson and just a few hours for other committee members who volunteer to
help.
Permit requirements:
Number of cash boxes needed: 2
Location of cash boxes: In hallway outside of art room
Total amount of cash needed: $137.00
Cash breakdown: 2 rolls of quarters ($20), 2 rolls of dimes
($10), 2 rolls of nickels ($4), 6 rolls of pennies ($3), 16 $5 bills ($80), and
20 $1 bills ($20).
D.
Bingo
Permit requirements:
Number of cash boxes needed: 5
Location of cash boxes: Three should be in the front area near the gym entrance, two
should be in the gym area (one for pop and one for popcorn).
Total amount of cash needed: $652
Cash breakdown: 13 rolls of quarters ($130), 1 roll of dimes ($5), 1 roll of nickels ($2), five $10 bills ($50), 80 $5 bills ($400), and 65 $1 bills ($65).
E.
School
Carnival
Permit requirements:
Number of cash boxes
needed: 4
Location of cash boxes: Three in front area of school near the gym
entrance and one in the cafeteria.
Total amount of cash
needed: $550
Cash breakdown: 4 rolls of quarters ($40), 5 $20 bills ($100),
20 $10 bills ($200), 37 $5 bills ($185), and 25 $1 bills ($25).
F.
School
Dance
Permit requirements:
Number of cash boxes
needed: 3
Location of cash boxes: One near entrance to dance location for
charitable donations, one at soda table and one at popcorn table.
Total amount of cash
needed: $500
Cash breakdown: 10 rolls of quarters ($100), 20 $10 bills
($200), 30 $5 bills ($150), and 50 $1 bills ($50).
G.
Magazine
Sales
This fundraiser starts in February and runs two weeks. Orders are tallied with prizes awarded a few days later. Time commitment for this fundraiser is approximately 10-15 hours for each committee member, with a little more for chairperson. Traditionally, if the goal for this fundraiser is met, an Action Arena is awarded as the grand prize. The date for the Action Arena is usually in April or May.
H.
Open
House
Permit requirements:
Number of cash boxes
needed: 1
Location of cash boxes: To be determined each year.
Total amount of cash
needed: $100
Cash breakdown: Mostly quarters.
I.
Sixth
Grade Recognition
J.
Talent
Show
K.
Ice
Cream Social
L.
Diner’s
Club Cards
Article
IV. Relocation of Students
In the event of school boundary changes or another major
event in which a large number of students leave Edinbrook, the Board may
elect, at its discretion, to give a monetary gift on behalf of the departing
students to their new school. This
discretionary gift shall not exceed the percentage of students leaving
Edinbrook. (ie. if 10% of students leave Edinbrook, the gift shall not exceed
10% of PTO funds). Funds may not be
gifted until the ending annual PTO account balance is determined. This balance will be determined after all
expenses incurred for the current school year have been paid in full.
Article
V. Collection of Dishonored Checks
Any check written for $25.00 or more that is
rejected from the bank will be assessed a processing fee of at least
$30.00. No further personal checks will
be accepted from this individual for the remainder of the school year.
The check writer will be contacted verbally by the
Treasurer to arrange for payment to be made in full in cash or be certified
check within five (5) business days.
If the rejected check is not paid in full within
this time frame via cash or certified check, a letter will be sent to the check
writer requesting payment in full via cash or by certified check within five
(5) business days.
If the rejected check is still not paid in full
within this time frame via cash or certified check, the matter will be turned
over to the police department or other appropriate authority.
Standing Rules - Edinbrook
Elementary School Parent Teacher Organization
Prepared and adopted 4/2002
Modified 01/2003
Modified 9/15/2003