Article I NAME ORCHARD PARK PARENT TEACHERS ORGANIZATION, INC. BYLAWS (Revised June 2018) The name of this organization shall be the Orchard Park Parent Teachers Organization, Inc. (hereinafter PTO ) Article II OBJECTIVE To promote the educational welfare of students and to maintain a line of communication between home and school; To encourage a relationship between parents, teachers and administrators for the educational benefit of all students; To raise funds to provide educational programs and materials, and to sponsor school events available to all students. Article III POLICIES Section 1) Section 3) Section 4) To fulfill our PTO objectives by fundraising, educational meetings, committees, projects and activities as approved by the membership. The organization shall be noncommercial, nonsectarian, and nonpartisan. No commercial enterprise and no candidate shall be endorsed by the PTO. Neither the name of the organization, nor the names of its officers in their official capacity shall be used in any connection with a commercial concern nor with any partisan interest nor for any other purpose than the regular work of the PTO. The organization is a not-for-profit corporation with a tax exemption. Under IRS rules, such organizations may not make written or oral statements supporting or opposing any candidate for public office, including those running for the school board. The PTO may not use donated monies to make donations to other not-for-profit organizations, school clubs or community activities, other than specified in these Bylaws, Article V, Section 3. Orchard Park Central Schools - PTO Bylaws 1
Section 5) Section 6) Section 7) The organization shall work with the building principals, District Administration, and the Board of Education to provide quality education for all students. The organization shall seek to participate in the shared decision making process which establishes school policy, recognizing that the legal responsibility to make decisions has been delegated by the people of the Board of Education. The organization may cooperate with other organizations and agencies active in the cause of child welfare and community service. Should any local unit of the PTO sponsor a community activity, it shall be done under the control of the PTO, and the use of the PTO name shall be given except under these conditions, as approved by the Central Council PTO. ARTICLE IV STRUCTURE Section 1) Section 3) The organization shall consist of individual building units, formed as needed to adequately serve the parents, students and teachers of that building. The coordinating body of the individual units shall be Central Council. Any persons interested in becoming a member of a unit PTO in order to participate in decision making at the unit level can do so upon the payment of dues to that unit. ARTICLE V DUES & ASSESMENTS Section 1) The annual membership dues for each local unit are to be determined by Central Council. Payments by each local unit should be made to the Central Council Treasurer by October 31 of each year. Each building is responsible for 1/6 of the amount. Each local unit shall charge a membership fee to its participants, as set by Central Council, consistent at all 6 units, which will then allow its members to volunteer at events, attend meetings and participate in local unit voting. Orchard Park Central Schools - PTO Bylaws 2
Section 3) Central Council yearly expenses are as follows; a) Community donations such as Art Splash, Holiday Wreaths, Summer planters, etc. Subject to availability of funds and at the discretion of Central Council membership. b) Transportation Breakfast - Each building is responsible for 1/6 of the cost. Monies are to be run through Central Council Treasurer. c) Payments for income tax preparation and Insurance Policies. ARTICLE VI CENTRAL COUNCIL Section 1) Section 3) Section 4) Functions of the Central Council: a) Facilitate an information exchange between the ( 6 ) building units. b) Be responsible for the coordination of all joint PTO programs and meetings. c) Determine procedures for sponsoring community activities. d) Be responsible for filing federal tax forms. e) Maintain tax exempt status. f) Review financial records from all ( 6 ) local units. g) Provide annual training for all unit presidents and treasurers. h) Support a relationship with district administrators and the Board of Education. I) Act on all petitions of any newly organized PTO units.. Central Council Membership: Membership shall consist of the elected officers of Central Council, the President of each building, the principal of each building and the district administrators. Meetings: a) The President shall determine the meeting schedule. b) The meeting will be regularly attended by the CC officers, PTO unit presidents, building principals and district administrators. c) Any other interested persons may attend Central Council meetings. Officers and Elections: a) The officers of Central Council shall be President, Vice-President, Treasurer and Secretary. They shall be elected by the Central Council voting members at the last CC meeting of each year. b) All board positions are elected to a two year term. c) Individual ballots shall be used. Persons cannot run as a team on one ballot. d) If a position becomes vacant at any time, Central Council voting members can elect a replacement board member. Orchard Park Central Schools - PTO Bylaws 3
Section 5) Voting: a) Voting members of the Central Council are the Central Council Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer, and ( 6 ) unit presidents. The Central Council President shall only vote in the case of a tie. b) Each unit is entitled to ( 1 ) vote from the president as a collective decision on behalf of your local unit. With ( 3 ) votes from Central Council there is a total of 9 votes cast. The Central Council President shall cast a vote in the case of a tie. Section 6) Duties of the Central Council Officers: President - a) Pick dates and notify all units and district of meeting schedule. b) Prepare agendas and preside at all Central Council meetings. c) Be a member ex-officio of all committees. d) Appoint chairpersons for committees or activities as approved by the council. e) Arrange training for PTO presidents and treasurers each year. f) Maintain a Central Council address and mailbox at district office. g) Participate in an annual training provided by Central Council. Vice-President - a) Preside at all meetings in the absence of the president. b) Perform duties assigned by the president. Treasurer - a) Maintain all financial records for Central Council, provide a treasurers report at all meetings. b) Collect membership dues from local units. c) Review financial records from all local units. d) Cannot be a treasurer at a local unit. e) Reserve all monies allocated to any fund established by Central Council. f) Make all payments authorized by Central Council. g) Compile all tax forms for CPA for income tax filing. CPA shall be paid a fee as approved by Central Council. h) Attend an annual training provided by Central Council. Secretary - a) Keep accurate of all records of the Central Council. b) Record minutes from all meetings and post on district website. c) Supply all local units with PTO By-laws. d) Take care of all correspondence as directed by the president. Orchard Park Central Schools - PTO Bylaws 4
ARTICLE VII LOCAL UNITS Section 1) Officers and Elections: a) Each local unit shall have a President, Vice-President, Treasurer and Secretary. These officers shall be elected annually and they must be paid members of the PTO. An elected term should be for 2 years, July 1 through June 30. b) Additional officers may be elected by local units and their duties described by their PTO board. (example: second Vice-President) Each building unit may draft their individual officer job description. c) Each unit should have a nominating chairperson and/or committee. The nominating committee shall prepare a slate of officers consisting of at least one name for each position to be submitted at the April or May meeting. Additional nominations may be made from the floor. The consent of each candidate must be obtained before their name is placed in nomination. A vote is not necessary if a person is nominated and will accept the position unopposed. If the nominating positions are not filled, the responsibilities fall to the PTO Board. d) If any officer is unwilling or unable to complete their two year term, the board will appoint a replacement. A mid-year term will not be considered as part of a two year restriction. e) A PTO officer may succeed him/herself in a two year term if there is no replacement nominated. Section 3) Duties of the Officers: a) The President shall set agendas and preside at all meetings of the local unit and of the PTO Board, shall be a member ex-officio of all committees and shall perform all other duties usually pertaining to the office. b) The Vice-President shall act as an aid to the President; shall perform the duties of the President in the absence of that officer; and shall perform all duties assigned by the President. c) The Treasurer shall receive all monies of the unit and shall keep an accurate record of receipts and expenditures; shall maintain a unit bank account from which all expenditures are paid in accordance with the approved budget as authorized by the Board; shall prepare and submit the annual report, along with copies of the bank statements and bank reconciliation, to the unit officers, membership, and the Central Council Treasurer. d) The Secretary shall keep accurate records of all meetings of the local unit and of the PTO Board: shall have copies of the meeting minutes available for the membership. All meeting minutes should be in the school newsletter and on the website in a timely manner. The PTO Board: Orchard Park Central Schools - PTO Bylaws 5
a) The PTO Board shall consist of all 4 officers and any other officers the local units may have voted in. b) The duties of the Board shall be to: transact necessary business of the unit, share all decisions and records with the membership, approve plans of unit committees, monitor budgets, and any other business as deemed necessary by the unit or Central Council. Section 4) Section 5) Section 6) Section 7) Meetings: a) Regular meetings of the local units shall be held according to the calendar set by the officers. All interested persons are welcome to attend. PTO Representatives: a) Teacher Representative - A Teacher from the local unit shall serve as Teacher Representative and is expected to attend all meetings. The teacher rep is asked to give updates on school business and in turn then notify staff of PTO business. b) School Board Representative A PTO member shall attend school board meetings and then report back to the local unit through an update at monthly meeting. Committee Chairpersons: a) These positions are considered standing and may be included in the nominating committee slate or may be appointed by the President and/or the Board b) These positions may include but are not limited to: Fundraising Program Enrichment Membership Newsletter Hospitality Volunteer Coordinator Room Parent Coordinator Staff Appreciation BET Representative/SDM Representative a) Site-based shared decision making units have been established in all district schools. These units are committed to improving the quality of education for our students and consist of parents, community members, teachers, staff and administrators. BET/SDM Parent Reps are chosen or elected under the direction of the PTO. Orchard Park Central Schools - PTO Bylaws 6
Section 8) Section 9) Financial Procedures: a) each unit PTO must set up their bank account with both the President and Treasurer as co-signers. b) President and Treasurer must have full access to online banking and are expected to review their account on a monthly basis. c) Each unit Treasurer must bring the most recent bank statement to each monthly meeting. d) The PTO Board must review the bank statement monthly. e) Each unit Treasurer must provide copies of the monthly PTO bank statements to the Central Council Treasurer at all Central Council meetings. f) At least one Board member and one committee chair must be present whenever monies are being collected at an event. Persons in charge of monies must be un- related. g) Money should never be left unattended. A committee chair or Board member should always be present. At the conclusion of an event, monies should be held in the school safe. The unit Treasurer should deposit the money in the unit account on the next business day. h) A 'cash received' form should be prepared by the event chairperson. It should include total money received, break down of cash, and checks received. During counting at least 2 un-related chair persons and/or Board members should be present. Form should be signed by both counters and submitted with the money. I) Unit Treasurer shall verify the deposit and also sign form. j) Any PTO purchase for a staff member through a gift or grant are considered donations to the district and the local unit shall submit a Donation Acceptance Request form for school board approval regardless of the amount. Central Council shall also get a copy of all donations for tax purposes. k) Any purchase made on behalf of the PTO must be made with the PTO tax exempt form. Treasurers are not to reimburse any taxes paid on any purchase. Fundraisers: a) Each unit may select PTO fundraisers for their building. b) There is no limit to the number of fundraisers or the dollar amount raised. c) All donated money raised as a result of a PTO event or fundraiser must be used for the benefit of the students at the local unit within the school year in which it is raised. d) The amount of money held at the end of the year should be limited to the start up fund needed for the next school year as determined by the unit Treasurer, usually no more than $5,000.00. e) In the event of a large PTO purchase that causes the local unit to save money from year to year, all money must be ear-marked for the purchase, and noted on all financial records. Orchard Park Central Schools - PTO Bylaws 7
f) All PTO events and fundraisers held at District buildings must abide by school rules and obtain a building use permit. g) PTO events held outside of the District school buildings are the responsibility of the individual PTO and the establishment owner. h) All fundraising money must be held in the unit PTO bank account. I) Goods that are purchased with PTO funds become the property of the local unit. j) All un-used/left-over goods must be stored in a proper PTO storage area. The local PTO Board shall decide what to do with said goods either donate to the district or sell off at a pre-determined price. ARTICLE VIII BYLAWS & AMENDMENTS Section 1) These Bylaws may be amended at any regular Central Council meeting by a two thirds majority vote of the voting members present, provided the amendment was discussed at the previous Central Council meeting, OR written notice of the amendment was provided at least 30 days prior to vote. This is to allow each unit the opportunity to evaluate and consider the amendment. All revised Bylaws and amendments shall become effective upon the approval of the voting membership of the Central Council. ARTICLE IX DISSOLUTION OF THE ORGANIZATION In the event this organization (Central Council) dissolves, all unencumbered funds are to be divided by the 6 local units and disbursed evenly. In the event that the local units dissolve, all funds then go to school district general fund. Orchard Park Central Schools - PTO Bylaws 8