Ledyard Center School PTO

Parent – Teacher Organization

LCS PTO

Updated: March 30, 2017

Ledyard Center School PTO BYLAWS

Article I – Name The name of this organization shall be the Ledyard Center School Parent-Teacher Organization, hereinafter referred to as “LCS PTO”.
Article II – Mission Statement and Purpose
Section 1 – Mission Statement: The Ledyard Center School PTO is an organization working to promote programs and activities that serve the needs of the school, the students, and the community. Its goal is to foster a positive working relationship between parents and teachers, as well as to provide additional support and financial assistance as indicated. Membership shall include any parent, guardian, or other adult standing in loco parentis for a student, all teachers, and the Principal at LCS. There are no dues associated with the Membership of the LCS PTO.
Section 2 – Purpose: a. To encourage greater parental involvement within LCS. b. To act as a support group to the students, parents, and faculty. c. To develop and facilitate fundraising to provide/allocate additional funding to improve the educational, social, and physical well-being of the students. d. To increase the opportunity for communication between parents, staff, and the administrators. e. To support student activities including financial assistance when indicated.
Article III – Members Any parent, guardian, or other adult standing in loco parentis for a student at LCS shall be a member and have voting rights. The Principal and any teacher employed at the school shall be a member and have voting rights. All described members hereinafter will be referred to as “the Membership”. There are no dues associated with the Membership of the LCS PTO.
Article IV – Officers and Elections
Section 1 – Officers: The officers shall be elected annually from the Membership and shall consist of a President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer. The prior listed positions may be shared equally by two (2) persons. The Principal shall oversee as well as serve as an
Updated: March 30, 2017
LCS PTO
Parent – Teacher Organization
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officer. These officers shall be known as the Executive Board, hereinafter referred to as “the Board”. a. President. The President shall preside over meetings of the LCS PTO and the Board; serve as a liaison to the school administration, and coordinate the work of all the officers and committees, ensuring that the purpose of the LCS PTO is served. b. Vice-President. The Vice-President shall act as an aid to the President, perform the duties of the President in the absence or disability of the President, and serve as a representative to the Advisory Committee to the Ledyard Board of Education. c. Secretary. The Secretary shall keep all records of the LCS PTO, take and record minutes, prepare the agenda, handle correspondence, and send notices of meetings to the Membership. The Secretary will maintain a copy of the minutes’ book, bylaws, rules, and Membership list. d. Treasurer. The Treasurer shall receive/maintain all funds of the LCS PTO, keep an accurate record of the receipts and expenditures, and pay out funds in accordance with the approval of the Board. The Treasurer will present a financial statement at each meeting and when requested by the Board, as well as provide a full report at the completion of each school year. e. Principal. The Principal shall serve as a liaison between the school district administration and the Board. The Principal shall provide approval of all fundraising projects and events.
Section 2 – Nominations and Elections: There shall be a Nomination Committee composed of three (3) members, one (1) of whom shall be a Board member selected by the Executive Board, and two (2) persons from the Membership. A Nomination Committee shall be determined during the January regular meeting. Elections will be held at the last regular meeting of the school year. The Nomination Committee shall select at least one (1) candidate for each office and present the slate at a meeting held one (1) month prior to the election. At that meeting, additional nominations may also be made from the floor. Voting shall be done by ballot by Membership present. Only those persons who have consented to serve shall be eligible for nomination. a. Officers shall assume their duties at the close of the school term and shall serve for a term of one (1) year and/or until their successors are initiated. b. Officers shall not be eligible to serve more than four (4) consecutive terms in the same office, unless there are no other eligible candidates. c. Each person(s) elected shall only hold one (1) office per term. d. A vacancy, occurring in any office except the presidency, shall be filled for the unexpired term by a person appointed by the remaining members of the Board. In the event the office of the President becomes vacant, the Vice President shall succeed him/her to complete the term. e. Any officer may be removed from office by a majority vote by the Board, whenever it is the judgment of the Board that the best interest of the LCS PTO would be better served by such action.
Article V – Executive Board
Section 1 – Membership: The Executive Board shall consist of the elected officers and the Principal of LCS.

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Section 2 – Duties of the Executive Board shall be to: a. Transact business between the meetings in preparation for the regular meeting. b. Create standing rules and policies. c. Create Standing and Special Committees and approve their plan(s) of work. d. Prepare and submit a budget to the Membership at the September meeting to be voted on/approved by Membership. e. Approve/pay out routine bills. f. Prepare reports and recommendations to the Membership.
Article VI – Meetings
Section 1 – Regular Meetings: a. Membership shall receive notification of request from LCS PTO in the fall of each year to provide an updated e-mail address for communication purposes. It will be the responsibility of the Membership to notify the LCS PTO of status changes. b. Notices of meetings will be sent via e-mail by the Secretary to the Membership. Prior scheduled meetings are also indicated on the flyer, LCS PTO Event Calendar; this shall be known as routine communication. c. Meetings of the LCS PTO shall be held at a minimum of five (5) per school year. The Board will determine and notify the Membership per routine communication. d. A majority of Board members plus one (1) additional person present, shall constitute as a quorum* for the transactions of business in any meeting of the LCS PTO. e. Votes shall be cast by show of hands or confidential ballot (as determined by the President) by the Membership present. f. The Vote shall be determined by a simple majority of voting members present.
Section 2 – Special Meetings: a. Special Meetings may be called by the Principal, President, or any two (2) members of the Board when deemed necessary with the expectation of at least three (3) three days’ prior notice. b. Notification of called meetings will be delivered to the Membership per routine communication. c. Votes shall be cast by show of hands or confidential ballot (as determined by the President) by Membership present. d. The Vote shall be determined by a simple majority of voting members present.
Article VII – Committees Committees: Committees may consist of Board members and the Membership, with the President and Principal acting as an ex officio member of all committees.
Section 1 – Standing Committees shall: a. Be initiated by the Board as deemed necessary. Their term shall be for one (1) year. b. Carry out all work according to the Mission Statement and Bylaws. c. Have transparency with the Membership for all work undertaken. d. Chairperson(s) of each Standing Committee shall present plan(s) of work to be approved by the Board.

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Section 2 – Special Committees shall: a. Be initiated by the Board with Chairperson(s) to be appointed by the Board. Their term concludes when work is done and final report is delivered to the Board/Membership. b. Consist of a minimum of two (2) persons from the Membership who are qualified, having prior experience/expertise to complete the work required of the Special Committee. c. Carry out all work according to the Mission Statement and bylaws.
Article VIII – Parliamentary Authority Robert’s Rules of Order shall govern meetings when they are not in conflict with the LCS PTO’s bylaws.
Article IX – Standing Rules Standing rules may be approved by the majority vote of the Board. The Secretary shall then keep record of the standing rules for future reference.
Article X – Finances
Section 1 – Yearly Budget. A tentative budget shall be drafted by the Board in the fall for each school year, presented at the September meeting, and approved by a majority vote by the Membership present. The expectation and goal of the Board will be to finalize and approve the proposed budget at the September meeting. If revisions are required, a Special Meeting will be called to vote on the revised tentative budget, prior to September 30th of the school year.
Section 2 – The Treasurer’s Duties shall: a. Present a financial statement at each meeting and when requested by the Board. b. Provide a full report at the completion of the school year, and will present it at the last meeting of the school year. c. Receive/maintain all funds of the LCS PTO. d. Keep an accurate record of the receipts and expenditures. e. Pay out funds in accordance with the approval of the Board. f. Keep accurate records of any disbursements, income, and bank account information. g. Not sign checks made out to him/herself, his/her business, or those requested by him/herself.
Section 3 – Approval of Expenditures a. All expenditures within the realm of the approved budget are authorized expenditures. b. All expenditures of more than $400 must be approved by the Membership. Necessary purchases less than $400 require the approval of at least two (2) Board members and must be announced at the next LCS PTO meeting. c. A majority of the Membership must approve of any/all vendor(s) being used for expenditures of greater than $2500, requiring at least two (2) competitive bids from similar vendors. d. The Treasurer and one (1) additional officer, as approved by the Board, will be designated signatories of all the open/active accounts held by the LCS PTO. e. The Treasurer’s accounts shall be audited/reviewed annually at the end of the school year, prior to the commencement of the newly officiated Treasurer. In addition, the Treasurer’s accounts shall be audited immediately when a vacancy has occurred in said
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office. A Special Committee will be formed to complete this audit. A record of approval from the audit/review will be recorded by the Secretary. f. Upon the dissolution of the LCS PTO, any remaining funds should be used to pay any outstanding bills and, with the Membership’s approval, spent for the benefit for Ledyard Center School.
Article XI – Conflict of Interest Statement The purpose of the conflict of interest statement is to protect LCS PTO’s interest when it is contemplating entering into a transaction or arrangement that might benefit the private interest of interested person(s) of the Membership. An interested person consists of any director, principal officer, or member of a committee with governing board-delegated powers who has a direct or indirect financial interest. This statement is intended to supplement, but not replace any applicable state/federal laws governing conflict of interest to nonprofit and charitable organizations.
Article XII – Amendments These bylaws may be amended at any Regular or Special Meeting, providing that previous notice was sent to the Membership, per routine communication by the Secretary. Amendments will be approved by a majority vote by Membership present, assuming a quorum* deliberation transpired. All revisions to the bylaws become effective immediately following approval of the Membership.

Amendment to Article X. Section 3. Subsection e.
The Treasurer will provide an end of the year statement to be reviewed at the last regular meeting, prior to the commencement of the newly officiated Treasurer. The Membership will be called to vote; a passed motion will be recorded by the Secretary. If the motion is not passed, the Treasurer’s accounts shall be audited/reviewed prior to the commencement of the newly elected Treasurer. In addition, the Treasurer’s accounts shall be audited immediately when a vacancy has occurred in said office. A Special Committee will be formed to complete this audit. A record of approval from the audit/review will be recorded by the Secretary.

*Clause: Should no additional person from the Membership be present to cast a vote at a Regular or Special Meeting, in lieu of a quorum, the Board will notify the Membership via routine communication. Responses received from the Membership, within twenty-four hours (24 hours) of original notification, will be considered. The Board will then have the ability to approve such decisions thereafter.