BYLAWS OF PARENT, TEACHER & ADMINISTRATION ORGANIZATION
ARTICLE I – NAME AND PURPOSE
Section 1 Name: The name of the organization shall be Parent, Teacher & Administration Organization (PTAO). It shall be a nonprofit organization operating under the 501(c) (3) status of Villa Madonna Academy (VMA) under the laws of the State of Kentucky.
Section 2 Purpose: The Parent, Teacher & Administration Organization (PTAO) is organized to provide educational enhancements, cultural, social development and recreational opportunities for the students of Villa Madonna Academy grades K through 12.
The purpose of this organization is:
* to generate financial support for educational materials, programs, and services by conducting fundraising projects.
* to provide Villa Madonna Academy with equipment and/or improvements necessary to enhance the educational process for students K through 12.
* to uphold the Benedictine valuesas endorsed by Villa Madonna Academy.
ARTICLE II – MEMBERSHIP
Section 1 Eligibility for membership: The members ofPTAO shall consist of parents or guardians of students, teachers, administration, and staff of VMA.
Section 2 Membership Fee/Annual Dues: There shall be no membership fee or annual dues.
Section 3 Rights of Members: Each member shall have one vote.
Section 4 Non-voting membership: The Executive Committee shall have the authority to establish and define non-voting categories of membership.
ARTICLE III – MEETINGS OF MEMBERS
Section 1 Regular meetings: Meetings of the members shall be held as needed, at a date, time and place designated by the chair.
Section 2 Annual Meeting: An annual meeting of the members shall take place by the month of May. The chair shall designate the specific date, time and location. At the annual meeting, the members shall elect officers, receive reports on the activities of the organization, and determine the direction of the organization for the coming year.
Section 3 Special Meetings: The chair or the Executive Committee may call special meetings.
Section 4 Notice of meetings: Notice of meetings shall be published in the VMA school calendar, Villa Week, or by posting of notice on school grounds. Notice of meetings shall be posted one week in advance of the meeting date.
Section 5 Quorum: The members present at any properly announced meeting shall constitute a quorum.
Section 6 Voting: All issues to be voted on shall be decided by a simple majority of those present at the meeting in which the vote takes place.
Section 7 Proceedings: Robert’s Rules of Order shall govern the proceedings of the PTAO.
ARTICLE IV – OFFICERS
Section 1 Officers and Duties: There shall be four officers of the organization, consisting of a chair, chair-elect, secretary and treasurer. In addition to attending all meetings, their duties are as follows:
The chair shall convene scheduled meetings of the organization, shall preside or arrange for other members of the Executive Committee to preside at each meeting in the following order; chair-elect, secretary, treasurer. The chair shall preside at meetings of the Executive Committee. The chair shall prepare the agenda in collaboration with the Executive Committee and VMA Administration. Members may submit agenda items to the chair up to one week prior to a scheduled meeting.
The chair-elect shall chair the Nomination Committee and any committee on special subjects as designed by the Executive Committee.
The secretary shall be responsible for keeping records of the organization’s actions, including overseeing the taking of minutes at all meetings, arranging meeting announcements, posting minutes via the VMA website, maintain email database to organization membership, and assuring that records are maintained. The secretary shall endorse all email correspondence prior to distribution to organization membership.
The treasurer shall have custody of all funds of the organization, keep an account of all receipts and disbursements, and make a detailed report at each meeting. The treasurer shall chair the Finance Committee, assist in the preparation of the budget, assist in development of the fundraising plan, make financial information available to the membership and the public, and submit records at the close of the school year to the VMA Finance Director for the annual audit of financial records.
Section 2 Terms: The chair and chair-elect shall serve atwo-year term. The chair-elect is eligible for election to a two-year term as chair. The secretary and treasurer shall serve a two-year term but are eligible for re-election for one additional term. An officer may be elected for an additional term but only after a one-year absence from any position on the Executive Committee of the organization. Program/Event Coordinators shall serve a two-year term but are eligible for re-election for one additional term. A Program/Event coordinator may serve consecutive additional terms beyond this three year period if written approval is received from the administration of VMA.
Section 3 Election procedures: The nomination committee shall propose a slate of officers to the Executive Committee.
Section 4 Installation of Officers: All new officers shall be installed at the last meeting of the school year. New officers shall assume their duties at the first meeting of the new school year. To ensure continuity, the current school year officers shall maintain their positions through the summer vacation period.
Section 5 Resignation and termination: Resignation from any position within the organization must be submitted in writing and received by the secretary. Any member failing to uphold the mission and purpose of thePTAO may be removed by three quarters majority vote of the Executive Committee.
Section 6 Vacancies: When a vacancy on the Executive Committee exists, mid-term, the chair or chair-elect in cooperation with the VMA Administration shall present the Executive Committee with a nomination for consideration at the next scheduled meeting of the organization.
Section 7 Special meetings: Special meetings of the Executive Committee may be called upon request of the chair. The secretary via email shall make notice of the special meeting two days in advance.
ARTICLE V – COMMITTEES
Section 1 Committee Formation: The Executive Committee may create committees as needed. The chair may appoint committee chairs.
Section 2 Executive Committee: The four officers shall serve as the members of the Executive Committee. The President of VMA, the Elementary School Principal, and the High School Principal shall serve as members of the Executive Committee. Except for the power to amend the bylaws, the Executive Committee shall have all the powers and authority of the organization in the intervals between meetings of the organization.
Section 3 Finance Committee: The treasurer is the chair of the Finance Committee, which shall include at least three other organization members from the elementary, middle, and high school membership. The Finance Director of VMA shall serve as ex-officio member of the Finance Committee. The Finance Committee is responsible for developing and reviewing fiscal procedures, fundraising plans, and the annual budget with the Executive Committee and the organization membership. The Executive Committee must approve the budget and all expenditures must be within the budget. Any unexpected expenditures, not to exceed $100.00, shall be approved by the Chair. The treasurer shall have signing authority on the PTAO bank account with only one signature needed on any expenditure $2,500.00 and under. The President of VMA shall be the second authorizing signature on any expense over $2,500.00. The Executive Committee must approve any major change in the budget. The fiscal year shall be the school year. Annual reports are required to be submitted to the organization membership showing income, expenditures, and pending income. The financial records of the organization are public information and shall be made available to the membership, Executive Committee members, and the public.
Section 4 Nomination Committee: The chair-elect is chair of the Nomination Committee, which shall include at least three other organization members representing the elementary, middle, and high school membership. The President of VMA, the Elementary School Principal, and the High School Principal shall serve as ex-officio members of the Nomination Committee. Annually the Nomination Committee will ask for nominations from the organization membership for election via an Interest Survey. Any organization member may nominate any other member or themselves for the election. Additionally, each year, all new incoming families to VMA shall receive, from the Nomination Committee, a PTAO information packet including the Interest Survey. As the names of new families become available from VMA Administration, the packets will be mailed. The Nomination Committee shall submit to the Executive Committee a slate of officers for their consideration. .
ARTICLE VI – AMENDMENTS
Section 1 Amendments: two-thirds majority of the membership may amend these bylaws when necessary. Proposed amendments must be submitted to the secretary to be presented to the full membership.
CERTIFICATION
These bylaws were approved at a meeting of the membership by a two-thirds majority vote on April 19, 2006. Amendments proposed to the membership on March 12, 2008 were approved by majority vote on April 9, 2008.