BYLAWS & MISSION STATEMENT ARTS AND COMMUNICATION MAGNET ACADEMY PARENTS & TEACHERS ORGANIZATION, INC.

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The mission of Arts & Communication Magnet Academy (ACMA) and the Parent/Teacher Organization (PTO) is to support visual, performing and communication arts, academics and culture at ACMA.

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ARTICLE 1: NAME

1.1 The name of this organization shall be the ARTS AND COMMUNICATION MAGNET ACADEMY SCHOOL PARENTS & TEACHERS ORGANIZATION (PTO).

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ARTICLE 2: OBJECTIVES

2.1 The objectives of the PTO shall be:

2.1.1 To promote education, communication, and understanding among the Arts and Communications Magnet Academy (ACMA) students, parents, and faculty and within the community.

2.1.2 To supply parental and community assistance and financial aid to ACMA;

2.1.3 To aid the school in projects and public information; and

2.1.4 To develop between educators and the general public such united efforts as will maximize every child’s physical development, academic achievement, and social adjustment.

2.2 All policies of the PTO shall be implemented in furtherance of these identified objectives.

 

ARTICLE 3: POLICIES

3.1 The programs of the PTO shall be educational, noncommercial, nonsectarian, and nonpartisan and shall be developed through conferences, committees, and projects.

3.2 The PTO shall not endorse a private enterprise or a candidate for elected office. Neither the name of the organization nor the names of any members in the official capacities shall be used in any connection or purpose other than in furtherance of the objectives of the PTO and with the prior approval of the PTO Board.

3.3 The PTO shall seek neither to direct the administration activities of the school nor to control its policies.

3.4 The PTO may cooperate with other organizations and agencies active in enhancing children’s welfare, such as conferences or coordination councils, provided its representatives make no commitments that bind the PTO.

3.5 The PTO shall not distribute any part of its revenues to its parent members, officers, or other private persons, except that the organization is authorized and empowered to pay reasonable compensation for services rendered and to make payments and distributions in furtherance of the objectives of the PTO.

 

ARTICLE 4: MEMBERSHIP

4.1 Any person having a child enrolled in ACMA is a member of the PTO.

4.2 Each member of the ACMA staff is a member of the PTO.

4.3 The privilege of holding office, introducing motions, debating, and voting shall be limited to members of the PTO.

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ARTICLE 5: OFFICERS, DUTIES AND ELECTIONS

5.1 The officers of the organization shall be President, VP Communications, VP Operations, Secretary, Treasurer, Members at Large, and Fundraising Coordinator. Any officer position may be filled by two people who share the duties of the office.

5.2 The duties of the officers follow these general guidelines, with detailed position descriptions located in the PTO Board Role Descriptions document on the PTO Google drive:

5.2.1 The President shall: Prepare and publicize the meeting agendas; preside at all meetings of the organization and of the PTO Board; perform such other duties as may be prescribed in the Bylaws or assigned by the membership or by the PTO Board; and coordinate the work of the officers, members, and committees so that the PTO objectives may be attained.

5.2.2 VP Communications shall: Form connection points between PTO Board, members, teachers, staff, students, and local community; create or uphold documented processes for all forms of PTO communication; coordinates and distribute all PTO newsletters and emails; maintain PTO mailing list; administer PTO Google Drive; manage PTO website and post all required postings; manage all social media channels; serves as liaison between school groups and PTO to collaborate on sharing news and information

5.2.3 VP Operations shall: Serve as the expert on PTO Bylaws, ensuring the PTO is working within the framework of the Bylaws at all times, facilitate PTO Board and general meetings; coordinate PTO volunteer efforts through Better Impact; serves as a liaison between student government and the PTO Board

5.2.4 The Secretary shall: Record the minutes of general PTO meetings and save the minutes to the PTO Google drive. The Secretary is required to have PTO meeting minutes posted to the ACMA PTO website 7 days after the PTO meeting, the minutes will include all PTO Board member and general member comments; take attendance at meetings; and perform such duties as may be delegated. The Secretary shall record the minutes of PTO Board meetings on the PTO google drive. The Secretary shall also be responsible for any appropriate cards or notes to the members or to the school staff.

5.2.5 Treasurer shall: Receive and disburse all monies of the PTO; keep an accurate record of receipts and expenditures; pay out funds in accordance with the decisions of the PTO; and present a financial report at every meeting of the organization and at other times when requested by the PTO Board or President. The Treasurer is authorized to establish such checking accounts and other accounts as necessary, and write checks on behalf of the PTO. The Treasurer shall send a receipt that includes the tax identification number of the PTO and a heartfelt thank you to each donor who makes a donation in any amount. This shall be done monthly, covering any donations from the previous month. The Treasurer is responsible for communications with the organization/person hired to file the PTO tax return.

5.2.6 The Fundraising Coordinator shall: Work with The ACMA Spectacular Committee Co-Chairs (one of whom shall be the PTO President), ACMA staff, and administration to coordinate funding raising efforts across all departments so that duplication of fundraising requests to outside organizations and people are limited. Fundraising coordinator is responsible for keeping track of past, current, and future fundraising requests.

5.2.7 The Member(s) at Large shall: Attend all scheduled PTO Board meetings and general PTO meetings; connect with the broader school community and present their views and opinions at the Board level; collaborate with VP Communications to help share information and news across multiple channels (digital and in person); lead a committee and/or serves as a volunteer for most PTO events; play an active role in ACMA PTO activities, such as: ACMA Day, back to school night, The ACMA Spectacular, and more.

5.2.8 The Student Member at Large shall: Represent the student government at all PTO Board and general meetings; present the views and opinions of the student body at the Board level; attend all scheduled PTO Board meetings and general PTO meetings; represent a student voice in or at all PTO activities; coordinate student support of various ACMA PTO events, activities, and fundraisers: ACMA Day, back to school night, The ACMA Spectacular, Grad Night, and more.

 

5.3 An election for new officers will occur at the May meeting of each year or as soon thereafter as is feasible. Nominations for officers shall be made by a nominating committee chaired by the current PTO President. The nominating committee will consist of three members, no more of two whom are PTO Board members. The nominating committee shall report the names of candidates for each open office to the PTO Board, and the PTO Board shall announce the candidates’ names two weeks prior to the meeting during which the election will take place. Additional nominations may be made from the floor at the meeting, providing consent of the candidate has been obtained before his or her name is placed in nomination. The officers shall be elected by confidential written ballot. Newly elected officers shall assume their duties at the last PTO meeting of the school year after the outgoing officers have completed their business and turned the meeting over to the newly elected officers, with the exception of the Treasurer, whose fiscal year end is June 30th.

5.4 Officers shall serve for a term of one year, from the first day following the last day of school through the last day of school the following year.

5.5 Each officer shall have one vote at PTO Board meetings. If two people share the duties of an office, the one vote shall be divided equally between them.

5.6 At no time may spouses serve as President, Secretary, or Treasurer concurrently.

5.7 A person shall not be eligible to serve more than two consecutive terms in the office of Treasurer.

5.8 A vacancy occurring in any office shall be filled for the unexpired term by a person elected by a simple majority vote of the remaining members of the PTO Board.

5.9 All officers shall perform the duties prescribed in these Bylaws (supplemented by Robert’s Rules of Order) and deliver to their successors all official materials by the June PTO Board meeting.

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ARTICLE 6: PTO Board

6.1 The PTO Board shall consist of the officers of the organization, the principal of the school or a representative appointed by him/her. Each officer has one vote. The duties of the PTO Board shall be:

6.1.1 To transact necessary business in the intervals between organization meetings and other such business as may be referred to it by the organization.

6.1.2 To create ad-hoc committees as necessary.

6.2 The PTO Board shall approve programs and procedures and review progress of all standing and ad-hoc committees, and shall approve expenditures within the limits of the budget established by the general membership.

6.3 Any PTO Board member or officer may be removed for just cause by a majority vote of those present at the meeting during which such vote is called.

6.4 The principal of ACMA will serve as an ex-officio member of the PTO Board without a vote.

6.5 At PTO Board meetings, a majority of the officers shall constitute a quorum.

6.6 The PTO Board members can vote using digital tools as long as they meet the requirements stated in the Bylaws.

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ARTICLE 7: MEETINGS

7.1 Regular meetings are those meetings normally scheduled monthly throughout the school year for the general PTO. Meetings are open to the general membership and will be held at ACMA unless otherwise notified. A regular meeting day will be set up in September by way of example, second Tuesday of every month.

7.2 Regular PTO Board meetings shall be held monthly throughout the school year. Special PTO Board meetings may be called at the discretion of the President or the PTO Board. Notice of meetings of the PTO Board shall be provided to all PTO Board members not less than two days in advance of the meeting. The agenda must be stipulated at the time of notice, and discussion shall be limited to those items of business.

7.3 A majority of the PTO Board plus any members present shall constitute a quorum for regular meetings.

7.4 Each member of the PTO is entitled to one vote at general meetings. All business conducted at any meeting shall be conducted by a majority vote unless specified in these Bylaws or required by applicable law.

 

ARTICLE 8: COMMITTEES

8.1 Committees may be created by the President or the PTO Board as deemed necessary or appropriate to promote the objective of the PTO. A committee may carry over from one school year to the next, but must be reinstated at the beginning of each school year.

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ARTICLE 9: FINANCIAL MATTERS

9.1 The Fiscal year for the PTO is July 1 – June 30th of the next year.

9.2 No dues are required to be paid by members of the PTO.

9.3 The PTO Board has day-to-day PTO management authority within the limitations established in these Bylaws.

9.4 The PTO Board will prepare an initial budget by July 31. The Budget will then be posted on to the organization website for no less than 30 days before the regularly scheduled September meeting.

9.5 All expenses of the PTO must be presented and approved by the Membership as presented in the budget.

9.6 Unless it is a line item in the approved budget:

9.6.1 Any funding request equal to or less than $1000.00 can be brought to a PTO meeting, voted on, and the Treasurer can disperse the check all in the same night.

9.6.2 Funding requests greater than $1000.00 must be posted on the PTO website for at least 14 days before it can be voted on, to allow the PTO community to comment on the request. The vote will occur at the next scheduled PTO meeting following the 14-day period.

9.7 All fundraising events or activities run by or for the benefit of the PTO must be submitted in advance to the PTO Board for approval and vote. No fundraising event by or for the benefit of the PTO shall be held without prior PTO Board approval.

9.8 Outside of budget line item funding and PTO-approved funding requests, the Treasurer has the authority to sign any check and make funds transfers between PTO accounts for any amount under $300.00 For checks/transfers that exceed $300.00, the Treasurer must have approval from the PTO President or any VP board member.

9.9 The Treasurer shall sell any stock deposited in the PTO’s stock donation account within 10 days of receiving notification of any such deposit.

9.10 Upon receipt, the Treasurer, in accordance with the PTO’s Cash Handling Procedures, shall deposit in the PTO bank account all monies received as a result of any fundraising event or activity.

9.11 In the event that a PTO member spends their own money on a PTO-related purchase, they should fill out the online reimbursement request form. The PTO/Treasurer will reimburse the member by check within 7 days of accepting the reimbursement request.

9.12 Within the first three business days following June 30, a meeting between the majority of the outgoing Board members and the majority of the incoming Board members will occur to finalize the PTO budget for the coming year.

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ARTICLE 10: PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY

10.1 The Vice President shall act as Parliamentarian/Bylaws.

10.2 Robert’s Rules of Order Revised shall govern this organization in all cases to which they are applicable and where they are not inconsistent with these bylaws, the Articles of Incorporation or applicable law.

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ARTICLE 11: AMENDMENTS

11.1 These Bylaws may be amended at any regular meeting of the PTO by a two-thirds vote of the members present and voting. A quorum of the PTO Board members must be present at the meeting. The approved bylaws will be posted to the PTO website immediately after the meeting at which they were presented.

 

Original adopted October 2003, Revised September, 2005 Reviewed 1/2010, revised September 2012, Revised January 2017, Revised March 2018, Revised Aug 2019