BYLAWS

FOR THE

2005-2006 SCHOOL YEAR

OF

 

Parents’ Association of P.S. 101Q

   

APPROVED BY THE MEMBERSHIP ON April 26, 2006

 

 

 

                                                 Article I - Name

 

The name of the association shall be: The Parents’ Association of P.S.101Q of P.S.101Q, Community School District 28, Region 3, located at 2 Russell Place, Forest Hills, N.Y., 11375

 

 

Article II - Objectives

 

1.   To provide support and resources to the school for the benefit and educational growth of all        the children

 

2.   To promote and help develop a cooperative working relationship between the parents and staff of our school

 

3.   To develop parent leadership and build capacity for greater involvement

 

4.   To foster and encourage parent participation on all levels

 

5.   To provide opportunities and training for parents to participate in school governance and  

      decision-making

 

 

Article III - Membership

 

Section 1.         Eligibility

 

Membership in the association shall be limited to parents (by birth or adoption), step parent(s), legally appointed guardians, foster parent, or persons in parental relation to students currently attending P.S.101Q.  Membership is automatically extended to all parents (by birth or adoption), step parent(s), legally appointed guardians, foster parent, or persons in parental relation to students currently attending P.S.101Q.  No membership form is necessary. In the beginning of each school year, a welcome letter from the association shall inform parents of their automatic membership status and voting rights.

 

Section 2.        Donations

 

Donations are not a requirement for membership, voting or running for office.

Donations are solicited during the school year on a voluntary basis.

 

Section 3.         Voting Privileges:

 

Each parent of a child/children currently enrolled at P.S.101Q shall be entitled to one vote.  Proxy voting or absentee balloting is prohibited.

 

Article IV - Officers

 

Section 1.        Titles

 

The officers of the association shall be: President or Co-Presidents,

1^st Vice President, 2^nd Vice President, 3^rd Vice President, Communications

Secretary or Co-Communications Secretary, Recording Secretary or

Co-Recording Secretary, Treasurer or Co-Treasurer.

 

                                    The association must elect the mandatory core officers (President, Secretary and Treasurer) in order to be a functioning PA. In the event that no eligible parent member is interested in running for any of the sole officer positions, the association may take nominations for Co-Officer positions of Co-Presidents, Co-Communications Secretary, Co-Recording Secretary and Co-Treasurer.  Co-Officer positions must assume the duties as outlined below.  The term of office for Co-Officer positions shall be for one year as outlined below.

 

Section 2.        Term of Office and Term Limits

 

The term of office shall be from July 1st through June 30th. Officers shall be elected by the second Friday in June for a one-year term beginning July 1.  Eligibility for office is limited to parents (by birth or adoption), step parent(s), legally appointed guardians, foster parent, or persons in parental relation to students, who are not employed at P.S.101Q.  Term limits for each officer position for the association shall be two consecutive one-year terms.  The candidate may be elected to serve in a third term provided no other interested candidate is nominated and willing to serve.

 

 

Section 3.        Duties of Officers

 

3.1  President or Co-Presidents:  The president or co-presidents shall preside at all meetings of the association and shall be an ex-officio member of all committees except the nominating committee.  The president or co-presidents shall provide leadership for its members.  The president or co-presidents shall appoint chairpersons of PA committees with the approval of the Executive Board.  The president or co-presidents shall delegate responsibilities to other PA members and shall encourage meaningful participation in all parent and school activities.  The president or designated co-president (see bylaws provision below) shall attend all regular meetings of the region/district Presidents’ Council and shall be a core member of the School Leadership Team. In the event that the association elects co-presidents, the remaining executive board members in consultation with the association will determine which co-president will serve as the core member on the School Leadership Team and which co-president will serve as the school’s representative to the region/district Presidents’ Council. The president or either of the co-presidents or his/her designee shall represent the PA on region/district committees. 

 

The president or co-presidents shall meet regularly with the Executive Board   members in accordance with these bylaws to plan the agendas for the general membership meetings. 

  

The president or co-presidents shall be one of the signatories on checks. The president or co-presidents shall assist with the June transfer of PA records to the incoming Executive Board.

 

 

3.2  1^st Vice President, 2^nd Vice President, 3^rd Vice President:  The Vice-Presidents shall assist the president (or co-presidents) and shall assume the president's or co-presidents’ duties in his/her or their absence or at the president’s or co-presidents’ request; the 1^st vice-president shall be one of the signatories on all checks in the absence of Presidents (or Co-Presidents).  The 1^st Vice President is first in succession order and shall assume responsibilities of President only in the instance of the President or both Co-Presidents officer position(s) being vacant, due to resignation or removal from office. The Vice-Presidents shall assist with the June transfer of PA records to the incoming Executive Board.

 

3.3  Recording Secretary or Co-Recording Secretary:  The Secretary shall maintain the official record (minutes) of the proceedings and actions of all association meetings.  Completed minutes are to be given to the President or Co-presidents for approval by the Executive Board within 48 hours, before further distribution.  Minutes are to be distributed to the PA Membership within 7 days of the PA Meeting through the students. Minutes shall be posted on the PA bulletin board, PA website and available in the PA office. Any changes and addendums shall occur at the next PA Meeting.  The Secretary shall make copies of the minutes available upon request.  He/she shall maintain custody of the association’s records on school premises.  The Secretary shall assist with the June transfer of all PA records to the incoming Executive Board. 

 

3.4  Communications Secretary or Co-Communications Secretary:

The Secretary’s responsibilities shall include the preparation of notices, agendas, sign-in sheets and materials distributed.  The secretary shall be responsible for reviewing, maintaining and responding to all correspondence addressed to the association. He/she shall maintain custody of the association’s records on school premises. 

 

The Secretary shall sign and incorporate all amendments into the bylaws and shall ensure that signed copies of the PA bylaws with the latest amendments are on file in the principal’s office and the PA office.

 

The Secretary shall assist with the June transfer of all PA records to the incoming Executive Board.

 

3.5  Treasurer or Co-Treasurer: The Treasurer shall be responsible for all financial affairs and funds of the association. The Treasurer shall be responsible for maintaining an updated record of all income and expenditures on school premises and shall be one of the signatories on checks.  The Treasurer shall also be responsible for maintaining an updated financial record on the PA computer located in the PA office. The Treasurer shall adhere to and implement all financial procedures established by the association. The Treasurer shall be prepared to present and provide copies of financial reports at all association meetings.  The Treasurer shall also prepare and provide the January 31^st interim and June annual financial accounting reports. He/she shall make available all books or financial records for viewing by members upon request and for audit.  The Treasurer shall prepare all financial records and assist with the June transfer of all PA records to the incoming Executive Board.

 

3.6  School Leadership Team Membership:  The President or designated Co-President of the PA shall automatically serve as a core member of the School Leadership Team. (In the event that the association elects co-presidents, refer to Article IV, Section 3.1 of the association’s bylaws.) All other parent member representatives shall be elected by the general membership.  In the event that the PA President or Co-President is not able to attend an SLT meeting, he or she may designate another PA Executive Board Officer to attend and represent the PA at the meeting.

 

 

 

Section 4.        Election of Officers

 

The yearly election of officers of the association must be held in the spring. The election must be completed between the fourth Monday in May and the second Friday in June.  Any timeline established by the PA to complete the nominations and election process must adhere to this timeframe.  The principal must be notified in writing of the date and time of the election by May 1^st of each school year.

 

4.1        Nominating Committee:  A nominating committee may be established during the February general membership meeting.  If a nominating committee can be established, committee shall consist of three to five (3-5) members.  The majority of the members of the committee must come from the general membership.  The remaining members of the nominating committee shall be selected by the President; subject to the approval of the Executive Board. The nominating committee shall choose one of its members to serve as chairperson.  No person employed at P.S.101Q shall be eligible to serve on the nominating committee.

 

                                    Members of the nominating committee are not eligible to run for office.  An eligible member of the nominating committee may be considered as a candidate if she/he immediately resigns from the nominating committee in writing.

 

                                    The nominating committee shall seek out the membership in writing, in English and other languages as appropriate, for recommendations of candidates for all offices.  The nominating committee will also be responsible for conducting the election process.  This includes the following:

• canvassing the membership throughout the months of February – April for all eligible candidates

• preparing and distributing all notices at least ten (10) calendar days in advance of any meeting(s) pertaining to the nominations and election process in English and other languages spoken by parents in the school;

• preparing ballots, attendance sheets, ballot box, tally sheets and all other materials pertaining to the election;

• determining and verifying the eligibility of all interested candidates, prior to the election;

• reporting the names of previously nominated candidates during the May general PA meetings prior to the elections;

• ensuring that an opportunity is provided to all members allowing for nominations (this includes self-nomination) to be taken from the floor and then officially closed during the May meeting;

• sending a reminder meeting notice which includes the names of all eligible candidates and the officer positions they are seeking to the membership at least two (2) weeks prior to the spring election meeting;

• notifying the principal of the date and time of election in writing by May 1^st each school year;

• scheduling the election at a time that ensures maximum participation;

• ensuring that only eligible members receive a ballot for voting;

• completing the spring election during the period of time between the fourth Monday in May and the second Friday in June of each school year;

• ensuring that the election is certified by the principal or his/her designee immediately following the election (Refer to Article IV, Section 6);

• maintaining on file (on school premises) the ballots from any contested election for a period of six months or until a determination of any grievance filed, whichever is longer.

If a nominating committee is not/can not be formed by the end of March, the executive board must communicate that the nominations and election process outlined above will proceed under the direction of at least two members of the association who are not running for office.  These members will be selected to serve in this role by vote of the general membership at the March general membership meeting.  They will perform the responsibilities and adhere to the timeframe outlined in this section of the bylaws.  They may also seek assistance in conducting nominations and the election from the appropriate region/district presidents’ council and/or the principal or his/her designee and/or the district or regional superintendent or his/her designee.

 

If at least two members of the association who are not running for office are not/can not be identified to conduct the nominations and election process, an expedited nominations and election process as outlined in Chancellor’s Regulation A-660 will be conducted by the appropriate region/district presidents’ council and/or the district or regional superintendent or his/her representative by no later than the second Friday in June.

 

4.2      Notices:  The meeting notice and agenda for the spring general membership election meeting shall be distributed not less than ten (10) calendar days prior to the date.  All meeting notices and agendas shall be available in English and translated, whenever possible. The distribution date shall appear on all notices.  It shall list all candidates in alphabetical order by surname under the office for which they were nominated.

 

4.3      Voting Requirements:  There shall be one vote per member for the child/children currently attending ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­P.S.101Q. Voting by proxy or absentee ballot is prohibited.

 

4.4      Contested Elections and Use of Ballot:

 

• Written ballot shall be used in all contested elections.

• Names of candidates shall appear on the ballot in alphabetical order by surname under the title of the office(s) for which they were nominated.  Names of candidates for the positions of co-presidents must be listed as a team.

• Ballots shall be printed with voting instructions in English and other languages spoken by parents in the school.

• ballots shall be distributed once voter eligibility has been established.

¨   Ballots shall be counted immediately following the election and in the

    presence of the members.

¨   Ballots shall be retained for six months by the chairperson of the

nominating committee or if there is no nominating committee, by an officer.  If he/she will no longer be an eligible member after June 30, the ballots shall be turned over to the incoming Secretary.

                          

4.5      Uncontested Elections:

 

In uncontested elections, members may vote by show of hands or by acclamation to accept the slate of incoming officers. 

 

Section 5.        June Transfer of Records

 

The outgoing PA Executive Board shall arrange for the orderly transfer of records and information of the PA, which shall include an overview of all PA transactions for the school year, to the incoming Executive Board.   The newly elected officer positions of President or Co-Presidents, 1^st Vice President, Treasurer or Co-Treasurer shall complete bank signatory cards for the checking account of the PA of PS101 for an effective date of July 1^st. At least two meetings will be scheduled during the month of June for this purpose.  Any member of the Executive Board may request the assistance of the district or region presidents’ council during this process.

 

 

Section 6.        Certification of the Election

 

The results of the election shall be announced by the chairperson of the nominating committee or by a member selected to conduct the nominations and election process. 

 

Section 7.        Vacancies

 

All mandatory officer vacancies must be filled by succession of the next highest-ranking officer. For example, a vacancy in the position of President will be filled by the Vice-President(s) or next highest-ranking officer.  In the event that the core mandatory offices (President, Secretary and Treasurer) cannot be filled through succession, a special expedited election must be held to fill those vacancies.  Officers who wish to resign their positions once an election has been certified, must do so in writing to the secretary, and, at that time, shall turn over all records to the secretary.  In the event of the resignation of the secretary, he/she must transfer records to the president or co-presidents.

 

Section 8.        Special Expedited Election Process

 

Special Expedited elections shall be held to fill vacancies in the mandatory officer positions (President, Secretary and Treasurer) in the event they cannot be filled through succession.  The Executive Board shall be responsible for announcing vacancies in any or all of the core mandatory officer positions.  The PA shall be required to fill the vacancy within fourteen (14) calendar days, not to include days that the school is closed due to holidays. Notice of any vacancies and the process for an expedited election must be communicated to the general membership with at least ten (10) calendar days prior to holding a special election to fill the vacancy.  The Expedited Election Process may be done within one meeting where nominations will be taken from the floor and voting will be held once nominations are completed.  When an election is contested, voting will be by ballot.  When there is only one candidate for each office there still must be a vote of the membership either by show of hands or acclamation.

 

 

Section 9.        Disciplinary Action

 

Any officer who fails to attend three (3) consecutive Executive Board meetings shall be removed from office by recommendation of the Executive Board or motion from a member and two-thirds vote of the membership present. The officer shall be given the opportunity to submit in writing an explanation showing good cause, which explains his/her reason for not attending these meetings for the Board’s consideration. 

 

In other instances where an elected officer(s) of the association has been accused of being derelict and/or neglectful in his/her duties, an officer(s) may be removed only after:

• A motion is presented by any PA member during any meeting of the PA assembly to appoint a review committee.  The motion must be approved by majority vote of the general membership present.

• The majority of the review committee must be comprised from the general membership.  Executive Board members against whom charges are being contemplated may not serve on the review committee.

• The review committee must investigate, examine and obtain all relevant documents, interview all pertinent witnesses, etc., in order to conduct their fact-finding review.  All pertinent facts and information must be considered by the committee.  The officer(s) against whom charges are being contemplated has the right to present relevant facts, documents and/or witnesses.

• The committee must present its findings and recommendations during a general membership meeting within a period not to exceed sixty (60) calendar days from the date of the establishment of the review committee.    

• The association’s notice and agenda must cite that a vote will be taken by the membership regarding disciplinary action. The general membership shall then vote to remove or absolve the officer(s).

 

Article V - Executive Board

 

Section 1.        Composition

 

The Executive Board shall be composed of the elected officers of the association (and chairpersons of standing committees).  Persons employed at P.S.101Q or Community District Education Council (CDEC) members in District #28, Region #3, shall be ineligible to serve as an elected officer of the association.  Officers shall be expected to attend all Executive Board meetings and shall be subject to removal under Article IV, Section 9 unless a good and valid reason is rendered in writing.

 

Section 2.        Meetings

 

Regularly scheduled meetings of the Executive Board shall be held weekly, September through June, day and time to be decided annually in September.  If a regularly scheduled meeting falls on a legal or religious holiday, the meeting shall be held on the following or previous day.  

 

Section 3.        Voting

 

Each member of the Executive Board shall be entitled to one vote.

 

Section 4.        Quorum

 

A majority of the members of the Executive Board shall constitute a quorum, allowing for official business to be transacted.

 

 

Article VI - Meetings

 

Section 1.        General Membership Meetings

 

1.1       The general membership meetings of the association shall be held each month from September through June, to be determined annually in September by a vote of the general membership. The day of the week chosen should not conflict with the NYCDOE calendar for the Community District Education Council (CDEC) monthly meetings. If a regularly scheduled meeting falls on a legal or religious holiday, the meeting shall be held on the following or previous day or week to be determined by the Executive Board. Once determined the PA general membership meeting schedule for the school year will be posted on the PA bulletin board, PA website and sent home through the students. Written notice of each membership meeting shall be distributed in all applicable languages, where possible. A ten (10) calendar day notice shall be required prior to the scheduled meeting.  The date of distribution shall appear on all notices.

 

1.2        All eligible members may attend and participate during general membership meetings and may speak to agenda items subject to restriction in these bylaws.

 

1.3        Observers may speak and otherwise participate, if acknowledged by the chair.

 

 

Section 2.        Order of Business

 

The order of business at meetings of the association, unless changed by the Executive Board shall be:

 

• Call to Order

• Reading and Approval of Minutes

• President’s Report

• Treasurer’s Report

• Principal’s Report

• School Leadership Team Report

• Committee Reports

• Old Business

• New Business

• Adjournment

Section 3.        Quorum

 

A majority of the members of the Executive Board shall constitute a quorum, allowing for official business of the association to be conducted.

 

 

Section 4.        Minutes

 

Minutes of the previous general or special membership meeting shall be available in written form and read for approval at the next general membership meeting. The minutes must be made available upon request to any member. 

 

Section 5.        Special Membership Meetings

 

5.1        A special membership meeting shall be called to deal with a matter(s)