BYLAWS
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FOR THE 2005-2006
SCHOOL YEAR
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Parents’
Association of P.S. 101Q
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APPROVED BY
THE MEMBERSHIP ON April 26, 2006
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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,
1st
Vice President, 2nd Vice President,
3rd 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 1st
Vice President, 2nd Vice President,
3rd 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 1st
vice-president shall be one of the signatories
on all checks in the absence of Presidents (or
Co-Presidents). The 1st 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 31st
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 1st 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:
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canvassing the
membership throughout the months of February
– April for all eligible candidates
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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;
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preparing
ballots, attendance sheets, ballot box,
tally sheets and all other materials
pertaining to the election;
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determining and
verifying the eligibility of all interested
candidates, prior to the election;
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reporting the
names of previously nominated candidates
during the May general PA meetings
prior to the elections;
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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;
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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;
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notifying the
principal of the date and time of election
in writing by May 1st each school
year;
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scheduling the
election at a time that ensures maximum
participation;
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ensuring that
only eligible members receive a ballot for
voting;
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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;
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ensuring that
the election is certified by the principal
or his/her designee immediately following
the election (Refer to Article IV, Section
6);
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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:
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Written ballot
shall be used in all contested elections.
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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.
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Ballots shall
be printed with voting instructions in
English and other
languages spoken by parents in the school.
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ballots
shall be distributed once voter eligibility
has been established.
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Ballots shall be
counted immediately following the election and
in the
presence of
the members.
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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, 1st 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
1st. 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:
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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:
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) of importance that
cannot be postponed until the next general
membership meeting. The president may call a
special membership meeting with a minimum of
forty-eight (48) hours written notice to
parents stating precisely what the topic of
the meeting will be.
5.2
In addition, upon receipt of a
written request from five (5) association
members, the
president must call a special membership
meeting within five (5) working days of the
request and with forty-eight (48) hours
written notice to parents.
Section
6. Parliamentary Authority
All procedural
questions not covered by these bylaws shall be
governed by
Robert's Rules
of Order Newly Revised,
provided they are not inconsistent with
law, NYCDOE
policy, Chancellor’s regulations and these
bylaws.
Article VII - Committees
Section
1. Standing Committees
1.1 The
president will appoint standing committee
chairpersons with the
approval of the
Executive Board. Ad-hoc committees shall be
established by Executive Board approval. Only
chairpersons of the standing committees will
be allowed to vote on Executive Board issues.
The standing committees of the association are
the following: After School, Arts, Audit,
Book Fair, Budget, Bulletin, Candy Sale,
Capital Campaign, Curriculum, International
Dinner, Membership, Library and Technology.
Membership:
The membership committee shall be responsible
for encouraging parent participation, outreach
and recruitment. The Chairperson for the
Membership committee shall make every effort
to coordinate their outreach efforts and
strategies with the school’s Parent
Coordinator. The membership committee shall
also prepare a newsletter to all members which
contains, at a minimum, messages from the
principal, PA, list of Executive Board
members, all PA meeting dates, student and
parent events, school policies, PA budget and
any other material deemed appropriate by the
association. The committee shall also be
responsible for maintaining a current list of
members, which shall be available without home
addresses and telephone numbers at every
membership meeting.
Budget:
The budget committee shall be responsible for
drafting 1) a proposed budget each spring for
approval by the membership, 2) a written
review of the prior year's budget, both of
which must be presented for vote at the May
membership meeting, and 3) presenting the
budget process. (See Article VIII, Section 3.)
Audit:
The audit committee shall conduct an internal
audit or shall recommend that an external
audit of all financial affairs of the
organization be conducted based upon their
initial findings. The treasurer shall make
all books and records available to them. The
audit committee shall prepare a
written report or provide copies of the
external report to be presented to the
membership at a general membership meeting or
upon completion of their review and
investigations.
