A.      Fostering open communication among parents, teachers, and administrators and to improve the education of our children, 

B.       Sponsoring fund-raising activities,

C.      Providing programs and enrichment for the students at Unity West Elementary School. 

A.      This organization shall neither seek to direct the activities of the school administration or control its policies.

B.       This organization shall promote awareness among parents and educators of issues basic to the education of our children.

C.      This organization will not be bound or committed to any issue, cause or other organization unless so voted by a simple majority of the membership present.

D.      Robert’s Rules of Order shall prevail in situations not already covered in the by-laws of this organization.

E.       No profits shall proceed to any officer or member of this organization.

A.     Every individual who is a member of this PTO is entitled to all benefits of such membership.

B.       Any parent, grandparent, legal guardian, or teacher of students who currently attend

      Unity West Elementary shall be eligible for membership in the organization.         

C.      All members of the organization shall be eligible to participate in the business meetings or to serve in any of its elected or appointed positions, with the exception of teachers holding an officer position.   

D.      The principal(s) shall be considered as a sitting advisor or consultant and will not have voting privileges.

A.      Regular Meetings -  General Membership Meetings will be held every month during the school year.  The dates and times of the regular meetings will be determined at the September monthly meeting.  The President shall call or cancel business meetings as necessary.  All business meeting shall be held at Unity West Elementary School unless otherwise designated.  A notice of the meeting dates and times will be posted at the school and publicized appropriately.

B.       Special Meetings -  Additional meetings of the organization may be called, either by vote of the Executive Committee or by petition of a majority of the Voting Members.  The time and place of all Special Meetings shall be announced at least 48 hours  prior to the meeting.

C.   Quorum – At all scheduled business meetings, a quorum shall exist of a simple majority of the Executive  

       Board, at least one committee Chairperson, and all Voting Members who are present.  To vote on any

       issue a quorum must be present. A quorum may be obtained by either phone or e-mail if necessary.

D.   Voting – A majority vote of the Voting Members present at any meeting shall be required for all action to

       be taken by the organization.

1.       Calling the meeting to order

2.       Secretary’s Report

3.       Treasurer’s Report

4.       Committee Reports (as needed)

5.       Old business

6.       New business

7.       Principal’s Update

A.      Positions - The officers of the organization shall consist of a President, a President-Elect, Secretary, and Treasurer.  The Executive Board shall consist of the officers, one elected parent from each grade level, one teacher representing grades K-3 and 4-6.  Teachers reps will be appointed by their peers.

B.       Officers shall be elected by ballot annually in the month of April.  However, if there is but one nominee for any office, that person will be elected by acclimation.

C.      All officers shall assume their duties at the close of school immediately following their election.  Except for the Treasurer who will receive the books after the close of the fiscal year audit.

D.      A term of office shall be defined as one year, beginning June 15 and ending on June 14 of each year.  With the exception of the offices of the President and President-Elect, a person may be elected to the same or other office for more than one term.  It is not recommended that a person serve more than two consecutive terms in the same office.  However, the board under special circumstances may waive this.  There shall be no election for the office of President, as the President-Elect shall automatically assume the position of President at the completion of his or her term.

E.        Nominating Committee -  The Nominating Committee shall be responsible for receiving all suggestions for persons to serve as officers.  The Committee shall consist of three members appointed by the Executive Board.  The Committee shall prepare a slate of officers to present for election by the membership, and shall then accept nominations from the floor.  The Committee shall contact all persons who will be nominated to confirm their willingness to serve.  The Committee shall insure that all nominees are Voting Members and otherwise eligible to serve in the office.  Parents will be made aware that all elections are open to any member as stated in Article IV, above.

F.       Selection – A majority of the votes cast by the Voting Members shall be necessary for election.  Should no person receive a majority of the votes cast, a run-off between the two (2) persons who received the largest number of votes shall immediately be held.

G.      Vacancies – Any vacancy in office because of death, resignation, removal, or inability to serve shall be filled by the Executive Committee for the unexpired portion of the term.  However, should a vacancy occur in the office of the President, the President-Elect shall immediately assume the office.  Should a vacancy occur in the office of President-Elect for any reason, the vacancy shall be filled by election at the next regular meeting of the membership, consistent with the procedures established herein.

H.      Removal – Any officer or chairperson of the UWE PTO may be removed by a two-thirds vote of the Executive Board when, in the judgment of the UWE PTO, that officer or chairperson has not performed his/her stated duties and/or when the best interests of the UWE PTO would be served thereby.

A.      President – The President shall be the principal executive officer of the organization, and subject to the control of the Executive Committee and the direction of the membership, shall in general supervise and control all of the activities of the organization.  The President shall be a member of the Executive Committee and, when present, shall preside at all meetings of the Executive Committee and meetings of the membership.  The President shall vote only in the case of a tie in a vote of the Executive Committee or the membership.  The President shall be an ex-officio member of all committees of the organization, with the exception of the Nominating Committee, which they are not a part of.

The President shall hold an organizational meeting prior to the beginning of the school year.  She/he shall draft and post an agenda prior to the monthly meetings and shall make the agenda available at that meeting. 

B.       President-Elect – The President-Elect shall be a member of the Executive Committee and, in the absence of the President, shall perform the duties of the President.  The President-Elect shall serve as Parliamentarian and timekeeper at all meetings.  The President-Elect shall chair the Membership Committee.

C.      Secretary – The Secretary shall be a member of the Executive Committee.  The Secretary shall keep the minutes of the proceedings of the membership and the Executive Committee.  In general, the secretary shall perform all duties incident to the office of Secretary and such other duties as may be assigned by the President or the Executive Committee.

D.      Treasurer – The Treasurer shall be a member of the Executive Committee.  The Treasurer shall have charge of and be responsible for all funds of the organization and shall receive and give receipts for monies due and payable to the organization from all sources and shall deposit such funds in such banks or other organizations as are selected by the Executive Committee.  The Treasurer shall make disbursements as authorized by the President, Executive Committee, or membership in accordance with the budget adopted by the membership.  The Treasurer shall present a written financial report at each General Membership Meeting of the membership and at other times as requested by the Executive Committee.

E.       Committee Chairpersons: Each committee chairperson shall conduct committee  

business consistent with Addendum A (Attached), preside over committee meetings as needed, report committee activities at monthly business meetings, and provide at the end of his/her term of office, a written report of duties and activities to the succeeding chairperson.    If the committee chairperson cannot attend a monthly business meeting, she/he must send a representative or a report. She/he shall also oversee the specific duties as stated in "Duties of Committees" (See Addendum A). Committee chairpersons shall submit to the Secretary their list of businesses that they received donations from.             

F.       Parent Reps – A parent representative will be elected from each grade level K-6. Parent reps will be liaisons between parents of their grade level and the PTO and also give input on relevant issues.

A.      Revenue – Revenue from all sources are for the purpose of fulfilling the UWE

PTO “Purpose” as stated in Article    above.  Revenue from all sources shall be held in an account bearing the name of the Unity West Elementary PTO and the authorized signers for that account shall be the Treasurer, and either the President or the Principal.  Two signatures shall be required for the withdrawal of funds from the PTO account.  If no financial transactions are made in a period of twelve consecutive months, all UWE PTO funds shall revert to the Unity West Elementary School Activity Fund.

B.       Expenditures – Following acceptance of the annual budget by a majority vote of the membership present, funds designated for committee activities shall become operating funds and may be expended by the committee chairpersons with the permission of the Executive Board provided that:

1.       Written documentation (e.g. receipts) of proposed expenditure for committee activity be submitted to the treasurer and,

2.       Sufficient funds exist in the PTO account to cover said expenditure.

C.      Reserve Funds - a minimum of $3,500 shall be allocated as a starting balance for the next fiscal year.

D.       School Wish List – Suggestions for the Wish List shall be submitted no later than October 1, and shall be submitted on a Wish List form.  Expenditure of funds for the Wish List shall be voted on no later than the October business meeting and shall require a simple majority vote of the Voting Membership present.

E.       Audit – Before the 30^th of June, the President-Elect and another member of the Executive Board shall audit financial records.  A copy shall be submitted to the Executive Board and into the Secretary’s permanent Records. (see attachment).

These by-laws may be amended at any time.  These by-laws shall be reviewed annually by a committee consisting of at least three Executive Board members and two committee chairpersons.  Proposed by-laws amendments and/or revisions shall be presented at one business meeting prior to voting.  Adoption of amendments and/or revisions shall require a two-thirds affirmative vote of the Voting members present at the business meeting when the vote takes place.  

There are to be one or more individuals, who will give the committee report during the monthly business meetings, as needed, to represent each committee.

1. FUNDS REQUEST - PTO will nominate a chairperson.  This committee will include two teachers from K-3, two teachers from 4-6 and two additional parents.  The purpose of this committee is to collect, review and prioritize all requests for funding.  Prepare a report for the PTO to be delivered at the November meeting.
2. PUBLIC RELATIONS – PTO will nominate a chairperson.  This committee will put together the phone tree, publish newsletters to parents, publish news releases to the radio and newspapers for any PTO sponsored activities, organize bulletin board updates as required.
3. BOOK FAIR – PTO will nominate a chairperson.  This committee will put together two book fairs – The first Fair to be a  Buy One-Get One Free, and the other Fair’s profits would goe back into books for the classrooms.
4. FUNDRAISING – Chair of this committee will be a member of the Executive Board and will include the Treasurer.   This committee will implement the Fall Fundraiser from start to finish.  This will include the kick-off of the sale to the final collection of funds.
5. ACCELERATED READER – PTO will nominate a chairperson.  Chairperson will coordinate the Accelerated Reader program and oversee subcommittees for:  Rewards, Book Needs, Friends of the Library and End of Year Rewards.
6. PLAYGROUND – PTO will nominate a chairperson.  This committee should include one teacher K-3 and one 4-6 to give input on current needs from their perspective.  The Playground Committee was established to look into improvements to the playground.  Improvements shall adhere to all safety standards and be handicapped-accessible.  The committee will develop short and long term plans for improvement.   Plans will be proposed to the PTO along with requests for funding.  
7. TEACHER APPRECIATION – PTO will nominate a chairperson.  This committee coordinates the Teacher Appreciation week in May to include a luncheon and/or other appreciation events for faculty and staff
8. FAMILY FUN NIGHT – PTO will nominate a chairperson.  Chairperson will coordinate the Family Fun Night planning and oversee subcommittees for:  Raffle, Parking lot, Refreshments, Volunteers
9. END OF YEAR PARTY – PTO will nominate a chairperson.  Purpose of the committee is to propose plans for the end of the year party for the entire school.  Committee will present proposal at February board meeting along with estimated cost of event.  Committee will then be responsible for the implementation of the entire event.
10. MEMBERSHIP – Coordinates membership drive.  Keeps a list of all members and those members who have expressed interest in volunteering on different committee projects.  Provides each committee chairperson with a volunteer list for his or her respective committees.  Has a presence at Registration where most parents can sign up for committees.
11. ASSEMBLY – 4 assemblies per year, or 1 per quarter.