PLAY BY THE RULES: PTA BYLAWS AND STANDING RULES - PowerPoint Presentation

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PLAY BY THE RULES: PTA BYLAWS AND STANDING RULES Presented By Sarah Martin Wake County PTA Council

Bylaws

Standing Rules

Code of EthicsSlide2

AAAAAAAAAARGH!!!!!!WHY SO MANY RULES?????WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN????

DO WE REALLY HAVE TO???Slide3

BYLAWSSlide4

WHAT ARE BYLAWS?Defines primary characteristics of organizationHow it functionsContains….Legal name of organizationPurposes

Members

Officers and duties

Committees

Parliamentary Authority

Must be approved by 2/3 majority vote

Based on federal & state laws, IRS code

All PTA Units in the state of NC use Uniform Bylaws.

Copies are available at www.ncpta.org (search “uniform bylaws” in the search box)Slide5

PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITYRobert’s Rules of Order, Newly RevisedCopy maintained by Recording SecretaryAvailable at all meetingsLegitimate PTA expense

Parliamentary Procedure at a Glance

Parliamentary GlossarySlide6

ROBERT’S RULESRobert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised, National and State Uniform PTA unit bylaws prohibit voting by proxy (Section 8.7)Can we hold electronic meetings for the general membership, board of directors, or committees?Section 8.6 of the Uniform Bylaws does allow for meetings to be held by telephone or electronic conference system that allows all partiipating members to simultaneously hear and speak to each other during the meeting. They may be used only when such arrangements are available for all members to use. A committee member participating in this type of meeting is deemed to be present at the meeting.

Can our PTA vote via email?

NO. When voting, a quorum must be established. It is impossible to allow members to simultaneously hear and speak to each other during the meeting if the meeting is being held via email.Slide7

ESTABLISHING QUORUMIn order for business to be accomplished during a meeting, a quorum must be established.Quorum requirements vary based on the type of meeting:General Membership meetings require either 20 members or 50% of the membership of the local PTA, whichever number is less. (Section 9.3)Board of Director meetings require a simple majority of filled positions on the Board for quorum establishment. (Sectio9n 7.5)

Committee meetings require a simple majority of the members of the committee. (Section 8.8)

Documentation of quorum establishment should be recorded in meeting minutes.Slide8

OFFICERSCo-officers are NOT recognized by the National PTA, NC PTA, or Robert’s Rules of OrderDo you ever see co-CEOs of a business?Why not?Only one person can be elected to serve in any one office. Alternate solution: First Vice President

There is only ONE VOTE per elected office.

The President does not vote unless as a tiebreaker

What about vacancies in offices? Refer to Uniform Bylaws section 6.4.Slide9

NOMINATING COMMITTEEMost important committee – charged with finding/choosing future leadersMust have an uneven number of members

(3,5, etc.) with at least two current board members and at least one local unit member who does not serve on the current PTA board.

The board of directors shall elect the chairs and the members of the Nominating Committee. Members of the committee can be removed by action of the majority of directors then serving at any meeting of the board upon 5 days notice to the board of such proposed action.

The President and the Principal may

not

serve on this committee!

You may wish to view the NCPTA webinar on nominating committees for more information. See

www.ncpta.org

for archived webinars.Slide10

AUDIT COMMITTEEStanding committee of all PTA units, as described in Section 8.2 and in Article 11 of the uniform bylaws: (1) Monthly financial reviews, (2) Financial reviews when a financial officer leaves office, and (3) Annual financial reviewsMust have at least 3 members

The board of directors shall elect the chairs and the members of the Audit Committee. Members of the committee can be removed by action of the majority of directors then serving at any meeting of the board upon 5 days notice to the board of such proposed action.

Individuals with check signing authority and their family members may

not

serve on this committee! Byalws also state that the outgoing and incoming treasurers are barred from membership in this committee.

You may wish to view the NCPTA webinar on audit and financial review committees for more information. See

www.ncpta.org

for archived webinars.Slide11

ALL PAYMENTS BY CHECKAs outlined in Section 11.5 of the Uniform Bylaws, all bills shall be paid by check.Checks must be signed by 2 or not more than 4 officers authorized by the Board of Directors to be check signersCheck signers must not be related to each other

At least one of the authorized signers shall be the Treasurer.

The signing of blank checks is prohibited.Slide12

DUESTotal dues per member are set at the unit level to include the following:National PTA dues of $2.25 per member +NCPTA dues of $1.75 per member +Local portion of dues.The local PTA unit dues are set

for the coming fiscal year

at the last general membership meeting of the each fiscal year and may not be changed during the year.

Dues for both National PTA and NCPTA should be remitted to NCPTA by the 15

th

of each month.Slide13

HOW CAN BYLAWS BE CHANGED?Article 15 of the Uniform bylaws states that only the NCPTA board of directors may make amendments to the local bylaws.However, the local units are given tremendous flexibility and control of the adoption and amendment of standing rules.Slide14

STANDING RULESSlide15

WHAT ARE STANDING RULES?Rules that relate to details of administration of an organization –operating standards for your board onlyGuide the executive committee and executive board in their day-to-day operations & activitiesAdopted without previous notice and by majority vote of the executive boardMay be rescinded and amended without notice

NOT voted on by the general membershipSlide16

BYLAWS vs. STANDING RULESBylaws are your organization’s legal authority Provides the rules of your organizationThink of it as a contract between the members and the organization.Voted on by the General MembershipRules of order and parliamentary procedure designated by bylaws – Robert’s RulesStanding RulesDo not govern the entire organizationGovern the daily operations of the board

Organization’s policies and proceduresSlide17

WHAT’S INCLUDED IN STANDING RULES?The Order of BusinessOutline for MinutesJob Descriptions of each Elected OfficerDescribes who presides in absence of presidentOutlines basic administrative responsibilities

Outlines Board member responsibilities

Description of each Standing Committee

Should include Code of Ethics Statement

Should include all policies and procedures

May include an organizational chartSlide18

RECOMMENDED ATTACHMENTS IN SUPPORT OF STANDING RULESPTA Vision, Mission and ValuesUnit BylawsGuidelines for PTA LeadershipNational PTA Standards for Family-School PartnershipsWCPSS Board Policy for Parent and Family Involvement (policy #2541)Slide19

SAMPLE POLICIES & PROCEDURES TO INCLUDE WITH STANDING RULESMoney Management PolicyRecords Retention PolicyConflict of Interest PolicyFundraising PolicyGuidelines for Reimbursement

Budget Tracking Guidelines

Year-End Report Guidelines

Nominating Committee Guidelines

Financial Review (formerly audit) preparation guidelines, procedures, checklist and report formSlide20

FORMS ASSOCIATED WITH DOING BUSINESSCheck Request FormFunds Received FormCommittee Budget Data SheetYear-End Report Guidelines and FormSlate of Officers Form

Membership Form

Volunteer Sign-up Form

Teacher Mini-Grant FormSlide21

CODE OF ETHICS and CONFLICT OF INTEREST Slide22

SETTING UP A POLICYCode of Ethics or Code of Conduct Policy essential to the integrity of your PTA and boardPersonal conduct of board members directly affects the image and effectiveness of the PTAWritten as an agreementEach board member expected to read and sign in agreementNew agreement at beginning of each fiscal year (each July)

Board may make additions or revisions to the policy at any scheduled meeting as part of review of Standing RulesSlide23

SAMPLE Code of Ethics PolicyFrom www.ncpta.org Leadership Tools

Members of the PTA Board of Directors shall:

Read, understand, and follow all provisions of the Uniform PTA Bylaws;

Be respectful to fellow board members;

Attend and actively participate in PTA board meetings;

Advocate for the mission and vision of PTA and share this mission and vision with others;

At all times act in the best interest of this local PTA and follow the provisions of the adopted conflicts of interest policy;

Seek personal leadership development experiences.

I commit and agree to the above Board service provisions:

_______________PTA Board Member

_______________DateSlide24

SAMPLE Conflict of Interest PolicyFrom www.ncpta.org Leadership ToolsMembers of the PTA Board of Directors shall:

Article 1 – Purpose

Article 2 – Definitions

Article 3 - Procedures

I commit and agree to the above Board service provisions:

_______________PTA Board Member

_______________DateSlide25

QUESTIONS?Sarah Martinsbmmom@gmail.com