Castleton Elementary School
Parent-Teacher Organization
By-Laws
Revised January 2016
Review Committee:
Shana Belsito
Dana Brandow
Deborah Lane
Kim Rossman
Carissa Zuniga
ARTICLE I. NAME
The name of this organization shall be the Castleton Elementary Parent-Teacher Organization.
In this document, the name shall be abbreviated to CES PTO.
ARTICLE II. OBJECTIVES
The objective of the CES PTO is to promote and enhance educational opportunities as well as social events that support the curriculum and goals of our educators for our students and their families.
ARTICLE III. POLICIES
Section 1. The purpose of this organization shall be to promote quality education through conferences, committees, projects and events.
Section 2. This organization shall be non-commercial, non-sectarian, and non-partisan. No commercial enterprise and no candidate shall be endorsed by it. Neither the name of this organization nor the names of its officers in their official capacities shall be used in connection with a commercial concern nor with any partisan interest nor for any purpose other than the regular work of the organization.
Section 3. The organization shall not seek to direct the administrative activities of the school or to control its policies.
Section 4. This organization may cooperate with other organizations and agencies active in the community.
Section 5. Whenever a member has a financial or personal interest in any matter coming up for vote, the affected person shall a) fully disclose the nature of the interest and b) withdraw from discussion, lobbying, and voting on the matter. Any transaction or vote involving a potential conflict of interest shall be approved only when a majority of disinterested members determine that it is in the best interest of the CES PTO to do so. The minutes of meetings at which such votes are taken shall record such disclosure, abstention and rationale for approval.
ARTICLE IV. MEMBERSHIP
All parents, teachers and staff of the Castleton Elementary School are automatically considered members. Any other persons of the community who choose to become members may do so by request.
ARTICLE V. OFFICERS AND THEIR ELECTION
Section 1. The Officers of this organization shall be a President, Vice President, Corresponding Secretary, Recording Secretary and Treasurer. Two people may be nominated to a position in order to share the responsibilities (ie Co-Presidents). Officers shall serve a term of one year and shall remain in office until their successors are elected and installed. A Past President may be designated at the discretion of the President (the office must be vacant). A vacancy occurring in an office shall be filled by an election at the next regular meeting, due notice of such election having been given. If a vacancy shall occur in the Presidency, the Vice President shall temporarily fill the position. No officer shall be eligible to hold the same office for more than two consecutive terms. The term limit may be exceeded if there are no other candidates nominated and there is a majority vote by all present at the meeting at which the election is held.
An officer may switch roles, but is limited to four consecutive terms in total. If an officer has held a board position for 4 consecutive terms, they must take a year hiatus before returning to a position on the board.
Section 2. Nominations for officers shall be made by any CES PTO member to the CES PTO officers. The election shall take place at the last scheduled meeting of the spring, prior to the installation of officers. Nominations from the floor are in order provided that consent of each candidate has been obtained before his or her name is placed in nomination. Candidates for office shall not be prohibited from voting.
ARTICLE VI. DUTIES OF OFFICERS
Section 1. The President shall preside at all meetings of the organization and of the Executive Committee; shall be a member ex-officio of all committees and shall perform all other duties usually pertaining to the office.
Section 2. The Vice President shall act as an aid to the President and shall perform the duties of the President, in their respective order, in the absence of the President. The Vice President is also responsible for completing a Building Use Form (BUF) a month prior to an event.
Section 3. The Corresponding Secretary shall conduct the correspondence of the organization under the direction of the President; shall maintain a database of e-mail addresses, send notices of meetings and events as required and update the website, Twitter and Facebook page as necessary.
Section 4. The Recording Secretary shall record the minutes of all meetings of the organization and of the executive committee; shall maintain a permanent file of the minutes, committee reports, and other necessary records pertaining to the work of the organization; shall keep a copy of the by-laws.
Section 5. The Treasurer shall receive all monies of the organization, keep an accurate record of receipts and expenditures, and will make disbursement only upon receipt of written vouchers approved by the appropriate committee chair.
The Treasurer shall present a statement of account at every general meeting and at other times when requested by the Executive Committee, and shall present a full annual audited account of the previous year no later than the second meeting of the year.
A newly elected Treasurer is required to listen to a video by the IRS on how to stay tax exempt
(https://stayexempt.irs.gov) and read NYS Publication 843 regarding sales tax.
The Treasurer shall file and report any information and appropriate forms (990/990EZ/990NT) required to the Internal Revenue Service every year and NYS sales tax.
At year end, the Treasurer is responsible for having the yearly financials audited by an independent third party before transferring the financials to a newly elected Treasurer.
Section 6. The board shares responsibility for recruiting and maintaining a list of all event and fundraiser chairpersons. The bulletin board across from the cafeteria should be periodically changed and updated.
Section 7. All outgoing officers relinquishing their positions shall provide adequate guidance to their succeeding replacement.
ARTICLE VII. MEETINGS
Section 1. Regular meetings of this organization shall be held at least 5 times per year and shall be scheduled in advance by the Executive Committee. Special meetings may also be called as needed by the Executive Committee.
Section 2. Seven members shall constitute a quorum, and a majority of those present will rule.
Section 3. No member of the Executive Committee shall miss three consecutive meetings.
Section 4. Any expenditure or disbursement of funds over the amount of $200.00 shall require a majority vote by those present at the organization’s meeting. Amounts less than and including $200.00 can be decided by the Executive Committee. Any expenditure outside of or in excess of pre-approved budget line items, regardless of amount, requires approval by the Executive Committee. Any proposals or requests for funding in excess of $200 should be presented to the board at least 2 weeks prior to a meeting where a vote may take place, so that the agenda can reflect the need for the vote.
Section 5. Any expenditures or items for reimbursement must be submitted (with receipt or purchase order) to the Treasurer within two weeks of event date.
ARTICLE VIII. COMMITTEES
Section 1. The Executive Committee shall consist of the officers, the principal of the Castleton Elementary School, and a teacher representative. The Past President may be considered part of the Executive Committee. The members of the Executive Committee shall serve until their successors are elected and/or appointed and installed. The Executive Committee shall meet as needed, at least annually. Four members shall constitute a quorum. A majority of those present shall rule. Special meetings of the Executive Committee may be called by the President with 48 hours notice.
The duties of the Executive Committee shall be:
a. To transact necessary business in the interval between organization meetings, and such other business as may be referred to it by the organization
b. To establish a yearly schedule of general meeting dates, and to establish an agenda for each of these meetings to be distributed in advance
c. To create such Committees as deemed necessary to promote the objectives of the organization and to carry on the work of the organization
d. To approve the plans of work of the committees
e. To present a report at regular organization meetings
f. To review and accept the annual Treasury Audit
g. To review periodically actual bank statements presented by the Treasurer
h. To approve, by majority vote, any expenditures or disbursement of funds under and including the amount of $200.00
Section 2. No committees shall be formed except by approval of the Executive Committee; no committee work shall be undertaken without the approval of the Executive Committee. It is understood that working sub-committees may be created by an approved Committee in order to achieve the objectives of the Committee.
Section 3. The Executive Committee will annually appoint an Auditor to examine the Treasury accounts to allow the Treasurer to report to the general membership (Article VI, Section 5) by the second meeting of the succeeding year.
Section 4. Other special committees may be created by the Executive Committee or by the organization with approval by the Executive Committee.
ARTICLE IX. DISSOLUTION OF THE ORGANIZATION
Said organization is organized exclusively for charitable, religious, educational, and scientific purposes, including, for such purposes, the making of distributions to organizations that qualify as exempt organizations described under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code.
Upon dissolution of the organization, assets after all obligations have been satisfied, will be donated to The Schodack Central School District for educational and recreational purposes if they qualify to receive such transfer. If not, the remaining assets shall be distributed for one or more exempt purposes within the meaning of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code, or shall be distributed to the federal government, or to a state or local government, for a public purpose. Any such assets not disposed of shall be disposed of by a court of competent jurisdiction in the county in which the principal office of the organization is then located, exclusively for such purposes or to such organization or organizations, or organizations, as said Court shall determine, which are organized and operated exclusively for such purposes.
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ARTICLE X. NON-INUREMENT
No part of the net earnings of the organization shall inure to the benefit of, or be distributed to, its members, trustees, officers or other private persons, except that the organization shall be authorized and empowered to pay reasonable compensation for services rendered, and to make payments and distribution in furtherance of the objectives of the organization.
ARTICLE XI. AMENDMENTS
The by-laws may be amended at any regular meeting of the organization by two-thirds vote of the members present and voting, provided that notice of the proposed amendments shall be given at a previous meeting or that a copy of the proposed amendment has been sent to each member entitled to vote at least five days prior to the vote.
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