WAUKEE PARENT-TEACHER ORGANIZATION BY-LAWS
ARTICLE I: NAME
The name of this organization is the Waukee Parent-Teacher Organization. It is a local organization with no official association with any other organization. It shall be referred to as the Waukee PTO.
ARTICLE II: ARTICLES OF ORGANIZATION
The name of the organization is the Waukee Parent-Teacher Organization. The organization encompasses the entire Waukee School District, and its principal office is Waukee Central Administration, 560 SE University, Waukee, Iowa 50263.
Schools within the Waukee School District that have a functioning PTO with a slate of officers and standing committees shall be recognized as affiliates of the Waukee District PTO. Affiliate PTO’s shall be recognized as non-profit organization under the 501(c)3 of the District PTO.
No part of the net earnings of the organization shall be used to the benefit of, or be distributable to, its member, officers or other persons, except to make payments in furtherance of the purposes set forth in Paragraph 2. The organization shall not participate or intervene in any political campaign or attempt to influence legislation. Notwithstanding any other provision of these articles, the organization shall not carry on any activities not permitted by an organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
Upon dissolution of the organization, its assets shall be equally divided among the Waukee Schools (entrusted to the Waukee School Principals) to be used for one or more of the exempt purposes within the meaning of section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
The Documents governing this organization shall be the Articles of Organization, these by-laws and any amendments thereto.
ARTICLE III: OBJECTIVES
The objectives of the Waukee PTO are:
1. To encourage communication and involvement among parents, teachers, support staff, and students.
a. To provide additional resources and support for student and staff activities.
b. To support projects which will benefit students in the home, in the community, and the school.
c. To foster a spirit of cooperation between parents and teachers to assist in and enhance the student’s education.
d. To facilitate and encourage good relations between the Waukee PTO and the community.
ARTICLE IV: POLICIES
1. This organization shall be noncommercial, nonsectarian and nonpartisan. No commercial enterprise or candidate shall be endorsed. Neither the name of the organization nor the names of its members in any official capacity shall be used in any commercial or partisan concern or for any purpose not directly connected to the objectives of the organization.
2. This organization shall work with the schools to provide quality education for all students, and shall seek to be informed of the state and local decision-making process establishing school policy, while recognizing that the legal responsibility to make decisions has been delegated by the people to the School Board.
3. This organization may cooperate with other agencies concerned with student welfare, but representatives of this organization shall make no commitments that bind the organization.
4. We will not consider donations to individuals or groups of individuals who are asked as an honor or selected to attend an event.
ARTICLE V: MEMBERSHIP
Section 1: Voting Membership
1. All District PTO Board Officers and Building PTO Officers must read and sign a current copy of the PTO by-laws before acquiring voting rights. Only District and building PTO board officers shall be eligible to vote in the business meetings or to serve in any elective or appointive positions.
Section 2: General Membership
1. Members of this organization are parents/guardians of a Waukee School student or staff members in the Waukee School District who subscribe to the objectives of this organization and who are willing to abide by its policies. No membership dues are collected.
ARTICLE VI: BOARD OFFICERS
Section 1. Election of Officers:
a. The officers of this organization shall consist of a District President, a District Past President, Building Vice Presidents, a District Secretary, a District Treasurer, and Chairpersons of District Standing Committees and shall be known as the District Executive Committee.
b. The Building level Executive Committee consists of VP, Secretary, Treasurer and other committee chairs and members as appointed by the VP(s) and Principal of that school.
c. District Officers shall be elected by slate vote or ballot vote in the spring.
d. District and Building Officers’ terms will be from August 1 to July 31 each year. The District Treasurer’s and Building Treasurer’s term will continue until the allocations of funds from the school year have been completed. Disbursement of funds shall be completed by July 1st. The District Treasurer and Building Treasurer shall also retain responsibilities for financial records until the end of the fiscal year.
e. A term of office is one year. The board will attempt to provide co-positions when possible to assume a “shadow” role for a smooth transition when changing members.
f. The position of District President must be filled by a current or past District PTO Board member. The position of Building VP must be filled by a current or past District or Building PTO Board Member. In the event that a person is seeking to be a Co-VP and does not fulfill the above requirement, the other Co-VP must be a current or past District or Building PTO Board Member.
Section 2. Duties of Board Officers
a. The District President shall preside at all meetings of the PTO; shall perform such other duties as assigned by the organization; shall be a member ex officio of all committees, however, may not be a member of the nominating committee; shall coordinate the work of the officers and committees of the organization in order that the objective may be promoted; and shall serve as Past President immediately following the term served.
b. The District Past President shall serve in an advisory position as a voting member of the executive committee and the Waukee PTO board. Duties of the District President shall be assumed by the District Past President in the event the District President is not able to continue.
c. The Building Vice- Presidents of each school shall coordinate the work of the committees of that school in accordance with the objectives of the organization. They will be responsible for abiding by the standing rules of order for their committees that are not part of these bylaws, but must be consistent with them. They will have all committee chairpersons from each school read and sign a copy of the standing rules. The VP, Treasurer, and the building Principal will complete the PTO Expense Budget form (Attachment A) by the September meeting and be prepared to present it to the board. A copy of the PTO Expense Budget form will be maintained by the Treasurer and will be used as a guide when disbursements are requested.
d. The District Secretary shall record and deliver the minutes of all meetings of the Organization; and shall perform other duties such as, but not inclusive to: recording attendance at each meeting, correspondence, collection and distribution of general Waukee PTO mail. Also responsible for having all board members read and sign a copy of the current by-laws and to maintain and be familiar with Robert’s Rules of Order.
e. The District Treasurer shall collect and maintain all funds of the District PTO organization as a whole and will be responsible for the high school, Prairieview and Middle School accounts. The District Treasurer shall also review and audit the financial records of the affiliate PTO’s. These duties include maintaining accurate records of receipts and disbursements in accordance with state and federal laws, preparing and filing a federal tax return, preparing a financial report for presentation at all PTO board meetings including an income statement, bank reconciliation and check register. The Treasurer is also responsible for securing an annual examination of the organizations financial records prior to the last meeting at the end of the school term, under guidance and approval of the serving President. The Treasurer shall be responsible for maintaining an updated expense reimbursement form with all expectations for reimbursement listed on the form. Checks will not be disbursed without a completed form. The Treasurer shall retain responsibilities for financial records until the end of the fiscal year.
f. The Building Treasurer shall collect and maintain funds for their specific school. The Building Treasurer only pertains to the Elementary Schools. The Treasurer shall be responsible for maintaining an updated expense reimbursement form with all expectations for reimbursement listed on the form. Checks will not be disbursed without a completed form. The Treasurer shall retain responsibilities for financial records until the end of the fiscal year.
g. The District Standing Committee’s are Membership, School Supplies and other appointed committees as needed by the District.
h. All officers shall perform the duties outlined in these by-laws and those assigned from time to time. Upon the expiration of the term of office or in the case of resignation, each officer shall turn over to the President or successor all records, books, and other materials pertaining to the office, and shall return to the Treasurer, without delay, all funds belonging to the PTO.
i. The District PTO Board shall consist of the Executive Committee and the principals of schools in the Waukee School District. The Principals will act in an advisory, non-voting capacity. The chair persons of the standing committees shall be selected by the officers of the organization to serve the term of one year.
j. The Building PTO Board shall consist of the Building Executive Committee and Principal of that specific school.
k. Duties of the District and Building Board shall be: to create standing and special committees as needed to accomplish the objectives of the organization; to transact necessary business between organization meetings; to approve the work plans of the standing and special committees; to present a report to the regular meetings of the organization; to approve an auditor to examine the treasurers accounts; to prepare and submit to the organization for adoption a budget for the year; and to approve bills within the limits of the budget.
l. Any District non-budgeted expenditures must have prior District board approval.
m. Any Building non-budgeted expenditures must have prior Building board approval.
Section 3. District Slate Committee
- The slate committee is appointed by the District President. This committee will consist of two or more district board officers. One person is to be assigned committee chair.
- The slate committee will be responsible for contacting current board officers to determine whether they wish to keep their current positions on the board for the following year, change positions, or vacate from their board level position. Once it is determined what positions, if any, are to be filled, the slate committee is responsible for finding replacements for those positions. They are responsible for giving slate information to the district secretary so notices are placed in school newspapers as well as local newspapers. All positions are to be listed and not limited to open positions. This information must go out to papers at least one month in advance of the slate vote.
- PTO members interested in being placed on the slate must contact slate members at least one week prior to the slate vote.
- The slate vote will be held in the spring at a district school or a public place to be determined by the slate committee. The vote will be held for one hour.
- Board members required to be in attendance for the slate vote include: District President, District Secretary, and Slate Committee members.
- A copy of the slate that is to be voted on must be available. Anyone wishing to vote must sign in prior to voting. A ballot box must be in place, along with voting ballots. Voters will either vote to agree or disagree with the slate. When multiple candidates are running for the same board positions, a ballot will be created for voters to select the nominee of their choice.
- Once the voting hour is over, the slate committee is responsible for taking the ballot box and counting the votes as a committee. The board must be notified within twenty-four hours as to whether the slate has been approved or not approved by a majority vote. If approved, the slate committee will notify schools of board members for the following year. Ballots and sign in sheets will be saved for one year following the slate vote.
- If the slate is not approved, the slate committee will be responsible for establishing a new slate to be voted on.
Section 4. District Finance Committee
The Finance committee includes the District President, District Treasurer, Building Treasurer and at least one Building Vice President from each school. These members are required to attend a financial meeting to agree on allocations of directory profits once yearly.
Section 5. District By-Laws Committee
The By-Laws Committee is appointed by the District President and consists of at least two or more board officers. Officers must meet to update by-laws as needed in the spring of each year.
Section 6. Vacancy and Officer Removal
Article 1. District Vacancy and Officer Removal
a. In the event of a vacancy in any District office, an appointment to fill the remainder of the term shall be made by a majority vote of the remaining members of the District PTO Board. If the vacancy occurs in the office of District President, the District Past President shall assume the District President’s duties. In the event the Past President cannot assume duties, a current District Officer must be appointed by majority vote.
b. A District officer may be removed from office only for good cause by a vote of two-thirds of those present at a regularly scheduled District PTO Board Meeting.
Article 2. Building Vacancy and Officer Removal
a. In the event of a vacancy in any Building office, an appointment to fill the remainder of the term shall be made by a majority vote of the remaining members of the Building PTO Board.
b. A building officer may be removed from office only for good cause by a vote of two-thirds of those present at a regularly scheduled building PTO Board Meeting.
Section 7. Standing Committees
a. The chair of each standing committee shall submit a budget and a plan of work to the Board for approval. No committee shall undertake work either through verbal or written agreements without the approval of the Board.
b. Procedures for each standing committee will be maintained by the chair of that committee and provided to each committee member.
ARTICLE VII: DISTRICT PTO BOARD MEETINGS
1. Regular meetings and activities of the PTO shall be held during the year, the time to be fixed by the Board at its first meeting of the year.
2. Special meetings of the Board may be called by the President or by a majority of the members of the Board. An attempt must be made to contact all board members.
3. A majority vote of the quorum is needed to transact any PTO business. All items newly presented to the board shall be presented, with written documentation if possible, and the board members will have the option to vote on issues or table issues until the next meeting.
4. A quorum shall consist of those Board members present and voting at a meeting of this organization.
5. All PTO board members present are eligible to vote for the annual budget and election of officers.
6. Meetings should be conducted in accordance to the latest edition of Robert’s Rules of Order. Anyone wishing to refer to Robert’s Rules of Order may obtain a copy through the district secretary.
7. In the event a board position is shared, the following positions are entitled to one vote: District President, District Past President, District Secretary, District Treasurer, District Standing Committee Chairs, and Building Vice President.In the event a board member holds multiple positions, that member is entitled a maximum of two votes.
8. Each board position is required to attend a minimum of 75% of the scheduled meetings or a new person may be elected by the board to fill this position.
ARTICLE VIII: FISCAL YEAR
The fiscal year of the Waukee PTO will begin August 1 and end the following July 31.
ARTICLE IX: BUDGET
1. At the beginning of each school year the school VP’s, building treasurers and Principals will complete a PTO Expense Budget (PEB - Attachment A). No monies may be drawn out of a school’s account until the school has raised their PEB amount for the year.
2. Each elementary building PTO committee must provide for activities, fine arts, conference meals, and book fair. Monies needed for these events will be raised through each individual school’s fundraisers. The High School, Prairie View and Middle School must provide for conference meals. It will be each school’s decision how to provide for teacher appreciation and/or National Education Week. It is the responsibility of the VP, Building Treasurer and each school’s principal to determine the exact dollars allocated to each area using the PTO Expense Budget (Attachment A).
3. The District Treasurer report will keep track of all monies earned and spent for each school and provide a biannual budget report with profits and expenditures separated out by school. No school may incur a negative balance in their PTO bank account. Any expenses brought toward an account that will create a negative, must be funded in another manner which is up to the school’s VP and Principals discretion. It is suggested that all schools keep a discretionary amount in their account at all times to help guard against this issue. Any budgeted money not used at the end of the school year is to remain with that school and used for teacher wish lists or carried over for future use.
ARTICLE X: MANAGEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACCOUNTS
1. The District Treasurer shall collect and manage funds of the middle schools and high schools as specified in Article VI, Section2e.
2. Elementary schools that are affiliates of the organization shall have a subaccount under the main account of the District PTO at the same financial institution.
a. Each elementary school will have a maximum of two signers on the subaccount .
b. Signers will consist of the elementary school level treasurer and corresponding VP.
c. Signers must accompany District PTO Treasurer or presiding President to the financial institution to complete necessary paperwork allowing access and management of the subaccount.
d. Upon completion of the officers’ term, it is the responsibility of the District Treasurer to remove their name as a signee from the subaccount.
3. Elementary schools shall have on their annual slate a treasurer or financial officer position. After approval of the candidate and acceptance of the position, the treasurer must complete a background check. Upon successful completion, the treasurer may commence responsibilities at the beginning of the upcoming District PTO’s fiscal year.
a. The treasurer shall collect and maintain all funds of the school, including the maintenance of accurate records of receipts and disbursements in accordance with state and federal laws.
b. The treasurer shall provide a detailed financial report for presentation at all school level PTO meetings for officers and members to review.
c. The treasurer shall provide the District Treasurer a quarterly detailed financial report with all income, expenses, and disbursements for review and audit.
d. All reimbursement requests must be signed and approved by the school VP before disbursement.
e. Counting of monies from committee sources shall be conducted by the committee chair and either the school treasurer or school VP. An income form must be completed and signed by both parties. The income form shall then be verified by the PTO officer (treasurer or VP) that is not in attendance when the counting of the monies occurs. A spreadsheet log will be provided to each school treasurer to be used when funds are received for events. This log will be used when the funds are counted and when the funds are verified. IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT THE MONIES BE COUNTED BEFORE THEY LEAVE THE SCHOOL PREMISES.
f. In the event that a treasurer is not elected to slate, the financial responsibilities and account management will be assumed by the VP. If this occurs, all disbursement and deposit transactions shall be conducted through the District Treasurer.
4. Affiliate PTO’s shall provide appropriate data and reports to the District Treasurer for submission of annual taxes.
ARTICLE XI: FUNDRAISER
1. School PTO’s will be responsible for participating in one or more fundraisers throughout the school year.
2. PTO sponsored building specific sales or fundraisers throughout the school year will all be based on net sales per school and be returned directly to that school.
3. Directory profits will go toward the High School, Prairie View and Middle School expenses for conference meals and book fair unless those schools have individual PTO sponsored fundraising events. Directory profits will also be used to help fund the start-up money needed for new schools as they are built. Both dollar amounts will be determined by the board each year based on student enrollment and staffing. Any profits made but not used can be carried over for future use. The board may also choose to equally distribute funds among the schools while still maintaining adequate funds if the balance so warrants.
4. All monies made, excluding reserve cash, minus all expenses will go toward the school’s budget. However, funds may be accumulated to support a long term financial need previously determined by the school principal, building vice-president(s) and Building Treasurer.
ARTICLE XI: AMENDMENTS
These by-laws may be amended at any regular Waukee District PTO meeting by a two-thirds vote of the Board officers present. A committee may be appointed to submit a revised set of by-laws. An adoption of new by-laws also takes a two-thirds vote of the Waukee PTO Board officers present. The proposed amendment must be submitted in writing at a previous Board Meeting and must be tabled for a vote until the following month.
These by-laws were adopted September 11, 1989.
These by-laws were amended April 11, 1994, March 27, 1995, February 12, 1996, April 16, 1998, July 30, 1998, May 14, 2001, May 14, 2002, May 1, 2003, November 3, 2003, September 6, 2005, April 23, 2007, May 2008, September 2008, and January 2011, March 2011, May 2011, July 2011.
