ARTICLE I: Name

The name of this organization shall be the Circle Greenwich Elementary School PTO, Inc. of Wichita, Kansas. It is a local unit organized solely for the benefit of Circle Greenwich Elementary School.

ARTICLE II: Mission Statement

This Not-For-Profit Corporation is organized for the purpose of supporting and enhancing students’ educational experience at Circle Greenwich Elementary School by: working cooperatively as parents, educators, and staff to develop responsible, respectful, and caring students; providing financial support for programs and special PTO projects that fall outside of the school’s regular budget; enhancing communication between the home and the school; and, providing support to special school and PTO-sponsored events and projects, including but not

limited to the school’s bi-annual library book fair, open house, PTO social events, kindergarten screening, honor roll breakfast, and parent/teacher conference dinners.

ARTICLE III: Basic Policies

         A. The organization shall be noncommercial, nonsectarian, non-partisan and shall not discriminate on the basis of sex, age, creed or national origin.

         B. The organization will not interfere with the administration of Circle Greenwich Elementary nor seek control of its policies.

         C. All policies and programs of PTO will be designed to maintain a tax exempt status as defined by Section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Service Code.

ARTICLE IV: Membership and Dues

Section 1 Membership

Any individual who subscribes to the mission statement and policies of this organization may become a member, subject only to compliance with the provisions of the bylaws. Membership in this organization shall be available without regard to race, color, creed, or national origin. Persons may be admitted to membership at any time. Membership may be denied or revoked by the Officers.

Section 2 Dues

Each family, regardless of size, shall pay annual dues of $5.00 to PTO for a family membership. Multiple members of a family may obtain individual memberships by paying a separate $5.00 membership fee. Only members in good standing and whose dues are current shall be eligible to participate in PTO business meetings, or to serve in any of its elective or appointive positions. The membership year is from September 1st through August 31st, inclusive.

Section 3 Voting

A family membership entitles members to one vote per family in all PTO business. An individual membership, as described above, entitles each member to one vote in all PTO business. To vote in the May officer elections, an individual must be a paid PTO member by the end of the March PTO regular meeting.

ARTICLE V: Officers and their Elections.

Section 1 Officers

A. Officers of this organization shall be a President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer.

         B. The president, vice-president and secretary shall assume their duties immediately following the May meeting. The treasurer will assume his/her duties on July 1st of each year to allow for end of school transactions. Officers shall serve for a term of one year and not be eligible for the same office for more than two consecutive terms. In the case of extenuating circumstances an officer may request eligibility to serve a 3rd term if they were unable to attend meetings and serve in their full capacity for 2/3 of a term or more.  In the event the VP fulfills the role of President for 2/3 or more of a term, the VP may be eligible for a 3rd term as VP.  If an officer feels these circumstances apply to them they may request consideration by the nominating committee for a 3rd term prior to the March meeting.  The nominating committee will then present a closed ballot vote to the membership at the March meeting to deem the candidate eligible for nominations in April.

         C. No officer shall receive compensation for their service.

         D. No Officer shall secure any contract in the name of the PTO without prior approval to do so by a vote of the PTO membership. Any contract entered into by PTO must be signed by at least one officer.

         E. Officers may not chair committees/subcommittees.

Section 2 Nominations and elections

A. Nominations for officers shall be made by a nominating committee. This committee will form in February and begin the nomination process at least three months before the last regularly scheduled PTO meeting of the year (normally held in May). The nominating committee shall provide the name of at least one candidate for each office at the April meeting. No nominations will be accepted after that meeting. If there is no nomination, nominations will be taken at the May meeting before voting.

B. Only members in good standing are eligible to run for office or serve in an officer’s position.

C. The consent of each candidate must be obtained before his or her name may be placed in for nomination.

Section 3 Vacancies

A. A vacancy occurring in any office other than President shall be filled for the unexpired term by special election and with a majority vote of the PTO membership present at the meeting in which the election is held. If no one is elected by this vote, the Officers shall appoint a member to fill the position.

B. If a vacancy occurs in the office of the President, the Vice-President shall automatically become President.

C. Any Officer can be removed from office, with or without cause, by a two-thirds vote of the membership in attendance at a regular PTO meeting. Notice of the vote will be provided to the membership no less than three days prior to the vote.

ARTICLE VI: Duties of Officers

Section 1 President

The president shall preside at all meetings of the organization, the PTO Officers shall appoint special committees; shall maintain social media accounts, along with other PTO officers; shall perform such other duties as may be prescribed in these bylaws or assigned to her/him by the organization; and shall coordinate the work of the officers and committees, in order that PTO’s mission may be promoted. The President can ONLY vote in the event of a tie when the membership is deadlocked. All other officers may vote on any PTO business matters.

Section 2 Vice-President

The vice-president shall act as aid to the president and shall perform the duties of the president in the absence or inability of that officer to serve and shall perform such other duties as delegated to her/him. The Vice-President is in charge of the PTO membership/ membership records and will bring a printout /sign-in sheet to every monthly meeting with record of paid members. Vice-President shall be responsible for appointing room parents and helpers for each classroom and supervise their activities throughout the year. They will provide a list of classes and their room parents to the President and all committee chairs.

Section 3 Secretary

A. The secretary shall keep a correct record of all general meetings of the organization, and Officers’ meetings. The minutes of these events are to be emailed to the president and those appointed to edit the PTO website and filed in the CGE principal’s office no later than two weeks following a meeting.

B. In addition to meeting minutes, the secretary will ensure that a current set of corporate records be posted on the CGE PTO website and filed in the CGE principal’s office. These documents include Articles of Incorporation, Bylaws, and contact information for officers.

C.  The secretary shall be responsible for assigning responsibility or personally maintaining the PTO website.

Section 4 Treasurer

A. The treasurer shall receive all monies of the organization; shall keep an accurate record of receipts and expenditures; and shall pay out local funds in accordance with the approved budget or as authorized by the organization. The treasurer shall present a financial statement at every PTO Board meeting and general PTO meeting and at other times when requested and shall make a full report at the final meeting of the year.

B. The treasurer shall keep such permanent books of account and records as shall be sufficient to establish the items of gross income, receipts, and disbursements of the organization, including specifically the number of its members and the dues collected. Such books of account and records shall at all times be open to inspection by the executive committee and/or the membership at large.

C. The treasurer will oversee the box top fundraising program.

D. The treasurer must be a member of the fundraising committee.

Section 5 Transfer of authority

All Officers shall deliver to their successors all official material no later than the last day of school, except for the office of treasurer. (See Article V, Section 1, B)

ARTICLE VII: Committees

Section 1

A. All committees shall be organized from volunteers that express a desire to participate. They will be continually revolving from year to year and members can join/leave committees at any time.

B. Each committee shall elect a chairperson to lead the committee prior to the September meeting.

C. A committee may elect any number of co-chairs as desired, and one of the co-chairs may represent standing committees at Board meetings.

Section 2 Committee duties

A. Social/Hospitality Committee will organize refreshments at PTO social events, Open House, Kindergarten Screening, Honor Roll Breakfast, Recognition Banquet, etc.

B. With approval of the district, the Grant Committee will research possible grants and coordinate efforts with USD 375 grant writer/fundraiser. This committee will write and submit grant proposals to appropriate organizations and provide progress reports at PTO meetings when appropriate.

C. Fundraising Committee will research fundraising options and present a proposal for the upcoming year to the entire membership after a chairperson has been selected.  All fundraising projects must be approved by the membership prior to implementation.

D. Directory Committee will obtain student information to create a directory of those currently attending Circle Greenwich Elementary School. The committee will proof, publish and distribute a directory to each family with a student currently attending Circle Greenwich Elementary School.

E. Teacher Appreciation Committee shall be responsible for organizing gifts, projects and activities to recognize the CGE staff, including but not limited to the organization of parent/teacher conference dinners and Teacher Appreciation Week.

F. Budget Committee shall be responsible for organizing, developing and presenting a yearly budget for CGE PTO. The budget will include input from the above listed committees. The budget committee will be formed in May and meet prior to the first PTO meeting of the school year.  The budget committee shall elect a chairperson to submit a printed budget proposal for the following school year at the August meeting with the understanding that once new chairpersons have been elected, they may request to modify their budget as deemed necessary.

Section 3 Teacher Liaison

Circle Greenwich Elementary teachers shall select a Teacher Liaison to represent the Teachers at CGE PTO meetings.

ARTICLE VIII: Regular Meetings of the PTO Board

Regular meetings of the PTO Board shall be held monthly during the school year, the time to be fixed by the PTO Executive Committee and school administration. A majority of the PTO members present at any given meeting shall constitute a quorum. Special meetings of the PTO board may be called by the president or by a majority of the members of the PTO board. All PTO board meetings are open to any PTO member. Monthly meetings will be posted in advance of the meetings on the school website activity calendar.

ARTICLE IX: Parliamentary Authority

The organization has adopted a modified version of Robert’s Rules of Order Revised in order to maintain an informal environment while still maintaining proper rule of order. This modified version will control in all cases in which they are applicable and in which they are not in conflict with these bylaws. In the event an issue arises which is not covered by this modified version or in which there is substantial conflict as to the meaning of the modified version, the official Roberts Rules of Order Revised will control.

ARTICLE X: Amendments

Section 1 Revisions

These bylaws may be amended at any general meeting of the organization by a two-thirds vote of the members present and voting, provided that notice of the proposed amendment shall have been given at least one month prior to the meeting in which the vote takes place.

Section 2 Annual Review

A Bylaws review shall be conducted as deemed necessary by the elected officers, to ensure that Bylaws are current, continue to meet PTO’s mission statement, and fulfill the needs of the school. If deemed necessary, a committee will be formed to conduct review. A report of the review, including any proposed changes, shall be presented. A vote of the membership on any proposed revisions will be taken.

ARTICLE XI: Public Records

Board secretary will provide a copy of the current Bylaws to Circle Greenwich Elementary school after the second meeting of the year. The secretary will ensure that current Bylaws, Articles of Incorporation and meeting minutes are kept on file in the CGE principal’s office and maintained on the CGE website.