Hosting Elections for Parent Organizations Family and Community Engagement (FACE) Department Jorge Luis Arredondo, Ed.D. Assistant Superintendent of FACE

Expected Outcomes: The learner will: Be able to define the main leadership roles of a parent organization Identify resources and primary procedures to create or revise the bylaws Review nomination and election guidelines 2

Primary Leaderships Roles President Vice President Secretary Treasurer 3

Main Leaderships Roles 4 President Preside over meetings, serve as the primary contact for the principal, represent the organization, and coordinate the work of all the officers. Vice President Assist the president and carry out the president’s duties in his or her absence or inability to serve. Secretary Keep all records of the organization, take minutes, prepare the agenda, handle correspondence, and send notices of meetings to members. Treasurer Receive all funds of the organization, keep record of receipts and expenditures, pay out funds, present a financial statement at every meeting and at other times when requested by the executive board, and make a report at the end of the year.

Bylaws Bylaws are the general rules that govern the PTO Format: in an editable electronic format Layout: major section headings called “articles” and the subordinate paragraphs called “sections” Important Content Areas: name of group, purpose, membership and officer requirements, voting procedures, quorum, meetings, financial policies, amendment procedure, dissolution, and parliamentary authority 5

Writing Bylaws Temporary small committee of parents and teachers to complete draft (use bylaws worksheet and sample) Leadership team will review the proposed bylaws For a new PTO, adopt bylaws with a two- thirds affirmative vote of members Once the bylaws are approved, distribute a copy to all officers, and place both a paper hard copy and an electronic version in the files of the PTO 6

Nominations If the bylaws include nomination and election guidelines, the PTO has to follow them. Ways to nominate officers 1.Committee to nominate candidates and present options one month before the election meeting 2.Nominations from the floor at the election meeting 3.Parents fill out form, distributed through students, to nominate themselves or someone else and register their nominations with the committee 7

Nominations Committee The goal of the nominations committee is to: Promote the upcoming election Explain the requirements for the elected positions Reach out to potential candidates Accept nominations Manage the actual election process If the PTO is small, the nomination and election process can be handled by the current officers 8

Nominations Self-nomination is the norm. If a member is nominated by someone else, the nominee must agree to the nomination It is wise to announce the names and a brief bio of the nominees in advance of the election meeting 9

Elections It is recommended to have elections at the last regular meeting of the school year Write nominations down where they are visible to the entire group It is good practice to have the nominees introduce themselves at the election meeting –Nominees should share why they want to be elected, and any special skills they bring to the PTO 10

Elections Most PTOs don’t allow absentee voting, unless bylaws allow it If only one candidate is nominated for any position, no need for voting. Declare that candidate as the officer if he or she accepts the position Distribute voting ballots and ask participants to vote Call two or three participants to count the votes and have the facilitator record the votes 11

Elections Announce the names of the newly elected officers when the voting procedure is finished The new officers may take over immediately upon election, or the existing officers may serve until the last day of school 12

Thank you