Bylaws Standing Rules Code of Ethics PLAY BY THE RULES: PTA BYLAWS AND STANDING RULES Presented By Sarah Martin Wake County PTA Council Bylaws Standing Rules Code of Ethics

AAAAAAAAAARGH!!!!!! WHY SO MANY RULES????? WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN???? DO WE REALLY HAVE TO???

BYLAWS

WHAT ARE BYLAWS? Defines primary characteristics of organization How it functions Contains…. Legal name of organization Purposes 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)

PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised Copy maintained by Recording Secretary Available at all meetings Legitimate PTA expense Parliamentary Procedure at a Glance Parliamentary Glossary

ROBERT’S RULES Robert’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.

ESTABLISHING QUORUM In 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.

OFFICERS Co-officers are NOT recognized by the National PTA, NC PTA, or Robert’s Rules of Order Do 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.

NOMINATING COMMITTEE Most important committee – charged with finding/choosing future leaders Must 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.

AUDIT COMMITTEE Standing 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 reviews Must 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.

ALL PAYMENTS BY CHECK As 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 signers Check 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.

DUES Total 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 15th of each month.

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.

STANDING RULES

WHAT ARE STANDING RULES? Rules that relate to details of administration of an organization –operating standards for your board only Guide the executive committee and executive board in their day-to-day operations & activities Adopted without previous notice and by majority vote of the executive board May be rescinded and amended without notice NOT voted on by the general membership

BYLAWS vs. STANDING RULES Bylaws are your organization’s legal authority Provides the rules of your organization Think of it as a contract between the members and the organization. Voted on by the General Membership Rules of order and parliamentary procedure designated by bylaws – Robert’s Rules Standing Rules Do not govern the entire organization Govern the daily operations of the board Organization’s policies and procedures

WHAT’S INCLUDED IN STANDING RULES? The Order of Business Outline for Minutes Job Descriptions of each Elected Officer Describes who presides in absence of president Outlines 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 chart

RECOMMENDED ATTACHMENTS IN SUPPORT OF STANDING RULES PTA Vision, Mission and Values Unit Bylaws Guidelines for PTA Leadership National PTA Standards for Family-School Partnerships WCPSS Board Policy for Parent and Family Involvement (policy #2541)

SAMPLE POLICIES & PROCEDURES TO INCLUDE WITH STANDING RULES Money Management Policy Records Retention Policy Conflict of Interest Policy Fundraising Policy Guidelines for Reimbursement Budget Tracking Guidelines Year-End Report Guidelines Nominating Committee Guidelines Financial Review (formerly audit) preparation guidelines, procedures, checklist and report form

FORMS ASSOCIATED WITH DOING BUSINESS Check Request Form Funds Received Form Committee Budget Data Sheet Year-End Report Guidelines and Form Slate of Officers Form Membership Form Volunteer Sign-up Form Teacher Mini-Grant Form

CODE OF ETHICS and CONFLICT OF INTEREST

SETTING UP A POLICY Code of Ethics or Code of Conduct Policy essential to the integrity of your PTA and board Personal conduct of board members directly affects the image and effectiveness of the PTA Written as an agreement Each board member expected to read and sign in agreement New 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 Rules

SAMPLE Code of Ethics Policy From 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 _______________Date

SAMPLE Conflict of Interest Policy From www.ncpta.org Leadership Tools Members 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 _______________Date

QUESTIONS? Sarah Martin sbmmom@gmail.com