Canton Middle School Parent Teacher Organization By-laws –
(Adopted February 2017)
CMS PTO BY-LAWS
The name of this organization shall be the Canton Middle School Parent Teacher Organization hereafter referred to as the CMS PTO.
Mission Statement
The purpose of the CMS PTO is to promote a united effort between educators and parents working cooperatively to enhance the educational experience for every CMS student; to create opportunity for cultural enrichment, to sponsor events that support a sense of community and benefit the students and staff and to keep abreast of school and district objectives in order to support their initiatives.
General Policies
This organization shall seek neither to direct the administrative activities of the school nor attempt to set school policy. No member or officer of this organization shall use the name of the CMS PTO to promote or endorse any ideas, policies, or activities except in accordance with the stated Mission. This organization does not promote or endorse any political or commercial activity nor shall members use the name of the organization for any purpose except to pursue the Mission.
Membership
Membership is open to all parents and guardians of CMS students; annual dues are required and payable in September. The Principal and CMS Teaching Staff are considered members of the PTO, eligible to vote and not required to pay dues. Members must be willing to abide by the Mission, By-Laws and established policies of this organization in order to participate in CMS PTO activities. General meetings of the CMS PTO are held at the Canton Middle School or designated community location from September through June. Members are invited to attend all CMS PTO General Meetings, eligible to vote at such meetings, and to hold any elective office or appointed position. Personal information of members provided in the membership directory is not to be used for solicitation purposes outside of CMS PTO business.
CMS PTO Board
The CMS PTO Board consists of a minimum of two (2) officers.
Board positions available: President (or two Co-Presidents), Vice President (or two Co-Vice Presidents), Secretary (or two Co-Secretaries) and Treasurer (or two Co-Treasurers)
The Term of office for all officers is thirteen (13) months; to commence on June 1 of the year elected, continuing to July 1 of the following year. This overlap of officers for one month allows for time for training and planning purposes. A maximum of three (3) consecutive years may be served in any board position at which time the position is listed as vacant. Past PTO officers can be nominated for any position, including a position previously held, providing it was listed as vacant and the former officer nominated according to the bylaws. Vacancy of an officer prior to their term ending shall be filled by a majority vote of the Board.
CMS PTO officers must attend a minimum of 6 of the 9 general meetings each year. If any of the 9 general meetings are cancelled and not rescheduled, the number of minimum meetings required will be reduced accordingly. If an officer does not attend the minimum number of meetings required, the remaining board members may vote on that officer’s removal
An officer may be removed from office with or without cause by a majority vote at a general meeting where previous notice has been given. The officer being considered for removal must be notified at least 30 days prior to the vote and shall be allowed to speak on his or her behalf if they choose to attend. All remaining members of the board and the school Principal shall be present at this meeting.
Notices will be sent out in June and August notifying all parents and guardians of CMS students of any open board positions. Candidates will be presented at the September PTO meeting and voted on and approved at the October PTO meeting.
Duties of the CMS PTO Officers: President (Co –Presidents) shall: Preside over general and executive board meetings of the organization; Call any necessary special meetings; Oversee officers and committee chairpersons to ensure alignment with school & PTO objectives; Be an ex-officio member of all committees; Meet with Principal to discuss upcoming events and seek approval of plans; Coordinate calendar of PTO events (together with V.P. and Principal); Cosign with treasurer all contracts and obligations authorized by PTO board; Be authorized to sign checks of the organization
Vice President (Co-Vice Presidents) shall: Assume responsibility for duties assigned by the President; Represent the President in her/his absence; Coordinate calendar of PTO events (together with President and Principal); Be an ex-officio member of all committees
Secretary (Co-Secretaries) shall: Keep a record of all CMS PTO Board and general membership meetings, Produce the agenda for general meetings - this requires contacting (via email, one week prior) all board members, committee chairs (upcoming and recently completed events only), and school Principal to determine new business and teacher, student, principal and committee reports; Post minutes and agendas to CMS PTO website; Produce thank you notes for committee chairs and donors as requested by the CMS PTO Board; Attend to all PTO correspondence (written & electronic); Provide committee chairpersons with list of volunteers; Act as custodian of all CMS PTO agendas and minutes. President or Vice President must approve any/all correspondence prior to sending.
Treasurer (Co-Treasurers) shall: Have custody of all financial records of the CMS PTO and charge of CMS PTO funds; Prepare an annual budget (together with the executive board) to be voted on at the first CMS PTO general meeting of each school year; Maintain an accurate account of all monies received and disbursed; Render a written and verbal financial report at all general meetings, executive board meetings and upon request of the CMS PTO; Keep a permanent record of all financial statements handed in by committees; Provide an event budget to all committee chairpersons; Prepare books to be audited and turned over to incoming treasurer at the close of each fiscal year (July 1 – June 30)
CMS PTO Committees-Standing committees will be created or disbanded by the Board as may be required to promote the objectives of the organization. Each committee will have at least one Chair.
Committee Chair duties include: Work with CMS PTO Executive Board to ensure that the goals and objectives of the PTO are understood; Work with CMS PTO Executive Board to assemble committee and solicit volunteers as needed; Keep PTO President informed of plans, needs, any concerns and timeline; Attend the two PTO general meetings surrounding your event to report on committee progress beforehand and a recap afterward; Create and/or maintain a record of all committee activities to be kept by the PTO and given to future chairs of same event; Obtain approval of PTO Secretary and school Principal for any and all correspondence, including but not limited to flyers, donation request letters, emails and posters; Work within defined budget restrictions and seek approval from PTO board when necessary to increase expenses; Submit receipts for reimbursement of expenses in a timely manner and be advised that reimbursement will not be given without receipts
Conducting of Business
The CMS PTO Board shall transact all business of the organization, create or disband committees as needed to further our Mission (stated earlier), and approve payments to be made by the Treasurer. The CMS PTO Board shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. No business may be transacted at a meeting where less than a majority of the board is present. The PTO President or Vice President must be present at any general membership or special general membership meetings. If neither of these officers can attend, the meeting must be rescheduled.
Nine (9) CMS PTO general membership meetings will be held annually, September through May. The incoming Board shall determine the dates and times before they begin their term on July 1. These dates and times will be published for the membership. All scheduled general meetings shall be open to all CMS PTO members and all members are eligible to vote. A majority vote is required to pass any motion with the exception of a motion to amend the By-Laws which requires a three quarters vote to pass.
The President (Co-Presidents) may call special general membership meetings for a specific purpose; members must be notified seven (7) days in advance. The CMS PTO Board is empowered to deal with matters of urgency, which arise at a time when it is impossible or impractical to convene a special general membership meeting. Board meetings (attendance limited to the CMS PTO officers) may be held at the discretion of the President or Co-Presidents. A majority of the board must be aware and in agreement in order to pass any motion when dealing with urgent matters. When necessary or practical the President or Vice President may conduct business via email. The entire board of officers must be notified and a discussion opened. The issue/decision shall be an agenda item at the next general meeting, to be recorded in the minutes by the Secretary.
Funds
The proposed annual budget shall be presented for a vote at the September General Meeting. All donations of PTO funds shall be made in accordance with the PTO Mission Statement. The CMS PTO board may spend monies within the approved budget as it sees fit. Requests to spend monies in excess of pre-approved amounts or outside of an existing category will require a proposal and a majority vote at a general meeting. Per Canton Board of Education policy, any disbursements $500 or greater that are not specifically line itemed in the annual budget need to be approved by the Canton Board of Education.
By-Laws
On all questions of interpretation of the By-Laws, the decision of the CMS PTO Board will be final. These By-Laws may be amended by a three-quarters vote of members present at a general membership meeting. Proposed amendments shall be published and distributed to the members present at the general meeting held in the month prior to the vote and then posted on the CMS PTO website at least two weeks prior to the vote. A committee shall review the CMS PTO By-Laws every three (3) years.
These By-Laws were established February 2017 by the CMS PTO Executive Board: Co-Presidents: Jenny Bahre and Melissa Vetro, Vice-President: Tamara Anderson, Co-Treasurers: MJ Holowesko and Robin Defina, Co-Secretaries: Amy Brown and Julie Watson.