Last updated: May 2022

Last reviewed: January 2024

Article 1    Name

Article 2    Objectives

Article 3    Policies

Article 4    Participation in the PTG

Article 5    PTG Board

Article 6    Officers

Article 7   Duties of Officers

Article 8    Meetings and Voting

Article 9    Elections

Article 10    Succession of Officers

Article 11    Notices

Article 12    Dissolution of the Group

Article 13    Amendments

Article 1

Name

The name of this organization shall be the Parent-Teacher Group of the Frankfurt International School e.V. (hereinafter referred to as the 'PTG' when referring to both Oberursel and Wiesbaden campuses, 'PTG-O' and 'PTG-W' for campus-specific notations). 

Article 2

Objectives

The PTG's mission is to: 

• Facilitate unity between parents and within the school community, in order to enrich the lives of our children; 

• Support the educational environment through open communication and a close relationship between home and school; 

• Organize activities to enhance the "Spirit of Community" at Frankfurt International School (hereinafter referred to as 'FIS'); 

• Support the overall mission of FIS; 

• Raise funds as required and appropriate to support the PTG’s activities and those of other school groups. 

Article 3

Policies

3.1. The PTG shall be non-commercial, non-sectarian, secular, and non-partisan. It shall neither endorse nor sponsor commercial enterprises (FIS community-member or otherwise), political parties, or individual school Board candidates. It may decide to accept corporate sponsorship by means of advertisements or donations; solicitation of such companies may only be made with the express permission of the Head of School and in cooperation with the office of Marketing and Development of FIS. 

3.2. Open communication shall be maintained between the PTG and the Board of Trustees. 

3.3. The PTG, or any person acting individually or collectively for the PTG, shall not act in the name of FIS or the Board of Trustees.

3.4. The PTG may cooperate with other organizations and agencies in accordance with PTG objectives and in line with FIS policies. 

3.5. The group may raise funds and provide financial assistance in accordance with PTG objectives and in line with FIS policies. 

3.6. No member shall engage in fundraising, individually or at PTG sponsored events, for personal gain, or for reasons other than established by PTG guidelines. 

Article 4

Membership

4.1. No fee or enrollment shall be required for membership in the PTG. 

4.2. FIS PTG Members shall be defined as the parent/legal guardian(s) of a child enrolled at FIS and all administration, and faculty and staff members employed by FIS (hereinafter referred to as the 'Members'). All FIS PTG Members are welcome and invited to participate in any activity or event organized or offered by the PTG. 

Article 5

PTG Board

5.1. FIS-O (PTG-O) 

5.1.1. There shall be a FIS-O PTG Board (hereinafter ‘PTG-O Board’) composed of at least fifteen (15) voting members, being the Officers and (3) Divisional Representatives (for each of the Upper, Elementary, and Primary Schools), and three (3) non-voting members, being the Head of School, the Chair of the Board's Trustees Committee, and a member of the Admissions and/or the Marketing Department; each of the non-voting members may appoint one or more deputies to participate in the meetings of the PTG-O Board. 

5.1.2. The members representing the Divisions and the Admissions and/or Marketing Department will be appointed by the Head of School and their terms will be at the discretion of the Head of School. The Divisional Representatives (PTG-O) shall act as a liaison between their division and the PTG by reporting to the PTG-O on recent and coming activities within FIS; by reporting back to the faculty/staff on PTG activities and needs; and by acting with PTG-O officers to plan appropriate activities and events. 

5.1.3. The PTG-O Board may also elect the President of the PTG from the previous school year, with such President's consent, to become an advisory non-voting member of the current PTG Board by applying the rules as set out in Article 10 accordingly. 

5.1.4. The PTG-O Board shall: 

• Transact business in the intervals between General Membership Meetings (Article 7) to accomplish the mission laid out in Article 2; 

• Establish guidelines as required for any event or award sponsored by the Group, including, but not limited to, meetings of the PTG-O, Book Fairs, Applefest, Worldfest and the Wish List; 

• Appoint chairs and/or coordinators for committees organizing events or awards sponsored by the PTG; 

• Present a report of the PTG-O Board Meetings at the General Membership Meetings and make a copy available on the FIS PTG-O website; 

• Approve payments of PTG-O bills within the limits of the annual budget; 

• Manage and approve the annual Wish List process to use profits from PTG-O fundraising events by the end of the school year (June 30). 

5.1.5. Regular meetings of the PTO-O Board ('Board Meetings') shall be held monthly during the school year, the time to be fixed by the President and Officers at their first meeting or at the end of the prior school year. 

5.1.6. Nine (9) voting members shall constitute a quorum. Simple majority shall be required to pass a valid resolution. 

5.1.7. Special meetings of the PTG-O Board may be called by the President or by two members of the PTG-O Board if prior notice of such meetings is provided to all members of the PTG-O Board. 

5.1.8. Notices and announcements among the members of the PTG-O Board will be made via email or the PTG-O Board Group Webpage or other agreed-upon medium for PTG-O messages. 

5.1.9. The details of all PTG-O officers' roles and job descriptions (Article 6) included in these bylaws serve as guidelines and are subject to review dependent on the needs of the FIS community and the PTG-O. 

5.2. FIS-W (PTG-W) 

5.2.1. There shall be an FIS-W PTG Board (the 'PTG-W Board') composed of up to thirteen (13) voting members, being the Officers, and up to three (3) non-voting members, being the Principal, the Chair of the Board's Trustees Committee, and member(s) of the Admissions and/or the Marketing Department; each of the non-voting members may appoint one or more deputies to participate in the meetings of the PTG-W Board. The terms of the member(s) of the Admissions and/or Marketing Department will be at the discretion of the Principal. 

5.2.2. The PTG-W Board may also elect the President of the FIS-W PTG from the previous school year with such President's consent to become an advisory non-voting member of the current PTG-W Board by applying the rules as set out in Article 10 accordingly. 

5.2.3. The PTG-W Board shall: 

• Transact business in the intervals between General Membership Meetings (Article 7) to support the realization of the objectives as set out in Article 2; 

• Establish guidelines as required for any event or award sponsored by the Group; ● Appoint chairs and/or coordinators for committees organizing events or awards sponsored by the PTG; 

• Present a report of the Board Meetings at the General Membership Meetings of the FIS-W PTG;

• Approve payments of the bills within the limits of the annual budget; ● Manage and approve the annual Wish List process; 

• Support the realization of the objectives as set out in Article 2. 

5.2.4. Regular meetings of the PTG-W Board ('Board Meetings') shall be held during the school year, the time to be fixed by the President and Officers at their first meeting and added as needed. 

5.2.5. Four (4) voting members shall constitute a quorum. Simple majority shall constitute a valid resolution. 

5.2.6. Special meetings of the PTG-W Board may be called by the President or by two members of the PTG-W Board if prior notice of such meetings is provided to all members of the PTG Board. 

5.2.7. Notices and announcements from and among the members of the PTG-W Board will be made via email. 

5.2.8. The details of all PTG-W officers’ roles and job descriptions included in these bylaws serve as guidelines and are subject to review depending on the needs of the FIS community and the PTG-W. 

Article 6

Officers

6.1. For PTG-O: The officers of the PTG (the 'Officers') shall be the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Manager of Communications, Event Manager I, Event Manager II, PTG Liaison to Upper School, PTG Liaison to Elementary School, PTG Liaison to Primary School, New Family Ambassador and Nominating Chair. 

6.2. For PTG-W: The officers of the PTG (the 'Officers') shall be the President and Treasurer; other officers may also be Vice President, Secretary, Welcome and Farewell Coordinator, Room Parent Coordinator, and Nominating Chair. 

6.3. The Officers on both campuses shall be elected annually in accordance with Article 9 of these Bylaws to serve a term of one school year. 

6.4. Officers shall assume their official duties at the close of the last school term of the school year preceding the school year for which they have been elected, or July 1st whichever is earlier. 

6.5. No Officer shall serve more than two consecutive terms in the same position. 

6.6. The sharing of officer roles (for example, Co-Secretary) by two members shall be/is allowed. However, no more than two members may share a given role at any given time.

Article 7

Duties of Officers

7.1. All Officers 

7.1.1 All Officers of both PTG-O and PTG-W shall: 

• Oversee all committees relative to each office; 

• Maintain and keep current all books and records associated with the office; 

• Maintain an accurate job description of the detailed roles and responsibilities of the; office and perform the duties as described in the job description; 

• Perform other duties as may be assigned by the President. 

7.2. PTG-O Officers 

7.2.1 The President and Vice President shall: 

• Preside at meetings of the PTG-O, including monthly PTG-O Board Meetings, General Membership Meetings, Special Meetings as called; 

• Provide direction to Officers; 

• Appoint members to FIS committees and processes where parent input is requested; 

• Liaise with the Admissions and/or Marketing Department regarding forthcoming school events and fundraising; 

• Serve as liaison to the Board of Trustees for the PTG-O, or designate a representative in their absence; 

• Attend open session Board of Trustees meetings as requested; 

• The Vice President will support the President in any of the tasks named above. Together, they will decide upon the split of responsibilities prior to the beginning of the school year and communicate it to the Board and other relevant parties, i.e. School Administration. 

7.2.2. The Manager of Communications shall: 

• Ensure that all notices required in these Bylaws are delivered in a format such that all PTG members will receive the information in a timely manner; 

• Inform the FIS community of all relevant activities of the PTG using the current communication methods embraced by the school. 

7.2.3. The PTG Liaisons shall: 

• Act as the liaison between the Principals of the school divisions and the PTG-O; ● Oversee the Homeroom Parents (Homeroom Volunteer Network) and other division volunteers; 

• Work together with the divisional representatives to plan and organize divisional activities sponsored by the PTG-O. 

7.2.4. The Nominating Chair shall: 

• Organize and oversee annual election and succession of officers in accordance with Articles 9 and 10 of these Bylaws; 

• Serve as the PTG-O liaison on the Nominating Committee for the Board of Trustees.

7.2.5. The Secretary shall: 

• Prepare an agenda for PTG-O Board Meetings and General Membership Meetings in conjunction with the President; 

• Keep accurate minutes of all General Membership Meetings and Board Meetings of the PTG-O, and distribute a copy of the minutes to the PTG-O Board, Head of School, and the Board of Trustees PTG Liaison; 

• Be responsible for an attendance record at each PTG-O Board Meeting and General Membership Meeting; 

• Keep a current roster of all members of the PTG-O Board; 

• Manage the PTG Office and perform general office maintenance (i.e. maintain supplies, sundries); 

• Schedule and organize all General Membership and Board Meetings of the PTG-O. 

7.2.6. The Treasurer shall: 

• Maintain accurate records of all receipts, expenditures and financial activities of the PTG-O; 

• Provide monthly financial summary to the PTG-O Board, to be appended to the Secretary's report, and to the school Business Manager; 

• Provide a complete financial report at the end of the term to the PTG-O Board and the school Business Manager; 

• Submit a proposed budget for the current school year in October; 

• Report all financial activities to the school accountant; 

• Have the power to co-sign checks or transfers for PTG-O payments, together with a designated administrator of the school; an alternate Officer of the PTG-O shall be named to take over this function when the Treasurer is not available; 

• Arrange for the payment of bills approved by the budget or PTG-O Board; those bills bearing the approved signature of the Treasurer or other authorized Officer will be accepted by the school accountant for payment out of the funds generated by the PTG-O. 

7.2.7. The New Family Ambassador shall: 

• Promote cultural awareness within the FIS community; 

• Create and maintain country and area representatives networks; 

• Facilitate the welcoming of new families into the FIS community through the country representatives network. 

7.2.8. The Events Managers (at least two, Events Manager I and Events Manager II) shall: 

• Be responsible for the planning and coordinating of PTG-O-sponsored events both large and small, dividing responsibility between them (i.e. Large Events Manager and Small Events Manager); 

• Chair Applefest and Worldfest and recruit persons and/or coordinators to fulfill the planning of those and all other events, as appropriate. 

7.3. PTG-W Officers 

7.3.1 The President and Vice President shall: 

• Preside at meetings of the PTG-W, including monthly PTG-W Board Meetings, General Membership Meetings, Special Meetings as called; 

• Provide direction to Officers; 

• Liaise with the Administration regarding forthcoming school events and fundraising;

• Serve as liaison to the Board of Trustees for the PTG-W, or designate a representative in their absence; 

• Attend open session Board of Trustees meetings as requested; 

• Ensure that all notices required in these Bylaws are delivered in a format such that all PTG-W members will receive the information in a timely manner; 

• Inform the FIS community of all relevant activities of the PTG-W using the current communication methods embraced by the school; 

• In the absence of a Nominating Chair, oversee annual election and succession of officers in accordance with Articles 8 and 9 of these Bylaws; 

• The Vice President will support the President in any of the tasks named above. 

7.3.2. The Secretary shall: 

• Prepare an agenda for PTG-W Board Meetings and General Membership Meetings in conjunction with the President; 

• Keep accurate minutes of all General Membership Meetings of the PTG-W and the PTG-W Board Meetings; 

• Be responsible for an attendance record at each PTG-W Board Meeting and General Membership Meeting; 

• Keep a current roster of all members of the PTG-W Board; 

• Schedule and organize all General Membership and Board Meetings of PTG-W. 

7.3.3. The Treasurer shall: 

• Maintain accurate records of all receipts, expenditures and financial activities of the Group; 

• Provide a financial summary to the PTG-W Board and school administration as requested; 

• Submit a proposed budget for the current school year before the end of October; ● Have the power to co-sign checks or transfers for PTG-W payments, together with a designated administrator of the school; an alternate Officer of the PTG-W shall be named to take over this function when the Treasurer is not available; 

• Arrange for the payment of bills approved by the budget or PTG-W Board; those bills bearing the approved signature of the Treasurer or other authorized Officer will be accepted by the school accountant for payment out of the funds generated by the PTG-W. 

7.3.4. The Nominating Chair shall: 

• Organize and oversee annual election and succession of officers in accordance with Articles 8 and 9 of these Bylaws; 

• Serve as the PTG-W liaison on the Nominating Committee for the Board of Trustees. 

7.3.5. The Room Parent Coordinator shall: 

• Help fulfill the positions of Room parents for each classroom; 

• Provide direction to Room Parents; 

• Maintain list of Room Parents and the classrooms they serve; 

• Organize and run meetings with Room Parents on an as-needed basis; ● Share information as requested from the President to the Room Parents. 

7.3.6. The Welcome and Farewell Coordinator shall: 

• Facilitate the welcoming of new families into the FIS community through the Family Ambassador Program; 

• Facilitate farewell for departing families.

Article 8

Meetings and Voting

8.1. Each FIS campus shall hold general membership meetings of the PTG ('General Membership Meetings') on dates to be established by the Officers and announced to the community in writing at the beginning of each school year, including on the all-school calendar and the school calendar published on the FIS webpage. There shall be a minimum of two General Membership Meetings during the school year. 

8.2. At a minimum, the proposed budget for the relevant school year shall be approved at the first General Membership Meeting; at the last General Membership Meeting the Officers for the following school year shall be confirmed per article 9. The financial year runs from 01 July to 30 June. 

8.3. Twenty-five (25) members shall constitute a quorum at any General Membership Meeting at FIS-O. Ten (10) members shall constitute a quorum at any General Membership Meeting at FIS-W. A simple majority shall constitute a legal vote at any given General Membership Meeting or PTG Board Meeting unless otherwise specified in these Bylaws. Meetings may be held in person, via video-conference, or using a hybrid of the two. 

Article 9

Elections (PTG-O and PTG-W)

9.1. Elections for Officer positions shall be held annually for both campuses. 

9.2. All members of the FIS community are eligible to run for office with the exception of members of the FIS community who are also members of the Board of Trustees. 

9.3. On or before 28 February of each year: 

• The Nominating Chair for FIS-O shall coordinate the creation of a slate of candidates for election; the Nominating Chair may create a nominating committee consisting of five PTG members to facilitate this process. 

• The Nominating Chair for FIS-W shall coordinate the creation of a slate of candidates for election; the Nominating Chair may create a nominating committee consisting of at least two PTG members to facilitate this process. 

• The Nominating Chair for each campus shall be the respective Chair of these processes and/or committees. No current PTG Officer, other than the Nominating Chair, and no Board of Trustee member may serve on this committee. 

9.4. On or before 30 March of each year, the Nominating Chairs must communicate to the FIS-O and FIS-W communities a list of the Officer positions for the next year. They must ensure that said notice provides the FIS community with a minimum of thirty (30) calendar days to express interest in any open Officer position. 

9.5. Interested members of the FIS community shall provide notice of interest directly to the Nominating Chair which will compile the slates of candidates for each campus.

9.6. The Nominating Chair shall create ballots with the final slate of candidates, clearly indicating all Officer positions and identifying all interested candidates. The ballot must provide clear instructions for voting on a contested ballot and must clearly state that each member's vote must be limited to one candidate per office. Voting shall take place virtually. 

9.7. Ballots for the election of Officers and instructions for online voting will be emailed to all Members in May at least two weeks in advance of the May General Membership meeting. A majority of all votes cast by Members will determine the election outcomes. 

9.8. An impartial committee appointed by the representative of the Admissions and/or Marketing Department will be responsible for tabulating the ballots for both campuses. No candidate, current member of the PTG Board or member of the Board of Trustees may sit on this committee. 

9.9. The results of the tabulation shall be presented to the current PTG Board within forty eight (48) hours of the online voting period deadline. The Officer elections will be confirmed during a General Membership meeting on or before 30 May and communicated to the FIS community. 

9.10. The elected Officers shall assume their official duties at the June PTG Executive Board Meetings. 

Article 10

Succession of Officers (PTG-O and PTG-W)

10.1. In the event of the resignation of the President, the Vice President shall assume the position of President. In the event that the Vice President is unable to assume the duties of President, the PTG Board for that campus shall be responsible for identifying and appointing a President to serve the remaining term. The candidate must meet all candidate requirements set out in Article 9 of these bylaws. The President thus appointed shall be approved by the PTG Board without the need for an election in a General Membership Meeting. A new President shall be elected per Article 9, for the subsequent year. The appointed President, having not served for a full year, will be eligible to run for the position during the next annual election process and the time served will not affect the two-year limitation as stated in Article 6. 

10.2. In the event of the resignation of any other Officer, with the exception of Divisional Representatives, the following process will be followed: 

• The Nominating Chair shall coordinate with the Manager of Communication to post notice of the vacant position in accordance with Article 9. 

• Interested candidates shall contact the Nominating Chair. Given that time is of the essence in replacing current Officers, the 30 day notice period required for annual elections, as set out in Article 9, will not apply to mid-term successions. 

• Interested candidates will be presented to the Board for approval to serve in the Office for the remaining term. A new Officer will be elected, per Article 9, for the subsequent year. The appointed Officer, having not served for a full year, will be eligible to run for the position for the subsequent school year during the annual election process.

10.3. In the event of the resignation of any Divisional Representatives, the Head of School will be responsible for appointing a successor. 

10.4. In the event that at the Annual Officer Elections pursuant to Article 9, an Officer position could not be filled, the respective position must be filled by applying the procedures regarding the replacement of a resigned Officer as set out in this Article 10, accordingly. 

Article 11

Notification

For the purposes of these Bylaws, any notices to be submitted to the FIS community, or the Members, or any other communication, shall be published on and made available through the PTG webpage and a format that ensures that the entire FIS community will receive the information in a timely manner. 

Article 12

Dissolution of the Group

12.1. The dissolution of the PTG may be accomplished by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of at least twenty-five (25) percent of the FIS community, provided that notice of such a proposal has been given in writing fifteen (15) days in advance of the meeting. Such notice shall be in a format that assures that the entire FIS community will receive the information in a timely manner. 

12.2. Upon dissolution, the assets and liabilities of the group shall be taken over by the Frankfurt International School e.V. 

Article 13

Amendments

13.1. The Chair of the Policy Committee of the FIS Board of Trustees shall be notified of any intended amendments to these Bylaws prior to their adoption. 

13.2. Amendments to the Bylaws of the PTG shall become effective upon adoption by a majority vote of the Members present at the General Membership Meeting in which such amendments are presented for adoption, provided notice in writing of the contents of such proposed amendments have been given fifteen (15) days in advance of the meeting. Such notice shall be in a format that assures that the entire FIS community will receive the information in a timely manner.