LNFI PTO Bylaws – Revised and adopted May 2016

ARTICLE I. NAME. The name of the organization shall be the L’Etoile du Nord French Immersion Parent Teacher Organization, LNFI PTO.

ARTICLE II. PURPOSE. The purpose of the organization shall be to aid the students of L’Etoile du Nord by providing support for their educational and recreational needs and to promote open communication between the administration, teachers, parents and students.

ARTICLE III. MEMBERSHIP. All parents and/or legal guardians of students who are currently attending L’Etoile du Nord and all current faculty/staff of L’Etoile du Nord will be eligible for general membership in the PTO. Regular general members shall have the right and are encouraged to attend all PTO meetings and activities for the organization.

ARICLE IV. MEETINGS.

Section 1. There shall be one general meeting each month of the school calendar on a specified day and time. This meeting is open to all PTO members.

Section 2. Notice of meetings of the members shall be convened pursuant to written notice given by backpack communications, email, and/or social media postings.

Section 3. Special meetings of the PTO general membership may be called by the President, at such time and place as the President may determine. Notice shall be communicated to the members as soon as practicable in advance of the meeting, but in no case less than 48 hours before the meeting.

ARTICLE V. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Section 1. Membership. The membership of the Executive Committee shall consist of the President, the Vice President, the Secretary, the Treasurer, and Standing Committee Chairs.

Section 2. Election. Currently, all officers and committee chairpersons are serving in these roles on a volunteer basis and will continue to do so until such time as the current Executive Committee establishes election procedures, which will be voted upon by the PTO general membership.

New officers and chairpersons will be solicited annually at the May PTO meeting.  These volunteers will become officers- and chairpersons- elect after being voted in by the membership. They will officially assume their full duties as of 12:00am June 1st of the year in which they are voted to the position, at which time the former officer/chairperson in the position will officially step down.

Section 3. General Powers. The Executive Committee shall manage the affairs, activities, and operation of the organization. The Executive Committee shall transact necessary business during the intervals between the meetings of the membership. It may create Standing and Special Committees, approve the plans and work of standing and special committees, present reports and recommendations at the meetings of the membership, prepare and submit a budget to the membership for approval, and, in general, conduct the business and activities of the organization. The members of the Executive committee are voting members of the PTO.

Section 4. Meetings. Regular meetings of the Executive Committee shall be held during the year as needed.

Section 5. All binding action of the Executive Committee shall be by the majority vote of the members present.

Section 6. Removal Of Officers

An officer may be removed if unable to perform their duties as outlined in Article VI.  Indications of this inability include, but are not limited to:

1.  More than five absences from general or executive committee meetings
2. frequent unwillingness or failure to complete assigned or required tasks
3. a lack of interest in or opposition to the PTO’s vision, priorities, or actions as defined by its charter and members

Officers may also be removed for conduct causing disrepute to the organization including failure to fulfill ethical, legal and moral obligations with respect to their duties.

The process for removal of an officer shall be as follows:

• The Executive Committee will discuss and vote, in person or electronically, to determine whether the officer in question is failing to fulfill their duties as outlined above.

• A member of the Executive Committee will discuss with the officer in question the committee’s concerns regarding the officer’s duties and their ability to perform these duties. The Executive Committee may ask the officer in question if they need or are willing to step down. If the officer believes that he/she can perform their duties, then the officer will continue to serve during a one month probation period.  After this period, the Executive Committee will discuss and vote again regarding the officer’s performance and possible removal from office. If a majority of the Executive Committee remains in agreement, the officer or chairperson in question is removed from office.

ARTICLE VI. OFFICERS. The officers of the PTO shall consist of a President, a Vice President, a Secretary, and a Treasurer.

Section 1. President. The President will have the responsibility of running the PTO. The President shall be available for questions and will provide leadership to the PTO in general. All agendas and ideas for meetings shall go through the President for final approval. The President shall be the principal executive officer of the organization and, subject to the control of the Executive Committee and the direction of the membership shall in general supervise and control all of the activities of the organization.

Other duties of the president shall include, but not be limited to:

• representing the PTO outside of the school community, such as at school board meetings, at the state legislature, or in meetings with other external organizations, and to disseminate information from those meetings to the LNFI community.
• developing PTO meeting agendas in cooperation with the Executive Committee and to facilitate PTO meetings.
• to represent or assign a representative to attend staff meetings, or prepare PTO notes to send to the school principal.

Section 2. Vice-President. The Vice President will have the responsibility of assuming the duties of the President as defined above in the event that the President is absent or cannot otherwise perform his or her duties. The Vice President shall serve as advisor to the President.

Other duties of the vice-president shall include, but not be limited to:

• Serving as a liaison between the LNFI community at large and the Executive Committee through active participation in events involving LNFI community members.

Section 3. Secretary. The secretary shall keep the minutes of the proceedings of the membership and the Executive Committee meetings.  The secretary shall prepare meeting minutes or notes to upload to the PTO website no later than 8am the Monday following the PTO meeting.  The secretary will also be responsible for collecting all committee reports for the PTO’s records and reporting them to the Newsletter Coordinator. The secretary will determine the due date for committee reports at the beginning of the year.

Section 4. Treasurer. All money for the PTO will go through the treasurer. The treasurer shall have charge of and be responsible for all funds of the organization and shall receive and give receipts for monies due and payable to the organization from all sources and shall deposit such funds in such bank or other organizations as are recommended by the treasurer and approved by the Executive Committee. The treasurer shall make disbursements as budgeted annually by the PTO, or additionally as approved by the Executive Committee, in a timely and responsible manner. The treasurer will reconcile all PTO bank accounts monthly and submit a written Balance Sheet and Income Statement at each general meeting of the PTO. The treasurer shall also oversee the preparation of and timely submission of the annual LNFI PTO tax filing. The treasurer must also sign all approved PTO meeting minutes.

ARTICLE VII. FINANCES. The financial records of the PTO are to be open for viewing by the membership at all times, with minimal prior notice. In order to provide checks and balances in the financial systems of the PTO, all bank statements and other bank correspondence shall be received by the President, who shall open and examine them for any irregularity before giving them to the treasurer. The President and the treasurer are both to be signers on the accounts of the PTO; checks are to require one signature. At such time as the annual expenditures of the PTO meet or exceed $50,000 (fifty thousand dollars), any check written for $500 (five hundred dollars) or above is to require two signatures.

Section 1. Fiscal year. The fiscal year will begin on July 1 and end on June 30.

Section 2. Non-budget requests over $500. Any expense over $500 not included in the annual budget approved by the General Membership must have the full approval of the majority of the Executive Committee prior to being incurred and/or reimbursed. This approval must be written, although e-mail forwarded among the members and acknowledged by each is considered sufficient. If the approval is made in person, the minutes shall be considered the written record thereof.

Section 3. Non-budget requests less than $500.Any expenses less than $500 not included in the annual budget approved by the General Membership must have the approval of the Treasurer and the President prior to being incurred and/or reimbursed. The approval will follow the same process as listed in Section VII, Article A.

Section 4. Contracts valued in excess of $500.All contracts valued in excess of $500 into which the PTO shall enter shall have the full approval of a majority of the Executive Committee The President and one other officer must both sign all contracts valued in excess of $500.

Section 5. Contracts valued under $500. All contracts valued under $500 into which the PTO shall enter may be approved by the President and the Treasurer.

Section 6. PTO dissolution. The Articles of Incorporation provide for contingencies in the event of the PTO’s dissolution as stated in the Minnesota Nonprofit Corporation Act, Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 317A, and further outlined in Article XI of the Articles of Incorporation.

Section 7. The word “written” in the Articles of Incorporation in Article X shall include handwriting, fax, or email.

ARTICLE VIII. STANDING COMMITTEES

Section 1. Communications Committee. The Communication Committee shall be responsible for the development and timely delivery of the school newsletter, school directory, parent fair resource materials, PTO web site and handouts. The Webmaster will work with the Communications Committee to help maintain the PTO web site and school directory. The Grade Liaison Coordinator will work with the Communications Committee to identify and provide grade liaisons who will work to create personal connections with and pass on PTO and school information to families in each grade.

Section 2. Fundraising Committee. The Fundraising committee is responsible for raising all monies needed for the PTO and will create sub-committees as necessary throughout the year.

Section 3. Intern Committee. The Intern Committee is comprised and managed jointly by LNFI teachers and parents. Committee responsibilities include recruiting interns, working with a visa sponsor organization to secure intern visas, recruiting host families, placing interns in classrooms and coordinating intern activities throughout the school year.

Section 4. Social Committee. The Social Committee shall be responsible for planning and coordinating school-wide social activities for L’Etoile du Nord families. Sub-committees will be formed as necessary for social events throughout the year.

Section 5. Finance Committee. The Finance committee is responsible for managing the financial policies and procedures of the organization, including but not limited to creating a yearly budget for the LNFI PTO earnings and expenditures. The committee shall be chaired by a chair and the Treasurer.

Section 6. Meetings. All standing committees shall have meetings with all members when there is active, pending business. Meetings can be conducted in person, telephonically, or electronically.

Section 7. Committee Chairpersons. Each standing committee shall have a chairperson or co-chairs to coordinate and ensure completion of  Committee objectives. It is the duty of a chairperson to schedule timely committee meetings as needed to complete committee business. Committee chairpersons shall attend monthly PTO meetings and report on committee plans and accomplishments or send a representative to do so. In the event that no committee representative is able to attend a PTO meeting, a progress report should be sent to a PTO Officer for them to update the Membership. Committee progress shall be recorded in each month’s PTO meeting minutes.

Section 8. Removal of Chairpersons.

A chairperson may be removed if unable to perform their duties as outlined in Article VIII.  Indications of this inability include, but are not limited to:

1. frequent non-attendance of PTO meetings or a failure to send a representative or committee report in their absence;
2. documented failure to complete required tasks
3. an inability to collaborate successfully with a co-chair or committee members
4. a lack of interest in or opposition to the PTO’s vision, priorities, or actions as defined by its charter and members

Committee Chairpersons may also be removed for conduct causing disrepute to the organization including failure to fulfill ethical, legal and moral obligations with respect to their duties.

The process for removal of a committee chairperson shall be as follows:
* A committee member shall inform the Executive Committee in writing of their concerns about a Committee Chair’s performance, providing examples of how they meet the criteria for removal. Following the same procedure, an Executive Committee member can also bring forth concerns about a chairperson’s performance to the Committee. The Executive Committee will discuss and vote, in person or electronically, to determine whether the chairperson in question is failing to fulfill their duties.

* A member of the Executive Committee will discuss with the chairperson in question the committee’s concerns regarding the chairperson’s duties and their ability to perform them. The Executive Committee may ask the chairperson in question if they need or are willing to step down. If the chairperson believes that he/she can perform their duties, then the chairperson will continue to serve during a one month probation period.  After this period, the Executive Committee will discuss and vote again regarding the chairperson’s performance and possible removal from office. After the month probationary period, if a majority of the Executive Committee remains in agreement, the chairperson in question is removed from office.