CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS
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PARENTS’ ASSOCIATION
Section 1 The name of the organization shall be the Nazareth Academy Grade School Parents’ Association (“Association”).
The purpose of the Association shall be:
Section 2 To provide financial support for the
Section 3 To acquire a profound appreciation of the ideals of a Catholic private school education.
Section 4 To promote and encourage the Home and the School to work together for a greater degree of cooperation in discharging their responsibilities.
Section 1 The Association shall function under the authority of and with the consent of the Board of Trustees of the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth (“Trustees”). Any action of the Association is subject to review and approval or reversal by the Trustees.
Section 1 The Principal of the School, having been appointed by the Trustees, is the Chief Executive Officer of the School and shall function as the Trustees’ representative with respect to the Association and The Executive Board of the Association (“Executive Board”).
Section 1 Members
of the Association shall be parents or guardians of students currently enrolled
in the School.
Section 1 The
annual dues shall be collected as part of the annual tuition.
Section 2 The
annual dues shall be determined by the Executive Board.
Section 3 The
proceeds from the fundraisers of the Association shall be used for the
improvement and development of the School community.
Section 4 Each
family shall be assessed for failure to participate in fund raising events and
projects to the extent specified by the Executive Board in accordance with the
assessment schedule to be announced by the Executive Board at the first general
meeting of the Association each year.
Section 5 The
fiscal year shall be from July 1 to June 30.
Section 6 A
balance o f $2,000 shall be maintained in the treasury at the end of the fiscal
year, and $1,000 extra for scholarships.
Section 1 The
Officers of the Nazareth Academy Grade School Parents’ Association shall
consist of: President, Vice-President,
Recording Secretary, Corresponding Secretary, Treasurer, Sergeant-at-Arms, and
Principal. In the Principal’s absence,
the Vice Principal of the School shall serve as an officer and act for the
Principal.
Section 2 The
President:
A.
Shall preside at all meetings of the
Executive Board and at all general
Meetings of the Association.
B.
Shall be an
ex-officio member of all committees.
C.
Shall appoint,
with the approval of the Principal, the chairperson or coordinator of all
committees.
D.
Shall review and
edit all Association correspondence, with the approval of the Principal.
E.
Shall countersign
all checks.
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Section 3 The Vice-President:
A.
Shall perform all
such duties which may be delegated or assigned by
the
President, and in the absence or incapacity of the President, shall perform the
duties of the President, and shall succeed the President for the remainder of
the President’s term in the event that the President fails to complete his/her
term.
B.
Shall review the
status of all committee work and shall report on same
to
the Executive Board.
C. Shall be the chairperson of the Hospitality
Committee for all Parents’
Association meetings.
Section 4 The Recording Secretary:
A.
Shall keep true
and accurate minutes of all general and executive Board
Meetings.
B.
Shall summarize
the minutes at each subsequent general meeting.
C.
Shall make
available to the membership full copies of the minutes for review at the
general meeting.
D.
Shall provide a
copy of the minutes to any member upon request.
Section 5 The Corresponding Secretary:
A.
Shall provide
notification of the Executive Board and the general
Parents’
Association meetings.
B.
Shall type and
maintain a file of all Association correspondence.
C.
Shall acknowledge
all correspondence at the general meeting.
D.
Shall send a
remembrance from the Parents’ Association in the event of a birth, illness, or
death in the immediate family of one of its members, the faculty or a student
of the school.
Section 6 The Treasurer:
A.
Shall receive all
monies belonging to the Association and deposit same
in
the Association’s bank account.
B.
Shall keep an
accurate account of all receipts and disbursements, and be responsible for all
monies collected by the Association.
C.
Shall sign and
issue all checks, along with the President.
D.
Shall render an
itemized Financial Report at each meeting, and submit an Annual Statement at
the May meeting.
E.
Shall submit the
Financial Report to the Auditing Committee no later than the end of the fiscal
year (June 30).
F.
Shall be bonded
in such an amount as the Executive Board may deem necessary.
Section 7 The Sergeant-at-Arms:
A.
Shall assist the
President in maintaining proper decorum, control and Order at all meetings of
the Association according to parliamentary procedure as stated in Robert’s
Rules of Order.
B.
Shall assist the
President in assuring progression and expeditious Movement of subjects and
items at all meetings of the Association (both agenda and clock).
C.
Shall chair the
Sign-in Committee at all meetings of the Parents’ Association.
D.
Shall determine
the eligibility of members to vote in elections for officers and on proposed
amendments to these Constitution and By-Laws.
E.
Shall serve as a
jurisdictional liaison to any local authorities (police, fire, etc.).
F.
Shall perform all
other duties which may be delegated or assigned by the President or Principal.
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Section 8 Attendance at all Executive Board meetings and general
meetings of the Association shall
Me mandatory for all officers.
Section 9 A total of two excused absences per year may be
granted to the Officers by the President
or Principal for serious
reasons. Excessive or unexcused absences
may be cause for
removal from the
officer’s position, removal to be decided by the Executive Board.
Section 1 The officers shall be elected at the April meeting by
a vote of eligible voters.
Section 2 The term of office shall be for one year with a
possibility of being reelected for a second
Term.
No person shall be entitled to hold the same office for a period
exceeding two
Years.
Section 3 In the event that there are no nominees for an office,
the Principal shall appoint a member
To fill such position.
Section 1 To be eligible to vote in the election of officers and
on proposed amendments to these
Constitution and By-Laws, a member
must:
A.
Have attended at
least three general meetings during the school year prior to the April
Meeting
in that year, and:
B.
Have participated
in at least the number of fund-raising events and projects specified as the
minimum participation for voter eligibility, such specification to be made by
the Executive Board and announced at the first general meeting of the Association.
Section 2 No more than two voters will be permitted from the
family(ies) of a currently enrolled
Student.
Section 1 The general meetings of the Association shall be the
second Thursday of September,
October, November, January, March,
April and May, unless otherwise designated.
Section 2 Special meetings shall be called by the President with
the approval of the Principal.
Section 3 The Executive Board shall meet at least one week prior
to each general meeting.
Section 4 A general meeting or Executive Board meeting shall not
be held in the absence of the
Principal or, if the Principal is
unavailable, the Vice-Principal.
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Section 1 A quorum of the organization shall consist of two-thirds
of all its members.
Section 2 A quorum of the Executive Board shall consist of four
members and shall include the
Principal or Vice-Principal.
Section 1 Amendments to the Constitution and By-Laws proposed by
a member(s) shall be first
Presented to the Trustees, through
the Principal, in writing, no later than February 1 in any
Year.
Section 2 If an amendment proposed by a member(s) has received
the approval of the Trustees, then
The proposed amendment shall be
read at the March general meeting of the Association
And shall be submitted to a vote
at the April general meeting of the Association.
Section 3 Upon the vote in favor of the proposed amendment by
two-thirds of the eligible voters in
The Association, the amendment shall
be deemed approved and shall be incorporated into
These Constitution and By-Laws.
Section 4 The Recording Secretary’s copy shall be maintained on
a permanent basis showing all
Amendments and date of approval.
Section 1 The Executive Board shall consist of the duly elected
or appointed Officers of the
Association, together with the
Principal, or, in the Principal’s absence, the Vice-Principal.
Section 2 The President of the Association shall preside at the
Executive Board meetings.
Section 3 The powers of the Executive Board shall be:
A.
To assist the
Principal, the President and all other officers.
B.
To determine
matters of general policy for the Association.
C.
To authorize
disbursements, not to exceed $50 per month, from a petty cash fund. All such disbursements shall be authorized by
the Executive Board with the approval of the Principal. Receipts shall be required.
D.
To determine the
annual dues.
E.
To determine and
announce at the first general meeting each year the minimum participation
requirements for the members in fund raising events and projects of the
Association. The minimum requirements so
specified will be used to determine voter eligibility and liability for
non-participation assessments.
F.
To establish and
announce at the first general meeting each year a schedule of assessments for a
family’s failure to participate in the minimum number of fund raising events
and projects specified by the Executive Board under paragraph E of this Section
3 of this Article XIII.
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Section 4 A. In the event
of a vacancy in an officer’s position, other than the President or the
principal, the candidate from the last election who received the next
largest vote tally
for that office shall be appointed by the
Executive Board to that office to fill the
remainder of the term.
Section 1 The membership shall be solicited annually for
volunteer committee positions.
Section 2 The
President, with the approval of the Principal, shall appoint annually all
special or ad
hoc
committees. These appointments shall
include a Judge of Elections.
Section 3 Each committee shall submit a written project budget
prior to funding. Expenditures shall not exceed the budget approved
by the Executive Board.
Section 4 The Nominating Committee:
A.
Shall consist of
a Nominations Chairperson and three members selected by the
Nominations
Chairperson from the list of members who volunteered for the Nominating
Committee.
1.
The Nominations
Chairperson, at the January general meeting, shall read the duties of each
office as defined in the Constitution and By-Laws and shall state the necessary
requirements for nominations.
2.
The Nominating
Committee shall send out letters by the first Thursday in February, soliciting
members for nominations for the offices to be filled.
3.
The Nominations
Chairperson may also solicit persons for an office.
4.
The Nominating
Committee shall verify a member’s acceptance of a nomination for an office and announce
the nominations for each office at the March Association meeting.
B.
Shall accept from
the floor at the March meeting nominations in addition to those
nominations
verified and accepted prior to the March meeting; provided, however, that a
member who has accepted a nomination for a particular office shall not be
nominated or otherwise considered for any other office in the election
following the nomination process.
C.
Shall conclude
all nominations for office at the March meeting.
D.
Shall request
from each nominee a brief paragraph stating his/her reasons for seeking a
particular office.
E.
Shall send to all
members, at least five days prior to the April meeting, an official listing of
the nominees and the particular offices for which they are candidates.
F.
Shall require,
when there is only one candidate for each office, that a motion be made by the
President to accept the entire slate of officers by acclamation of the members
at the meeting.
G.
Shall distribute
ballots at the April Association meeting to eligible voters.
H.
Shall conduct the
official election at the April meeting.
I.
Shall tally the
ballots. Members who are listed as
candidates may not participate in this process.
J.
Shall delegate
the Nomination Chairpersons to announce the names of the persons elected to
office without disclosing the number of votes received.
K.
Shall turn over
all ballots and ballot tallies to the Principal who shall retain them for a
period of one year.
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Section 5 Hospitality Committee
A.
The Hospitality
Chairperson will be the Vice-President of the Association.
B.
A representative
is selected from each grade level to provide hospitality and refreshments for
the general Association meetings.
C.
At the first
general meeting held in September, the Hospitality Chairperson shall be given a
sum of money to be determined by the Executive Board for the purpose of
purchasing supplies and refreshments for the monthly general meetings. An accurate account of all monies received
and disbursed must be kept and then given to the Treasurer monthly.
Section 6 Audit Committee
A.
The Audit
Committee shall consist of two members, chosen by the Principal who, by
reason
of training, experience or ability, are, in Principal’s judgment, qualified to
review the annual Financial Report of the Treasurer.
B.
The Committee
shall receive the Financial Report from the Treasurer no later than
June
30, review it for accuracy and completeness, and deliver the Audit Committee’s
report to the members at the first general meeting of the Association of the
following fiscal year.
ARTICLE XV - ORDER OF BUSINESS
Section 1 The order of Business shall be:
A.
Call to Order
B.
Announcement of
quorum
C.
Prayer
D.
E.
Speaker
F.
Treasurer’s
Report
G.
Principal’s
Report
H.
President’s
Report
I.
Old Business
J.
New Business
K.
Adjournment
L.
Prayer
Section 1 All meetings, unless otherwise indicated, shall be
governed by the rules of parliamentary
Procedure as stated in Robert’s
Rule of Order.
Spring
1994 – Original printing.
July
1997 -
Second printing (no revisions to original printing)
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