Bylaws of the Raleigh Hills
Parent Teacher Organization, Inc.
November 2023
ARTICLE I. Name
The name of this organization shall be the Raleigh Hills Parent-Teacher Organization, Inc. or the Raleigh Hills P.T.O.
ARTICLE II. Mission Statement
The mission of the Raleigh Hills P.T.O. is to enhance the Raleigh Hills educational environment by facilitating consistent communication between staff, family, and advocates; providing funds beyond the district budget; advocating for equity; building community; and organizing and involving a strong group of volunteers.
ARTICLE III. Objectives
1. Provide a vehicle for familial involvement in school decisions and to facilitate communication between the staff and family of Raleigh Hills School, both in writing and at regular meetings.
2. Raise money in order to supply financial resources to the school in a way that directly enhances the educational environment and closes resource and opportunity gaps.
3. Organize and provide volunteers for individual classrooms, special events, and ongoing educational programs as needed.
4. Support opportunities for active engagement in anti-racism learnings and advocacy to staff and families.
ARTICLE IV. Policies
Section 1. This organization shall support educational objectives of Raleigh Hills School.
Section 2. This organization shall be noncommercial, non-sectarian, non-partisan, and in accordance with district policy. The name of the organization or the names of any members in their official capacities shall not be used in any connection with a commercial concern or with any partisan interest or for any other purpose than the regular work of this organization.
Section 3. This organization shall seek neither to direct the administrative activities of the
school nor to control its policies.
Section 4. This organization and its officers may cooperate with other organizations and
agencies active in child welfare, such as conference groups or coordinating councils, provide its representatives make no commitments that bind the group they represent.
Section 5. This organization shall partner with staff and utilize district resources to amplify the voices and perspectives of historically marginalized populations.
ARTICLE V. Membership
Section 1. The membership shall include all families, advocates and staff of Raleigh Hills School who are willing to subscribe to the Bylaws of the organization.
Section 2. The membership year shall be from August 1 through July 31.
ARTICLE VI. Officers and Their Election
Section 1. The officers of this organization shall be president, a secretary, two treasurers, two volunteer coordinators, anti-racism advocate(s), and the previous president as a board advisor. This group shall be known as the Executive Board and will serve as the nominating committee.
Section 2. The nominating committee shall select one nominee for each office except Board Advisor (see Article VII section 5) to be filled including the nominating committee and shall submit the names for publication prior to election.
Section 3. Following the report of the nominating committee, an opportunity shall be given for nominations from the floor.
Section 4. Only those who have consented to serve if elected shall be eligible for nomination, either by the committee or from the floor. Individuals who are nominated from the floor must be present at the general meeting to accept or decline nomination.
Section 5. President, Secretary, Treasurers, Volunteer Coordinators, Anti-Racism Advocate(s) and Board Advisor shall be elected for a term of one year. If there are no nominees for a position then an incumbent officer may fill that position for consecutive years. There is no limit as to the number of terms that an officer may hold the same position. However, they shall follow election procedures at the beginning of each term. The president elect must have previously served on the board or been a committee chairperson for at least one or more years. Presidents’ term of office shall not be the final year of his/her being a Raleigh Hills parent. In the case of a co-presidency, one may be in his/her final year of being a Raleigh Hills parent.
Section 6. A vacancy in any office shall be filled for the unexpired term by a person elected by a majority vote of the remaining members of the P.T.O. Board, notice of such election having been given. In case of a vacancy occurring in the office of president, the nominating committee chairperson shall serve notice of the election and preside over the same election.
Section 7: An officer may be removed from office with or without cause by a 2/3 vote of those present assuming a quorum at a regular meeting where previous notice has been given.
ARTICLE VII. Duties of Officers
Section 1. The president shall preside at all meetings of the organization. The president shall appoint the chairperson of the standing committees and these chairpersons shall be Board members. The president shall coordinate the work of the officers and committees and shall perform other duties as may be assigned to him/her.
Section 2. Any board member may perform the duties of president in the absence of the board president by a vote of the present board members.
Section 3. The secretary shall record the minutes of all general meetings of the organization and of the P.T.O. Board meetings.
Section 4. The treasurer shall track all monies of the organization, shall keep an accurate
record of receipts and expenditures, and shall pay out funds in accordance with approved budget as authorized by the organization. The treasurer shall present a financial statement including itemized expenses by category and a balance sheet including a profit and loss section for each period at every P.T.O. meeting.
The treasurer shall be chairperson of the budget committee, the members of which shall be the president, past president, treasurer, and the incoming treasurer.
The budget committee shall meet to review the budget before the first fall Board meeting. The treasurer shall then prepare the budget for approval by the general membership. The accounting records for the P.T.O. shall be given to the incoming Treasurer at the end of the fiscal year. A tax return shall be generated annually.
Section 5. The past president will assume the position of Board Advisor for the year following his/her term. In the event that the president serves a second term, the position of Board Advisor shall be vacant for that year.
Section 6. The Volunteer Coordinators shall act as a liaison between RHS teachers, staff, and committees and their volunteers. There shall be two Volunteer Coordinators, elected in alternating years - one lead, one shadow - and each Volunteer Coordinator shall hold the position for two years. Duties of the Volunteer Coordinator include: attending district trainings, holding a Volunteer Orientation/Training at the start of the school year, maintaining the RHS volunteer database (My Impact Page), working with teachers to fulfill their volunteer needs (room parents, classroom volunteers, Art Lit, field trip chaperones, etc.), working with Committee Chairs (Lap-a-thon, Auction, Carnival, etc.) to fulfill their volunteer needs, communicating open volunteer jobs and soliciting volunteers, and serving on the Calendar Committee.
Section 7. The Anti-Racism Advocates shall evaluate and identify areas to improve in recruiting a representative population across the PTO Board & volunteer base. The advocate shall take a leadership role in creating an inclusive RHS community and providing experiences in the areas of diversity, equity and inclusion.
Section 8. All officers and chairpersons of committees appointed by the president shall:
a. Perform the duties prescribed by the Bylaws and those assigned by job description;
b. Deliver to the president a report of their activities during the year, and a job
description update, at our year-end board meeting.
ARTICLE VIII. Executive Board
Section 1. The executive board shall meet as deemed necessary by the president to
transact any necessary business in the intervals between organization Board meetings.
Section 2. The executive board shall not have the power to approve non-budgeted expenditures in excess of $1,000.
ARTICLE IX. Meetings
Section 1. The regular meeting dates shall be set by the elected P.T.O.officers. There shall be at least one meeting of the membership each year.
Section 2. Special meetings may be called by the president or by the officers. One week’s notice of the meeting shall be given to the membership.
Section 3. The members present at any meeting of the Raleigh Hills P.T.O. shall constitute a quorum.
Section 4. A simple majority of the members present shall constitute a majority.
Section 5. In case of a co-presidency, one chair will chair the meeting and the other shall
remain neutral at the meeting.
Section 6. Requests for non-budgeted items in excess of $1,000 cannot be presented and voted upon at the same meeting. The request must be made public at least one week prior to voting on the expense. Exception to this is disbursement of year end funds.
ARTICLE X. Standing and Special Committees
Section 1. The president shall be an ex-officio member of all committees.
Section 2. The chairperson of each standing committee shall present a plan of work to
the P.T.O. Board for approval. No committee work shall be undertaken without the consent of the P.T.O. Board.
Section 3. The power to form special committees shall be left to the discretion of the president with the approval of the Board unless such committee is the desire of the general membership meeting. In such a case the formation of such a committee shall be mandatory.
Section 4. Board members appointed by the president shall be appointed with the
understanding that they generally will be available to attend meetings.
ARTICLE XI. Parliamentary Authority
Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised shall be the guide to parliamentary procedure.
ARTICLE XII. Operating Expense Fiscal Balance
A balance of not less than $10,000 shall be maintained in a P.T.O. bank account at all times.
ARTICLE XIII. Amendments
These bylaws may be amended at any general meeting of the organization by a majority of the members present and voting, provided notice of the proposed amendments shall have been given at the previous meeting, and/or published at least two weeks prior to vote.
ARTICLE XIV. Review of Bylaws
These bylaws shall be reviewed by the executive board each school year with recommendations presented to the P.T.O. membership at the following monthly meeting.
Amended: April 1975, December 1985, January 1988, January 1989, February 1993, May 1997, June 1999, February 2005, May 2009, May 2010, May 2012, May 2017, November 2020, November 2023