OUR BYLAWS
Article I – Name and Introduction
Section 1. This organization shall be known as the Linwood parent– Teacher organization.
Section 2. the organization shall be non-– political and shall take no position in matters of governmental policy, other than those which concern education.
Article II – Purpose
The purpose of this organization shall be:
(a) to promote awareness of the important issue facing parents, guardians, and children in the Linwood schools;
(b) to provide educational, cultural and recreational activities for the children in the Linwood school;
(c) to raise money to support programs with and/or affiliated with the Linwood schools.
Article III - Membership
Section 1. Membership shall be open to all parents and guardians of children in the Linwood school as well as teachers, staff and administrators of the Linwood schools.
Section 2. All members may vote on all matters, including financial matters, policy matters and the election of officers and committee chairperson.
Section 3. All votes referenced by these bylaws are to be by the majority of those present and voting.
Article IV - Meetings
Section 1. The regular meetings of the Organization shall be held on the second Wednesday of each month, from September to June, unless otherwise ordered by the Board of Directors.
Section 2. The regular meeting on the second Wednesday of May shall be known as the “Annual Meeting.” The Annual Meeting of the membership shall be for the purpose of electing officers and committee chairperson, presenting the annual reports of the officers and committee chairpersons and for any other business that may arise.
Section 3. The June meeting shall be the joint meeting with that outgoing and incoming Officers. The outgoing President shall run the meeting until the "old" business has been completed. The incoming President shall conduct the"new business portion of the meeting.”
Section 4. Special membership meetings may be called by the President or the Executive Committee or on written application of ten (10) members of the Organization made it to the Recording Secretary. Except in cases of emergency, the recording secretary shall give at least three (3) days notice to all Officers and Committee Chairpersons and the purpose of the meeting shall be stated in the notice.
Article V - Board of Directors
Section 1. The Board of Directors shall consist of the elected Officers and the chairpersons of all standing committees.
Section 2. Control of the Organization shall rest with the Board of Directors, who shall be responsible for carrying out the prescribed purpose and objectives of the Organization.
Section 3. A quorum of the Board of Directors shall consist of five (5) board members. If time is of the essence, a majority of the Executive Committee constitutes a quorum. See Article X Section 1.
Section 4. Each member of the Board of Directors maybe elected to more than one office, or chair more than one committee, or both; however, each member of the board shall be entitled to only one vote.
Article VI - Committees
Section 1. Committee Chairperson shall be elected at the Annual Meeting.
Section 2. All committee chairperson shall serve for a term of two (2) years or until their successors have been appointed. Committee chairperson shall have a limit of two (2) consecutive terms as the same committee chairperson.
Section 3. The current standing committees of the organization and their purpose are as follows:
A. Belhaven School Coordinator
To work directly with administration, teachers and office staff on Organization sponsored projects. To organize all organizations related activities involving parent volunteers.
B. Book Fair Coordinator
To act as liaison with Scholastic Books to organize and coordinate a fall and spring book fair at Seaview and Belhaven schools.
C. Directory
To compile and sell (for a nominal fee) a school directory listing contact information voluntarily submitted by families in the school district and basic school information.
E. Field Day Coordinators
To coordinate and organize the two field days at Seaview and the one day at Belhaven at the end of the school year.
H. Linwood Education Foundation Representative
To provide a summary of LEF meetings and activities to enhance communications between the two groups.
J. SPACC Committee Representative
To provide parents with resources resources to support them in the process of educating their children. To develop sensitivity, appreciation and acceptance of human differences while enhancing awareness at the peer level through collaboration of special needs, regular education and gifted education groups.
K. Playground Volunteer Coordinator
To organize and coordinate daily parent volunteers to assist school staff in the Seaview school playground (or inside on rainy days) during lunchtime recess. The Coordinator will recruit volunteers, hold orientation sessions with new volunteers and do monthly scheduling of volunteers.
Article VII - Officers
Section 1. the officers of the organization and shall be the Co-Presidents, Secretary, and Treasurer, and Community Relations Coordinator who shall be elected in the manner hereinafter provided by the membership. More than one person may hold an officer position.
Section 2. Officers shall serve for a term of two (2) years or until their successors are elected. Each officer shall have a limit of two consecutive times in a particular office. If there are no successors and this PTO dissolves, all funds will be transferred into Seaview and Belhaven accounts.
Section 3. A majority vote of the members present shall be required to elect Officers.
Section 4. A vacancy in an elected office shall be filled by appointment by the President for the unexpired term with consent of a majority of the Executive Committee of the Board. In the case where the vacancy is the President position,the remaining President will preside.
Article VIII - Duties
Section 1. Co-President. The Presidents shall be the chief executive officer of the Organization and shall be charged with the operation of the general business and affairs of the Organization in accordance with these bylaws. The presidents shall preside at all meetings and shall execute the directives of the Organization; be responsible for appointments; be the official representative of the Organization; serve as a liaison between Organization and the school administration, faculty and staff; attend Superintendent’s Advisory Council Meetings or appoint a designee to attend such meetings for the school year; and speak or designate a speaker at any school work organization sponsored function. Presidentsshall supervise all fundraisers and appoint a chairperson for each individual fundraiser.
Section 2. Treasurer. The treasurer shall be responsible for maintaining the general organization bank account and shall receive all funds and deposit same in this account. The Treasurer shall submit a financial report at all meetings and shall have the authority to issue checks on behalf of the Organization.
Section 3. Secretary. The Secretary shall contact all members of the board to remind them of the time and place of the monthly meeting; shall record the minutes of each meeting and present written minutes at the following meeting; and shall take attendance at each meeting. The Secretary shall handle all correspondence of the Organization and shall present all written reports of the non-attending board members at the monthly meeting. The Secretary collects volunteers sheets that are included in back-to-school packets and disseminate that information to the Presidents and the appropriate Officers and Committee Chairpersons as soon as possible.
Section 4: Community Relations Coordinator. The Community Relations Coordinator will coordinate, prepare and disseminate the organization’s monthly newsletter and post updates and information on social media sites (Linwood PTO facebook page) to keep families and school staff up to date on upcoming events and issues.
Article IX- Executive Committee
Section 1. The Co-Presidents, Treasurer, Secretary and Community Relations Coordinator shall constitute the Executive Committee of the Board.
Section 2. The Executive Committee shall have general supervision of the affairs of the Organization between business meetings, make recommendations to the Board and Organization, and shall perform such other duties as is specified by these bylaws.
Section 3. Meetings of the Executive Committee may be held as needed on the call of the Presidents or by petition of a majority of the Executive Committee to the President.
Article X - Nominating Process
Section 1. At the regular meeting in March of each year in which an election is to be held, the President shall appoint a nominating committee of (5) members. The committee shall consist of the First Vice-President, the Belhaven and Seaview coordinators and two (2) members-at-large. It shall be the duty of the committee to nominate candidates for the offices to be filled at the May meeting.
Section 2. The nominating committee shall prepare a slate of candidates for election as Officers and Committee Chairpersons and shall secure the consent of its nominees to serve if elected. It shall report its nominations at the regular meeting in April.
Section 3. At the regular meeting in April, additional nominations from the floor shall be accepted, so long as those nominated are members and have given consent to the nomination.
Section 4. An announcement of elections shall be given in the Superintendent’s May Dates to Remember.”
Section 5. Nominations shall be closed and elections held at the May meeting.
Article XI - Financial Matters
Section 1. Any expenditure from the general Linwood Parent-Teacher Organization bank account under one hundred dollars ($100.00) must have the President’s approval. Any expenditure from the general Organization bank account of one hundred dollars ($100.00) or more must be approved by a majority of the membership in attendance. If time is of the essence, a majority of the Executive Board, when polled by the President, may approve an expenditure of one hundred dollars ($100.00) or more from the general Organization bank account.
Section 2. The Organization shall maintain bank accounts as deemed appropriate by a majority vote of the Board of Directors.
Section 3. Individuals committees and fundraising ventures are permitted to have separate bank accounts to facilitate operations and/or accounting procedures. Disbursements from these sub-accounts are permitted only if they directly relate to the routine operations of the committee or fund raising venture. All Organization accounts, including individual committee and fund raising venture accounts, shall be tainted at a financial institution disunited by the Treasurer of the Organization. The Treasurer shall be a signatory on all above-mentioned accounts.
Section 4. Individual committees and fundraising ventures having a bank account shall present a budget and/or accounting, for approval by the Board of Directories, by the November Organization meeting.
Section 5. Profits or remaining funds from these sub-accounts, over and above what is needed to start up the program, are to be transferred to the general Organization bank account in a manner and timeframe that is deemed appropriate by a majority vote of the Board of Directors.
Section 6. In those years when the Treasurer’s position changes, and outside independent audit or any or all Organizations accounts may be requested at the discretion of the President.
Article XII - Donations
Donations shall be considered only for school initiated activities. The amount of money shall be determined by the total expenditures incurred and the availability of the Organization funds.
Article XIII - Attendance
Each Board member is required to attend at least five (5) monthly meeting per school year. If not able to attend a meeting, a report should be given to the President or the Corresponding Secretary prior to the monthly meeting.
Article XIV - Order of Business
The President shall provide an agenda at each meeting. Anyone wishing to place any business on the agenda must submit it to the President at least five (5) days before the meeting.
Article XV - Amendments
These bylaws may be amended at any regular meeting of the Organization by a majority vote of the membership, provided a copy of the proposed amendments are disseminated at the immediately preceding meeting.
Article XVI - Parliamentary Authority
Robert’s Rules of Order shall govern the conduct of business in all cases in which they are applicable and not in conflict with these by-laws.
Introduced at the March 2007 Meeting
Revised 2018
Section 1. This organization shall be known as the Linwood parent– Teacher organization.
Section 2. the organization shall be non-– political and shall take no position in matters of governmental policy, other than those which concern education.
Article II – Purpose
The purpose of this organization shall be:
(a) to promote awareness of the important issue facing parents, guardians, and children in the Linwood schools;
(b) to provide educational, cultural and recreational activities for the children in the Linwood school;
(c) to raise money to support programs with and/or affiliated with the Linwood schools.
Article III - Membership
Section 1. Membership shall be open to all parents and guardians of children in the Linwood school as well as teachers, staff and administrators of the Linwood schools.
Section 2. All members may vote on all matters, including financial matters, policy matters and the election of officers and committee chairperson.
Section 3. All votes referenced by these bylaws are to be by the majority of those present and voting.
Article IV - Meetings
Section 1. The regular meetings of the Organization shall be held on the second Wednesday of each month, from September to June, unless otherwise ordered by the Board of Directors.
Section 2. The regular meeting on the second Wednesday of May shall be known as the “Annual Meeting.” The Annual Meeting of the membership shall be for the purpose of electing officers and committee chairperson, presenting the annual reports of the officers and committee chairpersons and for any other business that may arise.
Section 3. The June meeting shall be the joint meeting with that outgoing and incoming Officers. The outgoing President shall run the meeting until the "old" business has been completed. The incoming President shall conduct the"new business portion of the meeting.”
Section 4. Special membership meetings may be called by the President or the Executive Committee or on written application of ten (10) members of the Organization made it to the Recording Secretary. Except in cases of emergency, the recording secretary shall give at least three (3) days notice to all Officers and Committee Chairpersons and the purpose of the meeting shall be stated in the notice.
Article V - Board of Directors
Section 1. The Board of Directors shall consist of the elected Officers and the chairpersons of all standing committees.
Section 2. Control of the Organization shall rest with the Board of Directors, who shall be responsible for carrying out the prescribed purpose and objectives of the Organization.
Section 3. A quorum of the Board of Directors shall consist of five (5) board members. If time is of the essence, a majority of the Executive Committee constitutes a quorum. See Article X Section 1.
Section 4. Each member of the Board of Directors maybe elected to more than one office, or chair more than one committee, or both; however, each member of the board shall be entitled to only one vote.
Article VI - Committees
Section 1. Committee Chairperson shall be elected at the Annual Meeting.
Section 2. All committee chairperson shall serve for a term of two (2) years or until their successors have been appointed. Committee chairperson shall have a limit of two (2) consecutive terms as the same committee chairperson.
Section 3. The current standing committees of the organization and their purpose are as follows:
A. Belhaven School Coordinator
To work directly with administration, teachers and office staff on Organization sponsored projects. To organize all organizations related activities involving parent volunteers.
B. Book Fair Coordinator
To act as liaison with Scholastic Books to organize and coordinate a fall and spring book fair at Seaview and Belhaven schools.
C. Directory
To compile and sell (for a nominal fee) a school directory listing contact information voluntarily submitted by families in the school district and basic school information.
E. Field Day Coordinators
To coordinate and organize the two field days at Seaview and the one day at Belhaven at the end of the school year.
H. Linwood Education Foundation Representative
To provide a summary of LEF meetings and activities to enhance communications between the two groups.
J. SPACC Committee Representative
To provide parents with resources resources to support them in the process of educating their children. To develop sensitivity, appreciation and acceptance of human differences while enhancing awareness at the peer level through collaboration of special needs, regular education and gifted education groups.
K. Playground Volunteer Coordinator
To organize and coordinate daily parent volunteers to assist school staff in the Seaview school playground (or inside on rainy days) during lunchtime recess. The Coordinator will recruit volunteers, hold orientation sessions with new volunteers and do monthly scheduling of volunteers.
Article VII - Officers
Section 1. the officers of the organization and shall be the Co-Presidents, Secretary, and Treasurer, and Community Relations Coordinator who shall be elected in the manner hereinafter provided by the membership. More than one person may hold an officer position.
Section 2. Officers shall serve for a term of two (2) years or until their successors are elected. Each officer shall have a limit of two consecutive times in a particular office. If there are no successors and this PTO dissolves, all funds will be transferred into Seaview and Belhaven accounts.
Section 3. A majority vote of the members present shall be required to elect Officers.
Section 4. A vacancy in an elected office shall be filled by appointment by the President for the unexpired term with consent of a majority of the Executive Committee of the Board. In the case where the vacancy is the President position,the remaining President will preside.
Article VIII - Duties
Section 1. Co-President. The Presidents shall be the chief executive officer of the Organization and shall be charged with the operation of the general business and affairs of the Organization in accordance with these bylaws. The presidents shall preside at all meetings and shall execute the directives of the Organization; be responsible for appointments; be the official representative of the Organization; serve as a liaison between Organization and the school administration, faculty and staff; attend Superintendent’s Advisory Council Meetings or appoint a designee to attend such meetings for the school year; and speak or designate a speaker at any school work organization sponsored function. Presidentsshall supervise all fundraisers and appoint a chairperson for each individual fundraiser.
Section 2. Treasurer. The treasurer shall be responsible for maintaining the general organization bank account and shall receive all funds and deposit same in this account. The Treasurer shall submit a financial report at all meetings and shall have the authority to issue checks on behalf of the Organization.
Section 3. Secretary. The Secretary shall contact all members of the board to remind them of the time and place of the monthly meeting; shall record the minutes of each meeting and present written minutes at the following meeting; and shall take attendance at each meeting. The Secretary shall handle all correspondence of the Organization and shall present all written reports of the non-attending board members at the monthly meeting. The Secretary collects volunteers sheets that are included in back-to-school packets and disseminate that information to the Presidents and the appropriate Officers and Committee Chairpersons as soon as possible.
Section 4: Community Relations Coordinator. The Community Relations Coordinator will coordinate, prepare and disseminate the organization’s monthly newsletter and post updates and information on social media sites (Linwood PTO facebook page) to keep families and school staff up to date on upcoming events and issues.
Article IX- Executive Committee
Section 1. The Co-Presidents, Treasurer, Secretary and Community Relations Coordinator shall constitute the Executive Committee of the Board.
Section 2. The Executive Committee shall have general supervision of the affairs of the Organization between business meetings, make recommendations to the Board and Organization, and shall perform such other duties as is specified by these bylaws.
Section 3. Meetings of the Executive Committee may be held as needed on the call of the Presidents or by petition of a majority of the Executive Committee to the President.
Article X - Nominating Process
Section 1. At the regular meeting in March of each year in which an election is to be held, the President shall appoint a nominating committee of (5) members. The committee shall consist of the First Vice-President, the Belhaven and Seaview coordinators and two (2) members-at-large. It shall be the duty of the committee to nominate candidates for the offices to be filled at the May meeting.
Section 2. The nominating committee shall prepare a slate of candidates for election as Officers and Committee Chairpersons and shall secure the consent of its nominees to serve if elected. It shall report its nominations at the regular meeting in April.
Section 3. At the regular meeting in April, additional nominations from the floor shall be accepted, so long as those nominated are members and have given consent to the nomination.
Section 4. An announcement of elections shall be given in the Superintendent’s May Dates to Remember.”
Section 5. Nominations shall be closed and elections held at the May meeting.
Article XI - Financial Matters
Section 1. Any expenditure from the general Linwood Parent-Teacher Organization bank account under one hundred dollars ($100.00) must have the President’s approval. Any expenditure from the general Organization bank account of one hundred dollars ($100.00) or more must be approved by a majority of the membership in attendance. If time is of the essence, a majority of the Executive Board, when polled by the President, may approve an expenditure of one hundred dollars ($100.00) or more from the general Organization bank account.
Section 2. The Organization shall maintain bank accounts as deemed appropriate by a majority vote of the Board of Directors.
Section 3. Individuals committees and fundraising ventures are permitted to have separate bank accounts to facilitate operations and/or accounting procedures. Disbursements from these sub-accounts are permitted only if they directly relate to the routine operations of the committee or fund raising venture. All Organization accounts, including individual committee and fund raising venture accounts, shall be tainted at a financial institution disunited by the Treasurer of the Organization. The Treasurer shall be a signatory on all above-mentioned accounts.
Section 4. Individual committees and fundraising ventures having a bank account shall present a budget and/or accounting, for approval by the Board of Directories, by the November Organization meeting.
Section 5. Profits or remaining funds from these sub-accounts, over and above what is needed to start up the program, are to be transferred to the general Organization bank account in a manner and timeframe that is deemed appropriate by a majority vote of the Board of Directors.
Section 6. In those years when the Treasurer’s position changes, and outside independent audit or any or all Organizations accounts may be requested at the discretion of the President.
Article XII - Donations
Donations shall be considered only for school initiated activities. The amount of money shall be determined by the total expenditures incurred and the availability of the Organization funds.
Article XIII - Attendance
Each Board member is required to attend at least five (5) monthly meeting per school year. If not able to attend a meeting, a report should be given to the President or the Corresponding Secretary prior to the monthly meeting.
Article XIV - Order of Business
The President shall provide an agenda at each meeting. Anyone wishing to place any business on the agenda must submit it to the President at least five (5) days before the meeting.
Article XV - Amendments
These bylaws may be amended at any regular meeting of the Organization by a majority vote of the membership, provided a copy of the proposed amendments are disseminated at the immediately preceding meeting.
Article XVI - Parliamentary Authority
Robert’s Rules of Order shall govern the conduct of business in all cases in which they are applicable and not in conflict with these by-laws.
Introduced at the March 2007 Meeting
Revised 2018