Parent Teacher Organization

Bonnie Callahan & Stacy Hochschwender, Co-Presidents

PTO BY-LAWS

The mission of the J. W. Worrall Elementary School is to take an interest in the affairs of our children and our school through active involvement with our administration, teachers and events.

1. Name – the name of the organization shall be the J. W. Worrall Elementary School Parent Teacher Organization.
2. Purpose – the purpose of the organization is to aid the students of the J. W. Worrall Elementary School by providing support for their educational, social and recreational needs through the open communication among the administration, teachers and parents.
3. Membership – all parents or legal guardians of a child enrolled and attending J. W. Worrall Elementary School. The principal of the school is also a member of the PTO as well as all teaching faculty of the school.
4. Dues – dues will be collected at the beginning of each school year for the publication of a school directory. The PTO Executive Committee will establish the annual amount for the dues. Dues are paid per family and not per student in the school. Families may choose to not be included in the directory. Families failing to pay the dues will not receive a directory.
5. Classroom Parties – money will also be collected at the beginning of each school year to pay for 4 classroom parties throughout the year. It is expected that all families pay the requested amount per child enrolled in the school.
6. Meetings – regular meetings will be held the 2 nd Wednesday of the month (unless noted otherwise) during September, October, November, January, February, March, April and May. A dinner meeting will be offered during the month of May to honor PTO volunteers and parents of graduating 5 th graders. No official PTO business will be conducted at the dinner meeting. The Executive Committee shall meet as determined necessary.
7. PTO Wednesday Envelopes – each Wednesday during the school year information will be sent home via the students in an envelope. The envelope needs to be emptied, signed and returned to school the following day. This is the basic form of communication used by the PTO and the school district.
8. Basic Policies – the PTO will not seek to direct the administrative activities of the school nor control its policies. The organization may make suggestions to the administration concerning activities of the school toward the betterment of conditions of all concerned.
9. Officers and their Elections
   • The Officers of this Organization shall consist of two (2) presidents, one (1) vice-president, one (1) secretary and one (1) treasurer.
   • Officers will be elected at the April PTO meeting by the members present. Notice of open positions will be made available at the March PTO Meeting and through the Wednesday envelopes.
   • Officers will assume their official duties at the last PTO meeting of the school year.
   • The Co-Presidents will serve two-year terms with one new president changing each year. The Vice-President will serve a one-year term and then become a Co-President for the next two years. The treasurer and secretary will both serve two-year terms with elections in alternating years. The treasurer will be elected in odd years and the secretary in even years.
   • It is recommended that volunteers serve no more than two (2) consecutive terms in the same office.
10. Officers and their Duties
    • The Co-Presidents will preside at all meetings of the organization. Presidents shall vote only in the case of a tie. By mutual agreement, one of the co-presidents will be designated as the primary contact for each committee chairperson and the school administration. Other duties may be assigned by the officers to assure that the objectives of the organization are met.
    • The Vice-President will act as the aid to the Presidents and perform their duties in their absence. The Vice-President may also be assigned other duties to assure that the objectives of the organization are being met.
    • The Secretary will record the minutes of all meetings of the organization and make available the minutes for distribution in the Wednesday envelopes.
    • The Treasurer will receive all monies of the organization; keep an accurate record of receipts and expenditures; pay out funds in accordance with the approval of the executive committee; and present a financial statement at the monthly meetings. The treasurer may also be asked to provide financial statements/information as requested by the executive committee.
    • All officers are considered members of the Executive Committee.
    • All officers will deliver to their successors official materials at the close of their service.
11. Standing and Special Committees – shall be determined annually at the September meeting of the organization. All committee chairpersons will be issued committee guidelines by the executive committee. At a minimum these guidelines will include the budgeted amount of expenditures and revenues expected for each committee.
    Special committees may be created by the executive committee. These committees will be designated with a specific time frame and task to be completed.
12. Finances
    • The officers will present to the budget of anticipated revenue and expenditures at the first regular meeting of the school year. All teaching faculty will also be informed of the anticipated revenues and expenditures for the year by the beginning of the school year. This budget will be used to guide the organization’s activities throughout the year. Any substantial deviations from the budget ($1,000 or more) must be approved by the general membership.
    • Only the Executive Committee can enter into contracts or agreements on behalf of the Organization. Neither the officers nor any other member may enter into contracts or agreements on behalf of J.W. Worrall Elementary School or the Marple Newtown School District.
    • No loans shall be made by the organization to its officers or members.
    • Checks may be signed by the treasurer and any other officer as selected by the executive committee.
    • The treasurer will deposit all funds of the organization into an account of the organization in such banks or other depositories as the officers may select and will make disbursements as authorized by the officers in accordance with the budget. All deposits and disbursements will be made within 30 days.
13. Amendments – These bylaws may be amended, altered or repealed and new bylaws may be adopted by the members present at any regularly or specially scheduled (by the Executive Committee) organization meeting.

Bylaws Drafted August 18, 2004