Preamble
The parents and staff of Mt. Helix Academy have joined together in the formation of this organization to offer their services and support for the benefit of students at Mt. Helix Academy, a school of The Institute for Effective Education (TIEE). TIEE is a nonprofit corporation [501(c)(3)], chartered by the state of California in 1972 to provide education and other services.
ARTICLE I – NAME
The name of this body shall be “Mt. Helix Academy Parent-Teacher Group,” hereafter referred to as the “Mt. Helix Academy PTG” or simply “PTG.”
ARTICLE II – PURPOSE
The purpose of the PTG is to promote and support the best educational environment possible for students attending Mt. Helix Academy through achieving the following objectives:
1. Develop and maintain communication and cooperation between the parents of students at Mt. Helix Academy and the school’s staff and administration;
2. Recommend as necessary changes in school policies and practices to the administration;
3. Generate funds for student educational and social activities and improvements to school facilities;
4. Host and/or assist in all social, open house, and special events, including those that encourage the enrollment of new students.
ARTICLE III – BASIC POLICIES
SECTION 1
The PTG shall be noncommercial, nonsectarian, and nonpartisan. It shall abide by federal and state laws and regulations that govern TIEE’s status as a 501(c)(3), California tax-exempt corporation in good standing.
SECTION 2
The name of the PTG, or the names of any members in their official capacities, shall not be used in connection with any commercial or partisan interest, nor for any purpose not appropriately related to the purposes of TIEE and Mt. Helix Academy.
SECTION 3
In the event of the dissolution of the PTG, its assets shall be held in trust by the Board of Directors of TIEE until such time as a new organization is established. If, after a period of two years, no new organization having similar goals is established, said assets shall be distributed as deemed appropriate by the Board of Directors of TIEE.
SECTION 4
Expenditure of PTG funds must be in accordance with its goals as established in its annual budget that must be approved by majority vote of PTG members present at a duly called and held PTG meeting. Any planned change in budgeted expenditures greater than $1,000.00 requires majority vote of the members present at a duly called and held general PTG meeting.
SECTION 5
The Treasurer shall have the authority to approve expenditures up to $1000.00 that are consistent with the approved budget. Budgeted expenditures over $1,000.00 must be approved by the majority of the Board of Officers prior to releasing the funds.
SECTION 6
Monies collected on behalf of PTG shall be surrendered to the PTG Treasurer or the Director within 48 hours. The PTG Treasurer shall deposit monies in the PTG bank account within a reasonable period of time and must do so as soon as possible if the amount of money held is greater than $500.
ARTICLE IV – MEMBERSHIP
Members of the PTG shall consist of all parents and guardians of children enrolled in Mt. Helix Academy, the school’s staff, and the school’s administration.
ARTICLE V – BOARD MEMBERS
SECTION 1
The PTG shall be governed by a Board of Officers that shall be elected annually by the members and must be approved by the Director of Mt. Helix Academy.
SECTION 2
The PTG Board shall consist of four elected Officers and the Director of Mt. Helix Academy, who shall serve ex-officio.
SECTION 3
The elected Officers shall be the following: President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Communications Coordinator. All elected Board Officers shall be voting members of the PTG Board of Officers.
ARTICLE VI – NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS
SECTION 1
All PTG members shall be eligible for nomination to the Board of Officers.
SECTION 2
The Nominating Committee shall consist of the current President, the Director of Mt. Helix Academy, and a parent PTG member who is neither currently serving nor nominated for a position on the Board of Officers. The committee shall prepare a slate of nominees for each Board position that will be presented at the April PTG meeting. In addition, any
PTG member may nominate him/herself or any other member for any Board position.
SECTION 3
A PTG member may only stand for election to one office per year. Members who are nominated for more than one position shall be requested by the nominating committee to state a preference for one of the positions.
SECTION 4
A ballot shall be prepared by the Secretary and distributed by the Director of Mt. Helix Academy to every member of the PTG in such time as to permit the return and tabulation of votes by the regularly scheduled May PTG meeting.
SECTION 5
An electronic ballot and vote is permitted.
SECTION 6
Votes shall be tabulated by the Director of Mt. Helix Academy, one Board member, and a parent PTG member who is neither on the Board nor nominated for a Board position.
SECTION 7
Nominees receiving the majority of the votes for each position shall be notified by the Director of Mt. Helix Academy prior to the May PTG meeting, at which time they shall be announced and confirmed as newly elected Board of Officers, whose one-year term of office commences September 1.
SECTION 8
At the end of the term of office or at the time of resignation a Board member shall deliver all records, materials, and funds pertaining to the office to the PTG President or to the Director of Mt. Helix Academy, who, in turn, shall make the materials available to the next relevant officer.
ARTICLES VII – OFFICER VACANCIES
SECTION 1
In the event that no PTG member is serving as one of the Officers, that Officer’s position is considered vacant and shall be filled as soon as possible by a PTG member who shall be elected by majority vote of the remaining Board of Officers.
SECTION 2
In the event that a Board member fails to attend three consecutive meetings or is not fulfilling the duties of the office as prescribed in these bylaws, the Board of Officers may, by consensus of the members present, declare the office vacant.
SECTION 3
In the event that a Board member’s child is withdrawn or expelled from the school, the office held by that Board member will automatically become vacant.
ARTICLE VIII – MEETINGS
SECTION 1
General meetings of the PTG shall be held each month on a date and time designated by the Board of Officers and scheduled prior to the beginning of each school year.
SECTION 2
The schedule of PTG general meetings shall be posted in the school’s office and on the school’s website, and notice of individual meetings shall be given two weeks in advance by posting in the school’s office and by email.
SECTION 3
General meetings are the responsibility of the President and shall start on time and be conducted in an efficient manner according to standard rules of order.
SECTION 4
Board of Officer meetings will be scheduled as deemed necessary by the President, Director of Mt. Helix Academy, or as requested by another Board member.
ARTICLE IX – OFFICERS DUTIES
SECTION 1: PRESIDENT:
A. Shall preside at all general and special meetings of the PTG and all meetings of the Board of Officers.
B. Shall establish the agenda for the meetings, which shall be distributed to PTG members by email.
C. Shall be the official representative of the PTG.
D. Shall act as a liaison between administration and the PTG and be responsible for communicating information and recommendations to the administration.
E. Shall be authorized to approve expenses in keeping with the goals and objectives of the PTG.
F. Shall coordinate the work of the officers and committees.
SECTION 2: SECRETARY:
A. Shall keep minutes of all Board of Officers, general, and special meetings.
B. Shall have minutes proofread by the Director.
C. Shall distribute the edited minutes to the membership within 7 days following the meeting.
D. Shall be prepared to refer to the minutes of previous meetings.
E. Shall maintain records of the PTG, including a current roster of the members of PTG.
F. Shall assist the President, other Board members, and ad hoc committee chairs with correspondence, including announcements of upcoming events, letters, thank-you cards, and so forth.
SECTION 3 TREASURER:
A. Shall keep permanent books of accounts, including records of fund raising, receipts, expenditures, and disbursement of funds of the PTG.
B. Shall produce for each PTG monthly meeting a monthly and year-to-date income statement and balance sheet for distribution to the Board of Officers and other PTG members. The statement shall categorize all income and disbursements in the manner established by the annual PTG budget.
C. Shall receive all the monies for the PTG, prepare bank deposit slips, and ensure timely deposits of funds.
D. Shall be authorized to spend up to $500 on supplies needed to conduct the business of the PTG.
E. Shall process all the bills as approved by the Board in a timely manner and submit them to the TIEE Business Office for payment.
SECTION 4: COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR:
A. Shall work with the Director of Mt. Helix Academy as a liaison for promoting Mt. Helix Academy’s superior educational environment
B. Shall work with the TIEE website coordinator to maintain PTG News section of the Mt. Helix Academy website.
C. Shall provide updates for weekly communication newsletter (i.e., Constant Contact) including student achievements, upcoming events, and any other items of interest.
D. Shall maintain the “PTG News” bulletin board on campus.
SECTION 5: HOMEROOM PARENT COORDINATOR
A. The homeroom parent coordinator shall be a member of the Mt. Helix Academy staff.
B. Shall set up and conduct an organizational and informational meeting to describe responsibilities of newly recruited homeroom parents.
C. Shall recruit homeroom parents from all grades.
D. Shall attend PTG meetings and relay information pertinent to homeroom parents.
ARTICLE X – GOVERNING RULES
A copy of the bylaws shall be available on the Mt. Helix Academy website.
ARTICLE XI – CHANGES IN BYLAWS
SECTION 1
The PTG Board of Officers shall have the power to recommend changes in the bylaws herein contained for the management and operation of the PTG.
SECTION 2
Any proposed change will be posted on the website for at least two weeks prior to the upcoming PTG meeting. This notice shall contain the language of the change in its original and amended forms.
SECTION 3
At the next PTG meeting, a majority vote of consent from those members attending shall be required to adopt the change.
