BY-LAWS

BY-LAWS OF THE PALMER TRINITY SCHOOL PARENTS’ ASSOCIATION ARTICLE I: NAME The name of this Association is the Palmer Trinity Parents’ Association (“PTPA” or “Association”).

ARTICLE II: OBJECTIVES The objectives of the PTPA shall be to assist in the growth and development of the entire Palmer Trinity School (“PTS” or “School”) community in support of the mission of the School by encouraging family engagement, to ensure a strong school and home partnership.

ARTICLE III: MEMBERSHIP Section 1.

The parents or legal guardians of students currently enrolled in the School shall be members of the PTPA. Section 2.

Members shall have the right to attend and speak at meetings, to make motions, to vote, to serve on committees and to hold office.

ARTICLE IV: OFFICERS AND ELECTIONS Section 1.

The officers of the PTPA, also known as the “Executive Board,” shall consist of a President, a President-Elect, a Vice-President of Planning, a Vice-President of Community, a Vice President of Finance, and a Secretary. These officers shall perform the duties prescribed by these Bylaws and by the parliamentary authority adopted by the PTPA. The immediate past president of the PTPA may also sit on the Executive Board; however, this position is a non-voting position.

Section 2.

To be eligible to serve as an officer of PTPA, the candidate must have served at least one term in a parent volunteer leadership role Section 3.

The officers shall be elected to serve for one year. This term of office shall coincide with the School’s fiscal year.

Section 4.

No member shall hold more than one Executive Board position at the same time, and no member shall be eligible to serve more than two consecutive terms in the same office, unless exigent circumstances warrant a longer tenure. By February 1, the members of the Executive Board that are eligible for re-election shall notify the chairperson pro-tem of the Nominating Committee, of their decision to run for office again or not. No member shall serve more than four years on the Executive Board unless exigent circumstances warrant a longer tenure.

Section 5.

Officers shall not be employees of the School.

Section 6.

A vacancy occurring in any office of the Executive Board, with the exception of the President, may be filled for the unexpired term by a person selected by the Executive Board and approved by majority vote of the Executive Board.

If the vacancy occurs in the office of the President, the vacancy shall be filled in succession as follows: PresidentElect, Vice-President of Planning, Vice-President of Community, and Vice President of Finance.

ARTICLE V: NOMINATING COMMITTEE Section 1.

On or before February 15th of each year, a Nominating Committee shall be formed and shall actively begin seeking recommendations from the school community in order to nominate a proposed slate of officers for the following year. The Nominating Committee shall be composed of either three or five members, none of whom will be seeking nomination for a position as an officer of the PTPA Executive Board. Of these members, at least one shall be from Upper School and at least one from Middle School.

Section 2.

Any member who wishes to serve on the Nominating Committee shall submit his or her name for consideration by email to the Director of Parent Relations no later than February 1. The PTPA Executive Board shall appoint the members of the Nominating Committee.

Section 3.

The President-Elect, or, in the absence of a President-Elect, another officer of the PTPA Executive Board not seeking re-election, shall serve as chair pro tem to convene the initial meeting of the Nominating Committee. At the initial meeting, the Nominating Committee shall select its own chair, who shall not be one of PTPA Executive Board officers up for re-election. Upon selection of the Nominating Committee chairperson, the President-Elect shall not participate in any further proceedings of the Nominating Committee.

Section 4.

The current President-Elect or a member of the Executive Board shall present the candidates for consideration of office selected by the Nominating Committee to the Head of School for pre-approval. Final approval of the slate shall be determined by the Director of Parent Relations.

Section 5.

The PTPA Executive Board shall post the approved candidates for PTPA officers on the School website b y March 15 After the names of approved candidates are posted, but no later than March 25, any member who is not on the slate and who wishes to be considered for an officer position may submit his or her name and the position for which they would like to be considered to the Nominating Committee. Submissions shall be considered for approval by the Head of School. Any new approved candidates shall be added to the initial slate offered by the Nominating Committee. Voting can take place electronically, no later than the scheduled final PTPA General Meeting. If there is more than one candidate for a particular office, the vote will be by ballot. The officer receiving the majority of votes shall be elected.

Section 6.

All members of the Nominating Committee are bound by a duty of confidentiality.

ARTICLE VI: DUTIES OF THE OFFICERS Section 1.

The President, under the direction of the Director of Parent Relations, shall preside at all meetings of the PTPA and shall be a non-voting member of all standing committees.

Section 2.

The President-Elect shall act as an aide to the President. The President-Elect shall also convene the organizational meeting of the Nominating Committee and serve as its chairperson pro-tem during the organizational meeting. In the event the President is absent or unable to perform the duties of office, the President-Elect shall assume the President’s duties during such absence or period of unavailability.

Section 3.

The Vice President of Planning shall serve as the Executive Board liaison to the Committee Chairs and oversee the works of his/her assigned standing committees.

Section 4.

The Vice President of Community shall be responsible for the oversight of Grade Coordinators and the timely, accurate communication of relevant school news and activities.

Section 5.

The Vice President of Finance shall have accountability for the budgeted funds (a/k/a PTPA General Fund) allotted to the PTPA by Palmer Trinity School; shall keep a full and accurate record of the receipts and expenditures of the PTPA General Fund; and shall ascertain that disbursements are in accordance with the approved budget. Any discrepancies in the budget shall immediately be brought to the attention of the President and the Director of Parent Relations. Special Event budgets are separate from the PTPA budget and are specifically not part of the Vice President of Finance duties. The Vice President of Finance shall present an accurate and complete written financial report at every PTPA Executive Board meeting, and every PTPA General Parent meeting, as requested. The Vice President of Finance shall serve as a liaison for development events.

Section 6.

The Secretary shall take the minutes of the Executive Board meetings, the Committee Chair meetings, the Grade Coordinator meetings, and the General Parent meetings. The Secretary shall ensure the minutes of the PTPA General Meetings are posted on the school website in a timely manner. The Secretary is a non-voting member of the Executive Board.

Section 7.

To further the objectives of the PTPA, each officer of the Executive Board shall perform other duties as prescribed in these Bylaws or as assigned by the PTPA Executive Board.

ARTICLE VII: GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETINGS Section 1.

A meeting open to all members is known as a General Parent meeting.

Section 2.

A minimum of three General Parent meetings shall be held from September to May inclusive, unless otherwise ordered by the PTPA Board.

Section 3.

The final General Parent meeting shall include the election of officers for the following year and any other business that may arise. At a General Parent meeting, ten members shall constitute a quorum.

ARTICLE VIII: THE EXECUTIVE BOARD Section 1.

The PTPA Executive Board shall supervise the affairs of the PTPA and perform the duties in accordance with the by-laws.

Section 2.

Meetings of the Executive Board are to be called by the President as needed with a minimum of five meetings per year.

Section 3.

At a PTPA Executive Board meeting, three officers shall constitute a quorum. In exceptional circumstances, to secure quorum, an officer may appear via telephone conferencing. In addition, the Executive Board may, in its discretion, call an emergency meeting of the Board via telephone or email correspondence, with emergency voting being secured through telephone or email.

Section 4.

Executive Board Members that have 2 or more unexcused absences from Executive Board meetings may be removed from office by majority vote of the Executive Board. Vacancies may be filled as provided in Article IV Section 6.

ARTICLE IX: COMMITTEES Section 1.

The Executive Board may create or dissolve any standing or ad hoc committee, as it deems necessary to promote the objectives and carry on the work of the PTPA.

Section 2.

Each committee shall have one or more chairs who shall be appointed by the PTPA Executive Board. Each chair shall serve for a term of one year. The PTPA Executive Board may renew a chair’s term of service. Any chair vacancies may be filled by the Executive Board as they occur.

Section 3.

All committees shall notify the President, the VP of Planning, and the Director of Parent Relations of all meetings.

Section 4.

The Executive Board and the Chairpersons of the standing committees shall meet three times a year. The mid-term meeting may be waived at the discretion of the Vice President of Planning.

Section 5.

The chairperson of each standing and ad hoc committee shall present a year-end report at the conclusion of that term of office. The report shall include a full record of all activities during the year, what refinements had been made during the year, and recommendations for the following year, including the proposed budget request for the ensuing year.

ARTICLE X: PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY The rules contained in the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised shall govern the PTPA in all instances where they are applicable and in which they are not in conflict with the PTPA Bylaws and any special rules of order the Association may adopt.

Section 1.

ARTICLE XI: AMENDMENTS OF BYLAWS

These Bylaws may be amended at any General Parent meeting of the PTPA by a majority of the members present, provided that notice of the proposed amendment(s) shall have been distributed, electronically, by U.S. Postal Service, or by posting on the PTPA webpage, to the general membership at least one week prior to the vote.

Amendments to the By-laws shall become effective immediately upon approval by the general membership.

Section 2.

At least every three years, the President shall appoint a committee to review and recommend revisions to these Bylaws.

ADOPTED: May 20, 1992 REVISED: April 13, 1994 REVISED: February 13, 1995 REVISED: May 20, 1997 REVISED: April 22, 1998 REVISED: March 19, 2007 REVISED: April 27, 2009 REVISED: February 12, 2010 REVISED: February 24. 2016 REVISED: January 25, 2017

REVISED: January 31, 2018 REVISED: March 9, 2021 REVISED: May 7, 2023 REVISED: March 20, 2024