BYLAWS OF THE MCKNIGHT ELEMENTARY PARENT FACULTY ASSOCIATION
Proposed Revision May 2007

 Article I - Name

The name of this association shall be the McKnight Elementary Parent Faculty Association (McKnight PFA).

Article II - Objectives 

The Objectives of the McKnight PFA shall be: 

1. To bring the home and the school into a closer relationship so that parents, teachers and administrators may cooperate intelligently in the educating and training of children. 

2. To initiate and support such activities, programs and equipment appropriate to the education, health and happiness of the children of McKnight Elementary. 

3. To enable the North Allegheny School Board and Administration      to draw upon the resources of the PFA for various issues and concerns in the district such as redistricting, census, etc. 

4.  To foster a sense of community among McKnight students, faculty, staff and families. 

Article III - Policies

Section 1 -- The program of this association shall be educationally supportive and shall be developed through meetings, committees and projects. 

Section 2 -- This association shall be noncommercial, nonsectarian and nonpartisan. It shall not endorse a commercial enterprise or a candidate. The name of the association 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 the association. 

  Section 3 -- This association shall seek neither to direct the administrative activities of the school nor to control its policies but to furnish the administration with the views of its   membership. 

Section 4 -- This association may cooperate with other organizations and agencies active in child welfare, providing its representative makes no commitments that bind the group without its consent. 

Section 5 -- This association may raise money for equipment, activities and programs for enriching the school life.  Charitable collections within the organization may be allowed, only insofar as they do not interfere with the main fundraising activities of the organization.  Donations from outside the organization may be accepted, to the extent that they fit within the organization’s goals and priorities. 

Section 6 – The PFA Directory shall not be used for any sales or solicitation of members unrelated to PFA activities.

 Article IV - Membership & Dues 

Section 1 -- A member in good standing shall be one who has paid annual dues via the purchase of a McKnight Directory.  Any McKnight parent, legal guardian, teacher or staff member interested in the Objectives of the McKnight PFA, who is willing to uphold and subscribe to its By Laws, may become a member.   

Section 2 -- The dues shall be an amount determined by the Membership (Directory) Committee in conjunction with the Board (see Article VIII Section 1) at the beginning of the school year. 

Section 3 -- An enrollment of members shall be conducted at the beginning of each school year.  Additional members shall be accepted at any time. 

Article V - Election of Officers 

Section 1:

             a. The officers of this association shall be president (or co-presidents), vice president, secretary, treasurer and assistant treasurer. 

b. Officers shall be elected by a show-of-hands vote provided there is only one candidate for each office. In the event of multiple candidates for an office, a paper ballot shall be used. 

c. The offices of president(s), vice president, secretary, and treasurer must be filled by a candidate having served a minimum of one (1) year on the Board unless there is no one available to serve from the existing Board. 

             d. Officers shall serve for a term of one (1) year. 

e. No person shall serve more than two (2) consecutive terms in the same office unless there is no one else available to serve. 

f. Officers must be members in good standing in the association. 

Section 2:

a. There shall be a nominating committee of five (5) members selected from the Board and membership-at-large in February of each year.  An attempt shall be made to represent each geographic area served by the school in both the nominating committee and the slate of officers. 

b. The nominating committee shall nominate one or more nominees for each office that is to be filled and the president(s) shall present the report by the April meeting of the PFA membership. 

c. Following the report of the nominating committee, an opportunity shall be given for nominations from the floor. 

d. Only those who have consented to serve shall be eligible for nomination from the floor.

e. Elections shall be held at the May PFA meeting.   

Section 3 -- A vacancy occurring in an office shall be filled by a majority vote of the remaining members of the Board and the membership shall be notified of such changes.   

Article VI - Duties of Officers

 Section 1 – The president(s) shall preside at all meetings of the association and the Board, shall be a member ex-officio of all committees and shall perform such duties as may be prescribed in these By Laws or agreed upon by the Board.  It is the responsibility of the president(s) to conduct meetings in an orderly and inclusive fashion.   

Section 2 -- The vice president shall act as an aide to the president(s), be the assembly/ program chairman, and shall perform the duties of the president(s) in the absence of those officers. 

Section 3 -- The secretary shall keep an accurate record of all Board meetings and officers meetings, and shall perform such duties as may be delegated to her (him). 

Section 4 -- The treasurer shall receive and deposit monies of the association in a timely fashion, shall keep an up-to-date and accurate record of receipts and expenditures, and shall payout funds only as authorized by the association. Funds shall be paid out in a timely manner (generally within two (2) weeks of receipt of the request) provided proper documentation is submitted.  The treasurer shall present an accurate and updated statement of account at every meeting of the association and at other times when requested by the Board.  The statement shall be made available for review by the Officers prior to monthly meetings.  The outgoing treasurer shall make a full and reconciled report at the end of her (his) term in office.  

Section 4a – The assistant treasurer shall learn the procedures, policies and programs of the organization.  Specific duties shall be as delegated by the treasurer.  In the event that the treasurer cannot complete his or her term of office, or in the absence of the treasurer, the assistant treasurer shall assume the position.  The assistant treasurer shall be responsible for compiling an annual audit checklist and supervising an annual audit of the PFA books. 

Section 5 -- The parliamentarian shall be the past president, if available, and her (his) duties are to advise the presiding officer on questions or matters of procedure.  If the former president is unavailable, the parliamentarian shall be another former officer or a member of the Board.  Robert's Rules of Order Revised shall govern this association in all cases. 

Section 6 -- Should an officer fail to fulfill her (his) duties as outlined in the By Laws, she (he) shall be subject to a review and recommendation for dismissal by the Board. 

Section 7 -- Officers shall assume their official duties at the close of the last meeting of the school year, except president(s) and treasurer who will remain in office until June 30. During the time between the last meeting and June 30, the incoming president(s) and treasurer will be trained for their respective offices.

Section 8 -- A vacancy occurring in any office except president shall be filled for the unexpired term by a person selected by a majority of the remaining members of the Board. If the office of president is vacated during the year, it shall be filled automatically by the co-president or the vice president. 

Article VII - Financial 

Section 1 -- The fiscal year for the McKnight PFA shall be from July 1 to June 30. 

Section 2 -- The books and records of the treasurer shall be submitted as of August 1st of each year to an independent auditor. The auditor will follow the audit checklist provided by the assistant treasurer.  The treasurer shall report the findings to the Officers in writing and to the Board at the first meeting of the school year. 

Section 3 – The Officers and Board shall begin work on the next year’s budget in March, presenting a preliminary budget for the following school year at the May meeting.  There shall be a budget meeting of the officers, the principal and the fundraising chairperson(s) prior to the beginning of the school year to review and adjust the budget priorities. The final budget shall be approved by majority vote of the general membership at the beginning of the school year in question. 

Section 4 – Subject to the preliminary budget as presented and pre-approved in May, funds shall be available during summer months as needed, prior to formal approval of the budget at the beginning of the school year. 

Section 5 – At all times, the PFA will maintain accurate and up-to-date signature cards at the association’s bank.  At least one officer other than the Treasurer shall be authorized to sign checks.

 Article VIII - The Board 

Section 1 -- The Board shall consist of the officers of the association, the chairpersons of the committees, the principal of the school and the faculty liaison. 

            a. The officers and the Principal shall constitute the Executive Board. 

Section 2 -- The duties of the Board shall be:

            a. To transact business as may be referred to it by the membership. 

b. To review and approve the plans of the chairpersons at or prior to each monthly meeting. 

c. To approve expenditures outside of the pre-approved Budget (see Article VII Section 3), the Board must obtain a majority vote at a regular monthly meeting.  (The Officers may approve emergency expenditures, reporting to the membership-at-large at the following regular meeting.) 

d. To select delegates to represent the McKnight PFA when the need arises. 

Section 3 -- The Board has the responsibility to provide start-up funds for the succeeding Board. 

Article IX - Chairpersons 

Section 1 -- The association shall at any given time have some or all of the following chairpersons, who must be members in good standing: Fundraising, Family Picnic, Hospitality, Newsletter, Holiday Shop, Membership, Room Parent, Community Support, Book Fair, After School Programs, Tiger Shop, Market Day, Yearbook, Grants, Community Events, Chess Club, Welcome Team, Shoe Box Science, Dr. Seuss Day, Publishing Center, Birthday Book Club, Staff Appreciation, Traveling Art Gallery, Picture Day, 5^th Grade Picnic, School Board Representative, Unified Boosters Representative, Superintendent Parent Liaison Committee Representative, North Allegheny Foundation Representative, Parliamentarian and others as determined by the Board.

1. Chairpersons of the committees shall be selected by the nominating committee.

2. The term of office shall be one (1) year.

3. No person shall serve more than two (2) consecutive terms in the same chairmanship unless there is no one else available to serve.

Section 2 -- The chairperson of each committee shall present a plan of work to the Board. No committee work or expenditures outside of the approved budget shall be undertaken without the approval of the Board. 

Section 3 -- The nominating committee shall be responsible for selecting the committee members.  The committee chair shall be responsible for communicating with those members, and additional committee members may be added throughout the school year. 

Section 4 -- Such other committees as the association or the Board shall deem necessary to carry on the work of the association, shall be created or terminated by majority vote of the Board. 

Section 5 – Chairpersons shall be responsible for approving and submitting timely invoices for payment and expenditures for reimbursement (generally within thirty (30) days), with appropriate reimbursement request forms.  The chairperson shall keep accurate records of expenses and deposits.  Such records shall be made available to the Treasurer for auditing or reconciliation purposes.  Chairpersons shall submit budget requests for the following school year each April. 

Section 6 – Chairpersons shall also record all checks and monies collected, keeping accurate records, and turning them into the Treasurer in a timely fashion (generally within two (2) weeks of collection).  The Chairperson shall keep accurate records of submitted deposits by name and check number. 

Section 7 -- It is the responsibility of each chairperson to attend every monthly PFA meeting and all Board meetings. Chairpersons shall be prepared to present oral reports at each meeting, especially as the activities of that committee are timely.  In the event of an absence, the chairperson should notify the president 48 hours in advance and/or provide a proxy representative. 

Section 8 -- Dismissal

1. In the event that a chairperson misses more than two (2) consecutive Board or monthly meetings, the Board may review the situation and make a recommendation for dismissal.
    

2. In the event that a chairperson has not fulfilled committee work, the Board will make a recommendation for dismissal.

Section 9 --   Chairpersons shall maintain a timely and comprehensive binder with contacts, budgets and procedures which can be passed on to subsequent chairs. 

Section 10 – The president(s) of the McKnight PFA and the principal of McKnight Elementary School must review and approve in advance any written notice or correspondence sent out concerning McKnight PFA business or activities.  Each committee chairperson is responsible for seeing that this requirement is adhered to by their committee. 

Article X - Meetings 

Section 1.

a.   The schedule of monthly meetings shall be set by the Officers each May for the subsequent school year, and will be opened to the entire membership.  Meetings shall generally be held the first Wednesday of each month, unless otherwise scheduled due to conflicts.  In the interest of communicating with working parents, evening meetings shall be scheduled periodically each year. 

b.   The Officers shall meet prior to each monthly meeting to review financial information and set an agenda.  Agenda items from members or committee chairs shall be submitted to the president(s) no later than one (1) week prior to each monthly meeting. 

3. Special meetings may be called by any officer or member of the Board given at least five (5) days notice.
    

4. The summer Budget meeting (Article VII Section 3) shall be a goal-setting meeting for special project expenditures subject to the approval of the full membership in September or October.
    

5. The officers and committee chairpersons shall each have one (1) vote on motions brought before the Board.
    

6. A majority shall constitute a quorum.
    

7. Any meetings of the officers shall be reported on at the next monthly meeting.

Article XI – Communication 

Section 1 -- Communications sent to families or the student body shall first be approved by the principal and the PFA president(s) (Article IX Section 10). 

Section 2 – The PFA shall publish a monthly newsletter, including submissions from faculty, staff and committee chairs; as well as weekly updates in conjunction with the principal and assistant principal. 

Section 3 – Officers and chairpersons shall check their mailboxes frequently. 

Section 4 -- The president(s) shall be in regular communication with the chairpersons. 

Section 5 – A general teacher liaison shall be appointed and attend all monthly PFA meetings and meetings of the executive board.  Grade-level teacher representatives shall also be appointed at the discretion of the Principal. 

Article XII - By Law Revisions 

Section 1:

a. These By Laws by a two-thirds vote of the members present, may be amended at any regular meeting of the association, provided notice of the proposed amendment has given at the previous meeting. 

b. A committee may be appointed to submit a revised set of By Laws as a substitute for these By Laws only by a majority vote at a meeting of the association or by a two-thirds vote of the board.