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Parents Association Bylaws

Bylaws are a set of rules adopted by an organization for governing its own meetings or affairs. There are three general types of rules that are often included within bylaws:


  • Definitions of organizational structure.
  • Definitions of the rights and duties of members.
  • Descriptions of the group’s decision-making process.

 

 

In keeping with the school’s mission and model and to be active partners in the education of our children, the South Shore Charter Public School Parents Association (PA) will serve the school community and participate in the governance and growth of SSCPS. Our goals are to promote a sense of community; to provide strong communications between the parent body and students, faculty, administration, and trustees; and to aid the school through support in the classroom, administrative tasks and school activities. In order to support its activities and enhance SSCPS programs, the PA will fund a Parents Association budget.



SSCPS MISSION


South Shore Charter Public School inspires students to achieve their potential in academics, career and life.  This is accomplished with an innovative curriculum that addresses the learning styles of the individual student, complemented by a real-life experiential learning program, within a community that encourages service, leadership and respect.



OUR PHILOSOPHY


•Promote life skills for individual achievement in education, career, community and life.

•Foster relationships between students, staff, and parents that are respectful and caring.

•Nurture the development of a civil community and supportive and safe learning environment through small multi-grade classrooms.

•Maintain low student/teacher ratios by hiring dedicated, talented teachers who provide opportunities for individualized guidance and instruction.

•Cultivate in students the ability to become independent learners, to take risks, and to apply academics to their life experiences.

•Produce active, engaged thinkers and communicators who value teamwork and leadership through cooperative and collaborative learning and teaching.

•Support multiple-intelligence learning through project-based and performance-based assessment.

•Encourage parents, students and teachers to serve the school community and beyond.

•Ask students to explore and develop talents and interests outside the classroom.

•Create an environment in which the best education occurs through administrators, parents, staff, teachers, and trustees working together to pursue common goals.



The PA’s service goals


•  Welcome and encourage parent involvement in school and Parents Association events.  

•  Welcome new families into the SSCPS community and help coordinate “Parent Partners.� 

•  Provide opportunities for parent networking.  

•  Provide events for the benefit of the students and the school.

•  Assist the school in providing education for parents about parenting issues.

•  Identify SSCPS volunteer needs and aid staff in filling them.

•  Help maintain an attractive campus.



The PA’s communication and governance goals


• Provide information to parents about school and PA events.

• Support and encourage parents to meet with faculty and administration.

• Schedule meetings at convenient times.

• Provide a forum for parental concerns about school-wide issues or policies and for discussing use of PA funds.

• Provide a forum to meet with administration as well as to be consulted by the Executive Director prior to significant change.

• Make formal recommendations to the Executive Director.

• Organize balloted school-wide parent voting on important issues.

• Recommend parent representatives to standing or other committees and other bodies of the school.



The PA’s goals for supporting the school community


• Encourage volunteers to work in classrooms, libraries, and media centers, and to help with administrative tasks.  

• Assist in providing extracurricular activities for students.

• Support the training of parent volunteers.

• Aid in providing social opportunities for students and support student social committees.

• Aid in providing educational enrichment for students through speakers and programs.

• Express parent appreciation to the faculty.



To fund the PA Budget


• The PA will raise money to fund its budget.

• The PA can sponsor optional events each year to raise money for specific enhancements for the campus. These events must be approved in the prior school year by the PA Officers and by the Executive Director.



Members of the PA


•All parents and guardians of South Shore Charter School students are members of the PA.

• Employees who are parents have always had a special place in the SSCPS community and they are always allowed to vote.

• A “Core Group� consisting of the officers of the PA, a representative from each of the thirteen grades, and the chairs of the standing committees will be responsible for the PA meeting its stated objectives and goals.

• Representatives and committee chairs will be elected by May of each year for the succeeding school year or as needed during the school year. Election ballots for grade representatives will be distributed through the prior month’s SSCPS update. The representatives will serve as conduits for thoughts and ideas from parents in the grade they represent.  Should an officer or grade representative leave office during the year, the PA will elect a replacement at the next regular meeting, unless that meeting is the May meeting.

• The Chair of the PA will appoint committee chairs. Committee chairs do not need to be grade representatives.

• These representatives, chairs and officers will attend all monthly meetings of the PA.



Officers


• There will be a Chairperson (Chair), Vice Chairperson (Vice Chair), Secretary, and Treasurer.

• Elections for officers will be held by ballot in May.

• No officer shall serve more than 4 consecutive years.

• In the event that  an officer or representative resigns or is unable to fulfill his or her duty, the PA will hold a special election at the next regular PA meeting, provided that there is time to provide notice in the Update.  If there is not enough time, then the special election will occur at the following regular PA meeting.  PA members can nominate themselves or others up to and including the special election itself. 



Chair


• The Chair will have previously held a PA office or have attended a majority of the year’s regular PA meetings.

• The Chair will plan the agenda and chair PA meetings.

• The  Chair will have monthly meetings with the Executive Director to coordinate some of the PA activities and initiatives.

• The Chair will write a monthly report to the parents to be submitted to the Update (the official SSCPS communication vehicle) at the end of each month.

• The Chair will coordinate all PA committee activities.

• The Chair is the official spokesperson for the PA and as such will make reports to the SSCPS Board of Trustees.

• The Chair will write a year-end report in May and submit it to the incoming Chairperson.



Vice Chair (VC)


• The VC will assist the Chair with meeting organization and appointment of chairs.

• The VC will write a year-end report in May and submit it to the incoming VCs.

• The VC will preside at meetings in the absence of the Chair or if the Chair decides to participate in discussion as a parent only.



Secretary


• The Secretary will take minutes of the meetings (to be approved at the subsequent meeting), post minutes, post meeting times, and reminders to the Executive Directors office for posting in the SSCPS Update.

• The Secretary will write a year-end report in May and submit it to the incoming Secretary.

• The Secretary will help the Chair write the monthly reports.



Treasurer


• The Treasurer will keep the books of the PA and make monthly reports to the PA.

• The Treasurer will write a year-end report in May and submit it to the incoming Treasurer.



Meetings


• The PA will meet monthly during the academic school year.

• All PA meetings are open to all PA members.

• A question in the Parent Satisfaction Survey each Spring will ask parents for the best meeting time for the succeeding year. At the June meeting each year, the attending parents will vote on the meeting time for the succeeding year, based on the results of the survey and discussion of the following year’s Core Group.

• At each meeting, each representative will have the opportunity to raise concerns of their levels.

• Any representative or parent or the Executive Director can contact the Chair at least a week in advance of a meeting to add a discussion point to the meeting’s agenda.

• Each committee chair will update the PA on the committee’s work at least quarterly.

• The Treasurer will give a financial report.

• Meetings will be no more than two hours in length unless a majority of those present votes to extend the meeting.

• Robert’s Rules of Order as amended by these bylaws or by a majority vote of the PA will be the primary guidelines for the conduct of the meetings.



Voting on Major issues or funds


Voting on immediate major school and funding issues will be done in the following manner:


1.Any major proposal will be placed in the agenda submitted to the SSCPS Update.

2.At the meeting, discussion of the agenda proposal will be held.  Parents may offer amendments which can be voted on by the members present.  Any amendments would become part of the proposal.

3. The proposal will be voted on at the next meeting or the PA may decide, during the discussion that an issue is important enough to send ballots to all parents and legal guardians.



Committees 


Committees or task forces may be voted active or inactive by the PA.  A regular PA meeting can create other committees as it sees fit. 



Powers of the Parents Association 


• The PA may discuss any topic it deems relevant to the school.

• The PA may vote to sponsor additional fund raising projects in coordination with the Director of Development.

• The PA may make recommendations to the Executive Director for policies and procedures of the school by the PA voting procedures.

• When the School is considering major policy or organization proposals, it should use the PA as a sounding board for the opinion of the School’s parents.  The PA may make a recommendation to the Administration or Trustees on such proposals by majority vote of those present.  Some issues may be appropriate to solicit the opinion of the entire parent body.

• The PA may vote to appropriate PA funds to support existing programs. The Executive Director will be asked to address the meeting for his opinion during the discussion of any appropriation of funds equaling or exceeding $1,000; however, the failure of the Executive Director to attend the meeting will not mandate a delay of the vote. A representative of the group receiving the funds must make these requests in person. New initiatives affecting the school program must have the Executive Director’s approval.

• All activities of the PA must be placed on the calendar with the approval of the Executive Director’s office. No date for an event is final without the approval of the Executive Director. The PA will give to the Executive Director the meeting agenda for listing in the SSCPS Update ten days prior to the next PA meeting. Should such notifications fail to be included in the update, the PA will then appropriate money to print and distribute to its members notification.

• The PA annually elects/appoints parent representatives to the Education Committee as well as any other committee requested by the Executive Director.

• Anyone can belong to the Parent Advisory Council, which governs itself, but the PAC Chairperson must, according to state regulations, periodically meet with the Head of SSCPS Student Services. The PAC should report at PA meetings were applicable.

• The PA may vote to appropriate only money in its accounts. 

• The PA may not borrow money.

• Should the PA decide an issue is important enough, the PA may at its own expense mail ballots to all SSCPS parents and legal guardians.

• Votes will be taken on all motions.  All parents present at the meeting will have one vote.  No absentee ballots are counted.



ADOPTION

This is an Amendment to the proposed documents from the February and March 2004 All Parents Group meetings. A majority vote of a meeting of the APG is sufficient to adopt these amended Bylaws. Adoption of any Amendment to the Bylaws must be proposed at a regular meeting of the PA at least one month prior to a vote being taken. A majority vote of a meeting of the PA is sufficient to amend these Bylaws.



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