Bylaws
CONSTITUTION & BY-LAWS OF COOK-WISSAHICKON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL HOME AND SCHOOL ASSOCIATION
Adopted 09-12-2019
ARTICLE I-NAME
Our organization will be called the COOK-WISSAHICKON HOME AND SCHOOL ASSOCIATION (hereinafter HSA).
ARTICLE II-OBJECTIVES/PURPOSE
The purpose of the HSA is to provide support to the teachers, staff, and parents/caregivers to enhance the growth, education, and development of our children, including:
Raise funds and recruit volunteers to enhance the educational and physical environment of the Cook-Wissahickon Elementary School.
Help parents/caregivers to become involved and have a voice in school-related affairs.
Promote cooperation and communication between parents/caregivers, school teachers and staff, and our neighboring communities.
ARTICLE III – MEETINGS
Section 1. There shall be at least four regularly scheduled general meetings during the school year.
Section 2. The April Meeting should have a focus on strategic planning for the next year including budget presentation for the next year. , The School Year End (May or June) Meeting should have the budget voted on and approved for the next year.
Section 3. The Executive Board shall meet as needed during the school year.
Section 4. The President may call special meetings of the Executive Board with appropriate notice to all Executive Board Members. Appropriate notice should allow enough time for members to respond and attempt to accommodate members in terms of time constraints; one week notice is suggested.
Section 5. The Executive Board may call a special meeting by request of three Executive Board members in writing and one week written notice to all Executive Board members.
Section 6. The general membership may call a special meeting with twenty requests in writing from General Membership members and two weeks written notice to the General Membership. The purpose of the meeting shall be in the notice and any votes during that meeting can only pertain to the meeting’s stated purpose.
Section 7. A quorum for an Executive Board meeting requires the presence of at least three (3) officers. The Corresponding Secretary must provide appropriate notice to all Executive Board members.
Section 8. A quorum for a General Membership meeting requires the presence of at least three (3) officers and any number of general members who are not officers. The HSA must provide appropriate notice to the General Membership.
ARTICLE IV- AMENDING CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS
Section 1. The Constitution and By-laws will be reviewed, as circumstances deem necessary.
Section 2. Proposed changes must be approved by a majority of the General Membership in attendance at a meeting. Notification of any proposed changes should be made at least one month before the date on which the general membership considers the change. HSA members will vote for such changes at the general membership meeting that occurs following notification of a proposed change.
Section 3. The Cook–Wissahickon Home and School Association will make its Constitution and By-laws available for inspection at the school and on its website along with details of any proposed changes in writing.
BY-LAWS
ARTICLE I- POLICIES
Section 1. The Cook-Wissahickon Home and School Association (hereinafter HSA) is a non-profit, non-sectarian, and non-partisan organization.
Section 2. The Cook-Wissahickon Home and School Association will be a member of the Philadelphia Home and School Council, which entails payment of annual dues to that organization, and being subject to the Constitution, Bylaws, and Policies established by the PHSC.
ARTICLE II-DUES
Section 1. The Cook-Wissahickon Home and School Association will conduct a membership drive each year.
Section 2. The suggested dollar amount for annual membership will be $5.00. The President may revise this amount if he/she finds that this amount will preclude a parent/guardian from joining the HSA.
Section 3. Membership dues will first go towards the payment of the annual fee to the PHSC. The remainder of dues collected will be placed in the HSA General Fund.
ARTICLE III- MEMBERSHIP
Members of the HSA may be faculty, staff, parents/guardians of children, and community members of the school;
Voting membership shall be limited to parents/guardians of children attending the School and non-voting Membership shall be available to all others eligible for membership;
Upon completion of a membership form, membership in this HSA is immediate for the current fiscal year.
Executive Officers may set suggested donations for members, but there shall be no fee or cost associated with becoming or remaining a Member.
ARTICLE IV-OFFICERS
Section 1. The Officers of the Home and School Association Executive Board shall be as follows:
President
Vice President
Treasurer
Recording Secretary
Corresponding Secretary
Fundraising Coordinator
Volunteers Coordinator
Activities Coordinator
Section 2. The School Principal is also a non-voting member of the Executive Board.
Section 3. Elections for officers will be held in the spring of an election year.
Section 4. The term of office will be two years.
Section 5. Officers are free to run for as many terms as they wish.
Section 6. It is not necessary to be a current member of the Executive Board at the time of an election.
Section 7. Vacancies among officers shall be filled by appointment by the President when they occur between elections with approval of the Executive Board. If it is deemed necessary by the Executive Board, special elections may be held; e.g. if vacancy occurs at a time such as graduation or withdrawal of student with a period of six months or more until next scheduled election.
Section 8. Officers must have children enrolled in the school.
Section 9. The term for the officers following an election begins on July 1 and ends on June 30.
Section 10. Officers must be members in good standing (i.e. dues paid for membership) of the Home and School Association.
Section 11. All Executive Board members must be fully cleared for Volunteering within the Philadelphia School District Guidelines.
ARTICLE V – THE EXECUTIVE BOARD
Section 1. The Executive Board shall consist of the elected officers and be chaired by the President.
Section 2. The function of the Executive Board is to review, advise, and transact the business of the HSA.
Section 3. The Executive Board is responsible for developing an annual budget, ensuring that all proper financial duties are met. Budget will be completed by the end of each calendar year.
Section 4. A quorum for an executive board meeting requires the presence of at least three (3) Officers.
Section 5. REMOVAL:
Any officer not attending three consecutive meetings of the Executive Board without notifying the President (or other Executive Board member in the case of the President) may be dismissed from the Executive Board and from his or her office through a unanimous vote by the other Executive Board members;
Any individual officer may be removed from office for failure to properly fulfill the responsibilities of office by the unanimous vote of the remaining officers;
An individual officer may resign at any time by giving written notice to another officer;
As a member of PHSC, PHSC governance authority permits PHSC to remove any officer for failure to properly fulfill the responsibilities of office and the oath taken as a HSA officer
Section 6. COMPENSATION: Officers of the HSA shall serve without compensation.
ARTICLE VI – DUTIES OF OFFICERS
Section 1. The President shall
Convene and preside at all meetings of the Executive Board and the HSA.
Serve as a liaison between the HSA & School Administration to coordinate about activities and events. The president must keep notes and share with the executive board, within a week.
Be an ex-officio member of all committees except the nominating committee, i.e. attend all meetings, or be copied on minutes for each meeting.
Attend Philadelphia Home and School Council (PHSC) meetings; or the President shall appoint an alternate to attend in his/her absence.
Attend West Regional President meetings; in an emergency, the President shall appoint an alternate to attend in his/her absence.
Sign checks with the Treasurer for payment of approved expenditures.
Maintain CookWissHSA@gmail.com for the purposes of correspondence dealing with all things HSA. Any board member can ask to review the account at any time.
Act as an admin on CW HSA Facebook page as back up to Corresponding Secretary.
Appoint, with approval/consent of board majority, any committee chairs outside those listed in these By-Laws.
Act as back up to Treasurer on Paypal account.
Section 2. The Vice-President shall:
Preside at all General and Executive board meetings in the absence of the President.
Serve as the alternate signatory on HSA checks with the Treasurer when the President is unable to do so.
Take on responsibilities of President when the President is unable or unavailable to perform them.
Confirm that all board members are current on clearances, according to the School District of Philadelphia guidelines
Section 3. The Recording Secretary shall:
Record minutes of all meetings, submit electronic copy to Board (via Google Drive) within a week, send to Correspondence secretary to share on CW HSA website for all members to access and to share to membership email list.
Keep the attendance records of each meeting and file with Minutes on Google Drive
Be responsible for counting the number of members required for quorum at each meeting.
Section 4. The Correspondence Secretary shall:
Create and manage online membership form (Google Form) and membership list.
Create and electronically distribute all HSA correspondence. Prepare for print distribution as needed.
Manage online email lists and email distribution (Currently MailChimp).
Create and deploy weekly/monthly email newsletters to all HSA members who opt-in to HSA email list.
Manage CW HSA website.
Manage CW HSA Facebook and Twitter Page, and act as admin on Friends of CW Facebook Group.
Post HSA meeting minutes on HSA website and distribute through weekly emails to members.
Section 5. The Treasurer shall:
Be primarily responsible for all HSA funds with the oversight of the President and Executive Board.
Receive all funds collected on behalf of the HSA, including those funds collected by HSA committees, N.U.T. Day funds, membership payments, and funds collected at HSA sponsored events.
Pay all bills by check or Paypal drawn upon the HSA’s account. The President or other authorized officer must countersign all HSA checks.
Keep record of all receipts and expenditures.
Keep running tallies on funds incoming and outgoing for fundraising goals in conjunction with the fundraising committee
Present statements of finance at each Executive Board meeting and General Membership Meeting.
Manage all bank accounts including but not limited to general bank account and paypal; while tracking funds into specific deposits including but limited to N.U.T. Day, Membership, Uniform sales)
The treasurer will coordinate monthly reports to be handed into PHSC. Reports are to include, HSA meeting sign in sheet, agenda, treasury report, any/all bank statements.
Treasurer shall share monthly treasurer report with Corresponding secretary to be available on HSA website.
Prepare and file all necessary tax forms.
Be an ex-officio member of the fundraising committee.
Treasurer cannot be a current employee of The School District of Philadelphia
No monies belonging to the HSA should go home with anyone. Monies collected should be counted by two individuals to insure accuracy, and two individuals should assume responsibility for bank deposits.
Section 6. The Fundraising Coordinator shall:
Act as the Fundraising committee chairperson unless otherwise voted by the committee.
Organize a fundraising committee and convene meetings with the committee to plan long- and short-term fundraising activities.
Convene a meeting with the principal in September or October to establish fundraising goals for the school year and determine any special fundraising needs.
Convene a meeting with directors (Art Dept, Music Dept, SGA, 5k coordinator, etc) in prior to the April General meeting to establish to establish fundraising goals for the school year.
Solicit volunteers to help with fundraising activities.
Track fundraising activities and efforts (e.g. Google Drive) and share with the Executive Board and fundraising committee, to include but not limited to current & potential donors, volunteer tracking, and historical data on donors.
Section 7. The Volunteers Coordinator shall:
Act as the chairperson of the Volunteer committee, unless otherwise voted by the committee.
Work with President, Vice President, and Corresponding Secretary to:
Organize and oversee volunteer activities including maintaining SignUp Genius and other volunteer organizing sites
Work within each event or to track volunteers at each event.
Maintain Volunteer spreadsheet. Work with PhennD Vista – Community Partner when appropriate.
Work with Community Partner & F.A.C.E. representative to set up Volunteer Orientations
Organize and utilize classroom representatives when needed:
Confirm each grade or class lead. Work with leads & teachers to send out opt-out email in September to facilitate class email lists.Work with Corresponding Secretary to add the email lists to mailchimp for use.Check in periodically with leads to confirm effectiveness (minimum 3 times a year
Organize and oversee annual Volunteer Thank You event.
Section 8. The Activities Coordinator shall:
Work as the acting 5k Committee chair and race director, unless otherwise voted.
Work with the President and Vice President to coordinate and oversee special projects and committees, including, but not limited to, after-school clubs, Spirit Week, and the annual year-end celebration.
Assist with fliers, graphics, and signage for HSA related activities and special requests from school staff, i.e. pizza party fliers, Wednesday folder fliers, etc.
Assist with social media presence and promotion, as needed. Share events, send reminders via Facebook and Twitter.
ARTICLE VII – COMMITTEES
Section 1. Standing and Ad-Hoc: The HSA shall have such Standing Committees and Ad Hoc Committees as the Board shall from time to time designate. At all-time, the following Standing committees:
Fundraising
5K
Volunteer Committee
Book Fair Committee
Section 2. The Executive Board may authorize the creation of Ad Hoc committees as the need arises. The Executive Board shall dissolve such committees upon the completion of the duty assigned or at the end of the academic year, whichever comes first.
Section 3. HSA members wishing to form a committee must submit a brief proposal outlining the need for the committee, the committee goals, the committee’s proposed scope of action, and length of term to the Executive Board for review. Alternatively, using same guidelines, HSA members may introduce topic of specific committees at membership meeting where it can be discussed and voted on by membership.
Section 4. The Nominating Committee shall be considered an Ad-Hoc Committee. However, the creation and governance of this committee shall be as described in Article VIII.
ARTICLE VIII –COMMITTEE REQUIREMENTS
Section 1. All committees should nominate a chairperson (and vice chairperson if needed) as soon as possible after the creation of the committee. All committees will be required to submit progress reports to the Association membership.
Section 2. The committee chairperson is responsible for producing progress reports.
Section 3. The Committee Chairperson shall keep minutes of committee meetings and regularly update the Executive Board and general membership regarding activities. Committee minutes should be forwarded to the Executive Board for reporting and filing in a timely manner. The minimum documentation required will be as follows:
Date, time and location of meeting, and notation of the attendance.
Members present and members absent.
Business and issues discussed.
Record of any motions, voting activity, and the results.
Section 4. The minimum membership required to constitute a committee is three members. A quorum must be met for a committee to transact business. The minimum standard for Quorum is two members for committees having between three and five members and is half of the committee members plus one for all committees larger than five members.
Section 5. Committee chairpersons must submit their minutes for review and approval by the President before the minutes are filed and/or published, within a week. The President can designate other board members to review minutes from specific committees. Minutes of committee meetings should be kept in a binder in the HSA office and shared with CookWissHSA@gmail.com on Google Drive.
ARTICLE IX- NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS COMMITTEE
Section 1. A Nominations and Elections Committee shall be formed between January and March of an election year for the purpose of identifying candidates for election and for overseeing the election process. The Nominations and Elections Committee will select its own chairperson. The Nominations and Elections Committee will consist of at least:
One Executive Board officer (not the President of the HSA), current Officers running for re-election may serve on this committee but should not be present if there are discussions by other committee members regarding the post they are running for.
At least three members of the HSA general membership.
Section 2. Any nominee must have at least started the clearance process (proof of submission required).
Section 3. All clearances must be up to date and on file before an HSA board member begins his/her term.
Section 4. Any parent/guardian may nominate an individual for office in the Home and School Association.
Section 5. Nominations for candidacy shall open at the March HSA General Membership meeting of an election year and close one week before the April HSA meeting.
Section 6. Each candidate shall have the opportunity to speak briefly at the April HSA General Membership meeting if they so desire.
Section 7. Candidates shall have the opportunity to write a brief statement about themselves, which will be distributed to the membership.
Section 8. A person must be a member of the Home and School Association to run for office and to vote in Elections.
Section 9. Other issues regarding the Nominations and Elections Committee will adhere to guidelines developed in the PHSC LEADERSHIP HANDBOOK.
ARTICLE X – CONDUCT OF ELECTIONS
Section 1. The election of officers shall take place before the May meeting of the HSA. The Nominations and Elections Committee shall determine balloting procedure. In general, if there is no opposition, the election can take place by consent of the meeting. If there is opposition, paper ballots shall be used.
Section 2. The Nominations and Elections Committee shall count all the ballots after the close of balloting and the results will be announced without delay. The Chair of the committee shall hold the ballots for a period of 30 days, and if there is no challenge to the election, shall destroy them.
Section 3. Any member who is unable to vote at the times scheduled by the Nominations and Elections Committee may get an absentee ballot from the Chair of the Nominations and Elections Committee by contacting the Chair no less than one week before the May HSA General Membership meeting. The ballot must reach the Chair before the date designated to count the ballots and should be in a sealed envelope.
Section 4. The winner shall be the candidate with the most votes. In the case of a tie, the tied candidates will engage in a run-off election to be held one week after the May HSA General Membership meeting. The run-off election balloting will be open one day and will be by paper ballot. In the case of an additional tie the winner will be determined by coin toss witnessed by the candidates.
ARTICLE XI- FINANCIAL RELATIONS WITH SCHOOL DISTRICT
Section 1. FISCAL YEAR: the fiscal year of the HSA shall be July 1 to June 30.
Section 2. The policies and procedures developed by the School District of Philadelphia’s Office for School Operations will be adhered to in respect to fundraising activities.
Section 3. These policies cover sales of food and other merchandise, bazaars, fairs, and yard sales, photography/class pictures, projects sponsored by commercial organizations, accounting for funds raised, and Principal’s responsibilities re: school sponsored activities, safekeeping of earned funds, and special activities.
Section 4. Aforementioned policies and procedures are clearly defined by the District and found in the PHSC Leadership Guide that will be used as a reference source.
Section 5. Funds can be expended according to the approved budget. Dollar amounts or ranges will be developed to for funds to be expended outside of the approved budget provide an organized approach to HSA expenditures. Amounts up to $250 may be approved by the HSA President, amounts over $250 and up to $500 must be approved by a majority of the Executive Board, and amounts exceeding $500 must be voted on by the membership at monthly meetings. This provides flexibility in the disbursement of funds, provides appropriate authority for said disbursements, and, allows the membership to have an active voice in how funds are spent.
ARTICLE XII-REFERENCE SOURCES
Section 1. Any procedure not provided for in these Constitution and Bylaws shall be governed by the most current edition of Roberts Rules of Order.
Section 2. Questions dealing with issues not covered by Roberts Rules of Order shall be addressed by referral to the PHSC LEADERSHIP HANDBOOK and/or consultation with the current PHSC Regional Representative.
ARTICLE XIII-AMENDMENTS
Amendments may be suggested by any member in good standing at any time in writing or at a General Membership meeting
Voting on the amendment shall take place at the next regularly scheduled Executive Board meeting.
If the amendment is approved by the Executive Committee, these Bylaws may be amended at any regular meeting of the HSA if:
One month’s notice has been given to the general membership regarding the proposed Amendment;
The amendment is approved by majority of the members present at the meeting and voting
ARTICLE XIV-DISSOLUTION
If this HSA desires to dissolve, it shall notify PHSC by letter, addressed to the President, giving the reasons, at least sixty days before taking further action.
The HSA may be dissolved at a meeting of its members. Members must be given fourteen days’ notice of such a meeting and dissolution must be passed by quorum.
Upon dissolution of the HSA, any remaining funds shall be used to first, pay outstanding bills and secondly, for the benefit of the school. Dissolution expenditures for the benefit of the school shall be approved by the membership at the dissolution meeting based on a quorum vote.
Upon dissolution, records, and intellectual property (social media accounts, mailing lists, email accounts, digital assets) of the HSA shall become property of the PHSC.