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 Updated: 10/22/2019

 

Bow Lake PTO Organization Document

The Purpose of the Bow Lake PTO (Parents Teachers Organization) is to:

  • Support students, teachers and families and build relationships with members of the Bow Lake Community. 

  • Raise funds to promote enriching activities, and support school operation to benefit Bow Lake’s students, teachers and families.

  • Promote parents contribution to day-to-day school operation and encourage parents’ in-class and extra-curricular involvement. 

The Bow Lake PTO(BLP) will not engage with any activity not associated with the above goals, and upon dissolution, any remaining assets will be exclusively used to support such activities.

The BLP does not need an express dissolution provision because it relies on the operation of state law in the state of Washington, RCW 24.06.265.

 

In the event of a voluntary dissolution, any remaining assets will be donated to the Bow Lake elementary School.

 

Bylaws

  1. Definitions:

    1. Board member – A parent, community member or school staff member committed to attend and contribute to the BLP’s board meetings

    2. Volunteering member – A parent, community member or school staff member committed to participate in general assembly meetings and/or the support BLP activities 

    3. Quorum – At least five or half of current forum members (the lower of the two)

 

  1. Officers:

    1. President

  • Manages and orchestrate PTO activity

  • Owns meetings and voting processes

  • Works with board to develop and implement the PTO vision

  • Owns 1:1 fundraising opportunities and manages them - i.e. local business etc.

  • Fostering community partners and 

  • maintaining relationships

  • Address parent concerns directly with school

 

    1. Secretary 

  • Meeting minutes - note taking and uploading

  • Owner of the admin@bowlakepto.org email

  • Schedule board meetings, update participant list and attendance

  • Coordinate PTO page content with school

 

    1. Treasurer

  • Must be a parent or community member (not faculty)

  • Manages funds and bank account

  • Owner of the treasurer@bowlakepto.org

  • Provides monthly financial status reports

  • Accountable for all event proceeds - counting and depositing

  • Submits tax documentation - state and federal

 

    1. VP Operations

  • Owns all purchases 

  • Spirit wear orders, printing, delivery, annual sale and maintaining stock

  • Yearbook logistics - sales, distribution

  • Fundraising - 1:many - i.e. boxtops, pencils, etc.

  • Owning sales and PTO promotion tables at events

  • Owns any other operational aspect of the PTO

 

    1. VP Parents 

  • Owns communication with parents

  • Owner of the info@bowlakepto.org

  • Keeps an up-to-date parents list on workdocs (including com-channels and interests)

  • Owns PTO presence in school initiated events like “Coffee with the principal” 

  • Works to assign parents to events’ requests provided by other board members

  • Develops marketing materials to attract new parents

  • Conducts monthly communications by flyers, emails, handouts, newsletter posts, and robocalls

  • Trains and coordinates parents for in-school volunteer programs (recess, lunch, classroom)

 

    1. VP Events

  • In charge of annual event calendar - sets event schedule

  • Two-way event coordination with school administration (facility permits)

  • Plans and implements events (including volunteer management)

  • Coordinates with VP Parents about parent communication

  • Coordinates budget needs with Treasurer

  • Coordinates snack and sales items (including Spiritware) with VP Operations

  • Coordinates with President to get community partners involved in events

 

Functional:

    1. Time Keeper (Optional ; rotating role - not president)

  • Moves the group through the agenda

  • Manages the time for each discussion in accordance with the agenda

 

  1. Terms of office:

    1. The term of office for all officers is one year, beginning October 1 and ending September 30 of the following year

 

  1. Membership:

    1. Board members:

      1. All officers

      2. Volunteering members who asked to join the board and attended at least two of the preceding four board meetings

    2. General assembly members:

      1. All board members

      2. Any volunteer who attended at least two of the preceding four general assembly meetings

 

  1. Meetings:

    1. The BLP will have at least three types of meetings

      1. Board meetings - main planning and decision making platform

      2. General assembly meetings - for the purpose of keeping volunteers updated with all of the BLP planned activities and events

      3. All hands meeting - a special meeting calling for the participation of as ,many parents and staff members as possible to discuss and decide upon major topics

    2. During the school year, the BLP board will meet at least once a month for at least 30 minutes

    3. During the school year, the general assembly meetings will take place at least once a month for at least 30 minutes

    4. All hands forum meeting dates will be announced at least 14 days prior to the meeting and will be communicated leveraging all available communication channels

 

  1. Decision making:

    1. The main platform for decision making is the board meetings

    2. If a board member believes that a specific decision requires a discussion in a broader forum, he/she should ask to pass the discussion to the general assembly, such a request will be granted in case there is a 2nd

    3. A board or general assembly member can request to pass a discussion to the all hands forum, such a request will require a majority vote

    4. Overturning a transfer of a decision to either the general assembly or an all hands meeting will require a ¾ majority vote of the forum which made the initial decision

 

  1. Voting:

    1. Board - voting rights will be granted to members only

    2. General assembly - voting rights will be granted to members only

    3. All hands - 

      1. Voting rights will be granted to any participant

      2. The board reserves the right to require attendants to provide proof of belonging to the Bow Lake community


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