As of May 2021:
BYLAWS OF CCES PTO PARENT TEACHER ORGANIZATION 

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ARTICLE I – NAME, DESCRIPTION & PURPOSE 

Section 1: NAME – The name of the organization is César Chávez Elementary School Parent Teacher Organization, officially referred hereon and signed as César Chávez Elementary School PTO (CCES PTO).

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Section 2: DESCRIPTION – The PTO is a volunteer group of parents and guardians of CCES PTO students, and staff of the CCES PTO. 

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Section 3: MISSION – The PTO operates exclusively for educational and charitable purposes, including for the general purposes of:

• Promoting the welfare of children and youth;

• Enhancing and supporting the educational experience at school;

• Developing a close connection between home, school, and community through parental involvement; and

• Improving the environment at school through volunteer and charitable support. 

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ARTICLE II – MEMBERSHIP 

Section 1: PTO MEMBERS – Membership shall be automatically granted to all parents and guardians of CCES PTO students, and all staff at CCES PTO. There are no membership dues. Members have voting privileges, one vote per household. 

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ARTICLE III – OFFICERS 

Section 1: PTO Officers – The PTO Officers shall consist of the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Principal, Teacher Representative, and Standing Committee Chairs. 

 

Section 2: TERM OF OFFICE – With the exception of the Principal, the term of office for all PTO Officers is one year, beginning immediately upon election, and ending upon officer election at the final meeting of the following school year. Officers shall be elected by a majority vote of the membership present at the meeting. 

 

Section 3: QUALIFICATIONS – Any PTO member in good standing may become an officer of the PTO by decision of the PTO membership. 

 

Section 4: DUTIES – The PTO Officers shall transact necessary business during intervals between General PTO Meetings and other business as may be referred to by the membership. The PTO Officers may create standing and special committees, approve the plans and work of the committees, present reports and recommendations at the General PTO Meetings, prepare and submit a budget to the membership for approval, and in general conduct the business of the PTO. The PTO Officers will also coordinate, with the PTO membership, annual goals for the PTO’s fund development and fund expenditures based on the needs of the students, the school, and the staff/faculty of CCES PTO. The PTO officers will be among the following: 

a. President – Presides at General PTO meetings and Officer meetings, serves as the official representative of the PTO, and retains all official records of the PTO. 

b. Vice President – Oversees the committee system of the PTO, assists the President and chair meetings in the absence of the President. 

c. Secretary – Records and distributes minutes of all Officer meetings and all General PTO meetings, prepares agendas for official PTO meetings, holds historical records for the PTO. Manages communications and marketing for the PTO including, but not limited to PTO flyers / newsletters, email broadcasts, website, etc. 

d. Treasurer – Serves as custodian of the PTO’s finances, collects revenue, pays authorized expenses, provides a written and oral financial activity report at General PTO Meetings, prepares a year-end financial report, facilitates an in-depth annual review by PTO Officers and membership, and holds all financial records. 

e. Principal – Represents the interests of CCES PTO School to the PTO and raises any issues that may interfere with the operation of the school.

f. Teacher Representative – Acts as an advisor and liaison between other teachers / staff and the PTO. 

 

Section 5: PTO OFFICER ELECTION PROCESS - Elections are held each May. In March or April each year, current PTO Officers will ask for interested candidates for the four mandatory parent positions listed in Section 4. An election committee will be formed to oversee the election. Current officers and those running for office may not be on this committee. The Principal and Teacher Representative do not vote in PTO elections, but act as advisors. 

1. Nominations: The PTO will gather nominations from interested parties prior to the election meeting. Names and a brief biography of the nominees will be announced in advance of the election meeting so members can fully consider candidates. This can be done via email, newsletter, or other appropriate communication mode. Nominations are also allowed on the day of the election.

2. Individual versus Slate Candidates: Members may run together, as a group, if they believe they could be a good team.

3. Voting: Only meeting attendees may vote in the election. Each household gets one vote. For the most part, majority vote rules. Voting occurs by ballot and/or via chat on a virtual platform. In the case of a tie vote, re-voting occurs until a decision is made. However, candidates may decide to share the job or take on a different project, such as chairing a committee.

4. Unfilled Officer Positions - If the four mandatory officers are not elected by the last day of school, the PTO must hold an expedited election by October 15.

5. Terms - Officer terms run from July 1 to June 30. Officers are limited to a maximum of two one-year terms, unless no other candidates are willing to run for that office. In that case, the incumbent may seek an additional one-year term.

 

Section 6: BOARD MEETINGS – The PTO Officers shall meet monthly during the school year, or at the discretion of the President. 

 

Section 7: REMOVAL – An officer shall be removed from office for failure to fulfill his/her duties, after reasonable notice, by a majority vote of the PTO Officers. Section 7: VACANCY – If a vacancy occurs among the PTO Officers, the ranking member of the board shall appoint a PTO member to fill the vacancy, for the remainder of the officer’s term. The board members shall be ranked according to Section 4 of this Article. 

 

ARTICLE IV – COMMITTEES 

Section 1: MEMBERSHIP – Committees may consist of members and board members, with the president acting as an ex officio member of all committees. 

 

Section 2: STANDING COMMITTEES – The following committees shall be held by the CCES PTO PTO: Fundraising, Family Events, Membership & Nominating, and Beautification. 

 

Section 3: ADDITIONAL COMMITTEES – The PTO Officers may appoint additional committees as needed. 

Current Committees: Green Team, communication committee, Enrichment committee, health & wellness, fundraiser and election committees 

 

ARTICLE V – MEETINGS 

Section 1: GENERAL PTO MEETINGS – General PTO meetings shall be held to conduct the business of the PTO. Meetings shall be held monthly during the school year or at the discretion of the PTO Officers. 

 

Section 2: VOTING – Each member in attendance at a PTO meeting is eligible to vote, one vote per household. Absentee or proxy votes are not allowed. 

 

Section 3: QUORUM – Five (5) members of the PTO present and voting constitute quorum for the purpose of voting. 

 

Section 4: OFFICERS MEETINGS – PTO Officer meetings shall be called as needed by PTO Officers to vote on PTO business that cannot wait until a General PTO Meeting. PTO Officer meetings may take place via electronic means, with the Secretary keeping paper records of any votes taken. The votes of at least three (3) PTO Officers are required to take action on behalf of the PTO. Results of all PTO Officers meetings shall be reported at the next General PTO Meeting. 

 

ARTICLE VI – FINANCIAL POLICIES 

Section 1: FISCAL YEAR - The fiscal year of the PTO begins August 1 and ends July 31 of the following year. 

 

Section 2: BANKING - All funds shall be kept in a checking account in the name of CCES PTO PTO, requiring two signatures of the PTO Officers, and held at a local financial institution. 

 

Section 3: REPORTING - All financial activity shall be recorded in a manual or computer based accounting system. The Treasurer shall reconcile the account(s) monthly and report all financial activity monthly. The Treasurer shall arrange an in-depth review of the PTO’s financial records by the PTO Officers each year. 

 

Section 4: ENDING BALANCE – The organization shall leave a minimum of $500.00 in the treasury at the end of each fiscal year. 

 

Section 5: CONTRACTS – Contract signing authority is limited to the President or the President’s designee.

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ARTICLE VII – CONFLICT OF INTEREST 

Section 1: PURPOSE – The purpose of this Article is to make known, before the PTO or any of the committees make decisions, any possible financial benefits individual members of the PTO may receive because of PTO and/or committee actions. 

 

Section 2: DISCLOSURE – Any PTO member, including all Officers and members of committees, must state whether they have a direct or indirect (through a business, investment, or family) financial interest in decisions before the PTO and its committees. 

 

Section 3: USE OF INFORMATION – The PTO will make a decision based on the disclosure in Section 2 as to whether there exists a conflict between the individual making the disclosure and the business before the PTO. A financial interest is not necessarily a conflict of interest. The PTO may find a conflict of interest exists only if the PTO or the committee decides there is a conflict of interest. With the information provided in Section 2, the PTO and its committees will take actions that are in the best interest of the PTO. 

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ARTICLE VII – BYLAW AMENDMENTS 

Amendments to the bylaws may be proposed by any PTO member. Amendments presented at a PTO meeting shall be considered for voting at a subsequent meeting. 2/3 approval of all members present and voting is required to adopt an amendment to the Bylaws. 

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ARTICLE VIII - DISSOLUTION

In the event of dissolution of the PTO, any funds remaining shall be donated to CCES PTO School. 

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A: No part of the net earnings of the corporation shall inure to the benefit of, or be distributable to its members, trustees, officers, or other private persons, except that the corporation shall be authorized and empowered to pay reasonable compensation for services rendered and to make payments and distributions in furtherance of the purposes set forth in Article Third hereof. No substantial part of the activities of the corporation shall be the carrying on of propaganda, or otherwise attempting to influence legislation, and the corporation shall not participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distribution of statements) any political campaign on behalf of or in opposition to any candidate for public office. Notwithstanding any other provision of these articles, the corporation shall not carry on any other activities not permitted to be carried on (a) by a corporation exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or the corresponding section of any future federal tax code, or (b) by a corporation, contributions to which are deductible under section 170(c)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code, or the corresponding section of any future federal tax code.

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B: Upon the dissolution of the corporation, assets shall be distributed for one or more exempt purposes within the meaning of section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or the corresponding section of any future federal tax code, or shall be distributed to the federal government, or to a state or local government, for a public purpose. Any such assets not so disposed of shall be disposed of by a Court of Competent Jurisdiction of the county in which the principal office of the corporation is then located, exclusively for such purposes or to such organization or organizations, as said Court shall determine, which are organized and operated exclusively for such purposes.
 

ARTICLE IX - PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY

The authority for this organization shall be “Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised.”