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PTO Bylaws

BYLAWS of the Project Based Middle School Parent Teacher Organization (PTO)

ARTICLE I – NAME, DESCRIPTION & MISSION
Section 1: NAME – The name of the organization shall be called the Project Based Middle School PTO (“the PTO”), doing business as (DBA) Odyssey Discovery PTO. The PTO is located at 5001 NW Nan Henriksen Way, Camas WA 98607.

Section 2: DESCRIPTION – The PTO is a non-profit organization that exists for charitable, educational, and scientific purposes, including the making of distributions to organizations that qualify as exempt organizations under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

Section 3: MISSION – The mission of the PTO is to enhance and support the educational experience at Odyssey Middle School (hereinafter referred to as “OMS”) and Discovery High School (hereinafter referred to as “DHS”) to work in a collaborative effort with parents, teachers and the administration to improve and grow with our children in their education and support in their development. The PTO accepts donations and manages fundraising programs exclusively for charitable purposes regarding children’s education.

Section 4: OBJECTIVES –

1. To promote the welfare of the students by developing a united effort between educators and the general public to secure for all students the highest advantages in education.

2. To foster communication among parents, students, teachers, administrators, community and elected school officials.

3. To promote volunteer programs and resources for the school.

4. To promote educational and informative programs.

5. To raise and disperse funds providing for all the above objectives.

ARTICLE II – MEMBERSHIP
Section 1: Membership shall be automatically granted to all parents, guardians, teachers, and administrative staff of OMS and DHS students.

Section 2: Although donations will be gratefully accepted, no dues or fees shall be levied or collected in exchange for membership.

Section 3. Membership shall never be affected or afforded with any regard to race, national origin, language, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, religion, socioeconomic status, socio-emotional well-being, and ability.

Section 4. Members have voting privileges at General PTO meetings.

ARTICLE III – OFFICERS
Section 1: EXECUTIVE BOARD– The Executive Board shall consist of the following officers: President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Communications Chairperson, OMS Liaison, DHS Liaison, Fundraising Chairperson, and Staff Appreciation. Officer positions can be co-shared. The School Principal(s), or their designee, is a voting member of the Executive Board.

Section 2: TERM OF OFFICE – The term of office for all officers is one year, beginning immediately upon election, and ending upon officer elections the following school year. Elections are held in May/June for the following school year. Elections will be held no earlier than May 1, and no later than June 30.

Section 3: QUALIFICATIONS – Any PTO member in good standing may become an officer of the PTO. It is preferable that no person shall serve more than two consecutive terms in the same office. Anyone serving as an Executive Board member must be in good standing with Camas School District and be an approved volunteer with the District, or a staff member in the District.

Section 4: CONFLICT OF INTEREST – No part of the net earnings of the organization shall inure to the benefit of, or be distributable to its members, trustees, officers, or other private persons, except that the organization shall be authorized or empowered to pay reasonable compensation for services rendered and to make payments and distributions in furtherance of the purposes set forth in the purpose clause hereof. No substantial part of the activities of the organization shall be the carrying on or propaganda, or otherwise attempting to influence legislation, publishing or distribution of statements for any political campaign or on behalf of any candidate for public office. Notwithstanding any other provision of this document, the organization shall not carry on any other activities not permitted to be carried on a) by an organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code, or b) by an organization, contributions to which are deductible under section 170 (c)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code.

Section 5: DUTIES OF THE OFFICERS – Executive Board – Develop the PTO’s annual budget, establish and oversee committees to conduct the work of the PTO, establish fundraising programs, approve by majority vote of the Board unbudgeted expenditures of no more than $100.00.

President – The President shall schedule and facilitate all business meetings of the PTO. The President will review the volunteer form annually and will ensure appointments of chairs for PTO committees. The President will monitor the progress of the committees and have reports available for PTO Executive Board meetings.

Vice President – The Vice President shall perform the duties of the President in the event of the President’s absence. The Vice President shall also perform such other duties as assigned by the President or Executive Board of the PTO.

Secretary – The Secretary shall keep an accurate record of all meetings of the organization and of the Executive Board, and conduct the correspondence delegated to the Secretary. The Secretary is the custodian of all communications, documents, and papers belonging to the organization. The Secretary ensures that all Executive Board members receive the most recent copy of the bylaws. The Secretary shall provide the Executive Board with a list of all Executive Board members’ phone numbers/email addresses.

Treasurer – The Treasurer shall receive all moneys of the organization; shall keep an accurate record of receipts and expenditures; shall pay out organization funds only as authorized by the organization or the Executive Board and shall present a statement of account at every meeting of the PTO (both Executive Board and General); prepare year-end financial reports; and ensure that all records are available for an annual financial review.

Communications Chairperson – The Communications Chairperson is responsible for helping to proactively facilitate channels of communication between school staff, teachers, parents, and board members. The Communications Chairperson will maintain PTO social media outlets, PTO website, and PTO Newsletters. This definition is an outline of duties and not intended to list all possible responsibilities. This chairperson shall fulfill all functions delegated to them by the president and/or the Board of Directors. This chairperson may build a committee to assist with various communications pieces.

OMS Liaison – The person holding this position must be an adult of a student attending Odyssey Middle School. This position is intended to bridge a partnership between the OMS ASB and the PTO, as well as to gather information about each grade level’s operations and communication practices to help share with the PTO community. The OMS Liaison shall also perform such other duties as assigned by the President or Executive Board of the PTO. Additional committees for OMS activities or events may fall under this position for their voice to be represented by a voting executive PTO board member.

DHS Liaison – The person holding this position must be an adult of a student attending Discovery High School. This position is intended to bridge a partnership between the DHS ASB and the PTO, as well as to gather information about each grade level’s operations and communication practices to help share with the PTO community. The DHS Liaison shall also perform such other duties as assigned by the President or Executive Board of the PTO. Additional committees for DHS activities or events may fall under this position for their voice to be represented by a voting executive PTO board member.

Fundraising Chairperson – The Fundraising Chairperson oversees any fundraising events or activities the PTO engages in, including the Annual Sock Drive, Dine Arounds, Skate Nights, and any other fundraising activities not limited to what is listed here. The Fundraising Chairperson shall also perform such other duties as assigned by the President or Executive Board of the PTO. This position may oversee committee leads for each fundraising endeavor and represent those committees at PTO board meetings.

Staff Appreciation – The Staff Appreciation position oversees any appreciation events and activities for all staff of OMS and DHS. Appreciation activities include, but are not limited to: supporting staff lounge areas, back to school event, holiday/winter break event, and national appreciation week (usually May) event(s). This position may develop a committee of PTO volunteers to help support appreciation events.

Section 6: BOARD MEETINGS – The Executive Board shall meet monthly, or at the discretion of the President.

Section 7: REMOVAL – An officer can be removed from office for failure to fulfill his/her duties, after reasonable notice, by a majority vote of the Executive Board.

Section 8: VACANCY – If a vacancy occurs on the Executive Board, the remaining Executive Board Members shall appoint a PTO member to fill the vacancy for the remainder of the officer’s term.

Section 9: STANDING COMMITTEES – Standing Committees shall be created by the Executive Board as may be required to promote the objectives and plan the activities of the PTO. Standing Committees may include, but are not limited to: Spirit Wear, DHS Senior Events and Volunteers.

ARTICLE IV – GENERAL PTO MEETINGS
Section 1: GENERAL PTO MEETINGS – General PTO meetings shall be held to conduct the business of the PTO. Meetings shall be held quarterly during the school year or at the discretion of the Executive Board. A minimum of three General PTO meetings a year must be held.

Section 2: VOTING – Each general PTO member in attendance at a general PTO meeting is eligible to vote. Absentee or proxy votes are not allowed for general PTO members.

Section 3 – QUORUM – A quorum shall consist of at least five (5) members, three (3) of which are Executive Board members. In the event that there is not a quorum and a vote must be taken, an email vote or video conference of the Executive Board members will be organized by the President or delegate. The results of the vote will be added as an addendum to the following General meeting. A quorum is required for all financial votes and changes to the bylaws.

ARTICLE V – FINANCIAL POLICIES
Section 1: FISCAL YEAR – The fiscal year of the PTO begins July 1 and ends June 30 of the following year.

Section 2: BANKING – All funds shall be kept in accounts in the name of Project Based Learning Middle School PTO, and held at a local financial institution.

Section 3: SIGNATURES – Two authorized signatures shall be required on any dispersal of funds in sums of $500.00 or greater.

Section 4: 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 PTO shall arrange an independent review of its financial records each year.

Section 5: BUDGET – A tentative budget shall be drafted at an Executive Board meeting in the spring (April/May) for the following school year and approved by a majority vote of the members present. The Budget shall be reviewed at the October Executive Board meeting.

Section 6: ENDING BALANCE – The organization shall leave a minimum of $3,000 in the treasury at the end of each fiscal year.

Section 7: CONTRACTS – Contract signing authority is limited to the President or the President’s Designee. The Designee, when utilized, must follow approved parameters prior to signing a contract.

ARTICLE VI – BYLAW AMENDMENTS
A Committee may be appointed by the Executive Board to submit revisions to these bylaws which must be passed by a majority vote of the Executive Board.

ARTICLE VII – DISSOLUTION
Section 1. In the event that the Odyssey Discovery PTO is no longer needed, dissolution of the organization will occur with all remaining funds and other assets to be granted to the school or the school district, whichever is applicable.

Section 2. 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.

These bylaws were adopted on September 15th, 2022 by a majority vote of the Odyssey Discovery PTO Executive Board.

The Project Based Middle School Parent Teacher Organization (PBL PTO) is an equal opportunity, non- profit organization.