Pikes Peak School of Expeditionary Learning

Parent/Teacher Organization By-Laws

Article I – Name

The name of this organization is hereby called the Pikes Peak School of Expeditionary Learning (PPSEL) Parent/Teacher Organization, hereafter known as PTO.

Article II – Purpose

The purpose of this organization is to foster a positive working relationship

among students, parents, school personnel, and the community. The PTO will

promote united efforts between home, school, and community to provide a

variety of educational and fun experiences and the development of academic

excellence. The PTO will help to create school pride in students, parents, teachers and the community.

Article III – General Members

Section 1. Membership. Membership shall consist of:

a.     Any parent, guardian, or other adult standing in loco parentis for a student of Pikes Peak School of Expeditionary Learning.

b.    Staff or Teachers that represent Pikes Peak School of Expeditionary Learning.

Section 3. Participation.

1. Members of the PTO are encouraged to but are not required to attend all of the scheduled PTO general membership meetings throughout the school year.
2. Members of the PTO are encouraged to but are not required to join an established committee within the PTO.

Section 4. General Membership Voting.

1. All PTO members and/or parents or legal guardians of a PPSEL student will have the right to vote regarding money allocations and designations over $1000. A voting announcement will be made public at least five days prior to the close of the vote.
2. Any issue being voted upon will be decided by a two-thirds majority vote of those members. The exception to this two-thirds majority rule is Article III, Section 4c which requires “unanimous” votes.

Article IV – Meetings

Section 1. General Membership Meetings.

1. The scheduled time and meeting place of the first general membership meeting of the school year shall be determined by the Steering Committee at least one month before the meeting. Afterwards, the members of the PTO may vote on changing the time and meeting place for that given school year upon a vote with at least two-thirds agreement.
2. The Facilitator will notify the members of the meetings in accordance with the Colorado Open Meetings Act. The meeting agenda will be given to all who attend the meeting.
3. The general membership meetings will be held once a month during the months of the year that school is in session, with the exception of the months of December and May. The PTO Facilitator reserves the right to cancel or reschedule a PTO meeting due to time conflicts or perceived lack of participation.

Section 2. Special Meetings.

1. Special meetings may be called by a Committee Head for the purpose of working on committee related events.
2. Notice of a special meeting may be sent in advance by either email or flyers sent home with the students.
3. It is recommended, but not mandatory, that the Facilitator and the Principal attend special meetings.

Article V – Committees within the PTO

Section 1. Membership. Committees may consist of PTO members and Steering committee members, with the Principal and/or the Facilitator acting as an ex officio member of all committees.

Section 2. Standing Committees. The following committees shall be held by the organization: Fundraising, Teacher & Staff Appreciation, and Community Services.

Section 3. Temporary Committees. The Steering Committee may appoint temporary committees as needed throughout the school year.

Article VI – Steering Committee Members

Section 1. Membership. The Steering Committee shall consist of the Facilitator, the Treasurer, the Secretary, the Committee Heads, the Principal, and, at least, two PPSEL teachers.

Section 2. Meetings. Steering meetings shall be held at least quarterly

at a time and place determined by the Steering committee attempting at

least two weeks before the meeting. The Facilitator reserves the right to cancel or reschedule a Steering Committee meeting due to time conflicts.

Section 3. Eligibility. To be a Steering Committee member, you must have a child enrolled in school at Pikes Peak School of Expeditionary Learning or you must be a PPSEL teacher or staff member.

Article VII – Steering Committee Duties

Section 1. Duties. The duties of the Steering Committee shall be to transact business between meetings in preparation for the general PTO meeting, create standing rules and policies, create standing and temporary committees, make decisions on how events and activities will proceed, and approve the financial statements and spending of funds. All decisionsmade by the Steering Committee will be put to a vote using Roberts Rules of Order.

1. Facilitator. The facilitator shall preside over meetings of the organization and the Steering Committee, serve as the primary contact for the principal, stay informed regarding committee activities so that the purpose of the organization is served, and may secure raffle prizes for PTO meetings. The Facilitator keeps a copy of the minutes, by-laws, a membership list, and any other necessary supplies, and brings them to the meetings.
   1. The Facilitator may not be a Committee Head but can join one of the Standing or Temporary committees if he/she so chooses.
   2. The position of Facilitator may be shared by two persons in which they will be referred to as Co-Facilitators. The Co-Facilitators will share the duties and responsibilities as they see fit.  Each facilitator will carry out the other’s duties in his or her absence or inability to serve.
   3. In the case where there is not a co-facilitator and the main facilitator is absent, the Principal will carry out the duties of facilitator at a general PTO meeting or Steering Committee meeting. If the Principal is unavailable, the next in line to facilitate a meeting shall be one of the Standing committee heads. If none of the Standing committee heads is available to facilitate the meeting, a rescheduling of that meeting will occur.
2. Standing Committee Heads. The Committee Heads shall preside over all activities related to their particular committee. They will give updates pertaining to their committee at each Steering meeting and each General Membership meeting, as time allows. Committee Heads will keep a copy of their committee membership list, and create sign up sheets and fliers for events, as appropriate. Committee Heads will organize and participate in all events related to their particular committee. They will contact members for additional help on committee related projects and events, and they will be responsible for over-seeing the progress of an event from start to finish. Committee Heads may call a special meeting for the purpose of working on committee related projects and events.
1. If a Committee Head is unable to attend a steering meeting, he/she will either phone or email the Facilitator the information related to his/her committee which can be read at the Steering meeting.
2. If a Committee Head is unable to attend a General Membership meeting, he/she will appoint a member of said committee to give a report at the General Membership meeting on his/her behalf.
1. The Treasurer will obtain the monthly financial statement from the Office Manager and present a financial statement at every meeting and at other times of the year when requested by the Steering Committee or a PTO member. The Office Manager will be given written request ten days prior to needing the report.
2. The Treasurer will prepare and present a budget of allocations of the organization with input from the Steering Committee. This budget shall be presented to the General Assembly for a vote at the beginning of the school year and in the middle of the school year, and also if changes are being requested.
3. The Treasurer will ensure that all spending of funds meets the requirements set forth in the bylaws.
1. The Secretary will keep an accurate record minutes of all meetings.
2. The Secretary will coordinate and prepare all agendas, in cooperation with the Facilitator.
3. The Secretary will handle correspondence to the PTO.
4. The Secretary will keep a permanent archive of all PTO minutes and documents and have this archive available to the public at all times.
5. Treasurer. The Treasurer shall oversee, monitor and report the financials for the organization.
6. Secretary. The Secretary will oversee all written and electronic records of the organization.
7. Teachers. There shall be at least two teachers from Pikes Peak School of Expeditionary Learning, but no more than one representative from each teaching team who are part of the Steering committee and attend the monthly Steering meeting. Each teacher serves the PTO in the capacity of respresenting the needs and desires of the teachers at PPSEL. Each teacher promotes the efforts of the PTO to the other teachers at PPSEL.
8. School Principal. The Principal (or principal designee) serves the PTO in the capacity of a consultant to the Steering committee members and attends all meetings, as time allows. He/she gives prior approval for certain correspondence such as flyers sent home with students or an email related to PTO matters that is being sent out to all parents/legal guardians. The principal receives or oversees the receipt of all funds of the organization, which shall be deposited into the school’s bank account under the separate fund for PTO. The Principal oversees the keeping of an accurate record of PTO receipts and expenditures, oversees the payment of funds in accordance with the approval of the Steering Committee, and, as long as the funds are deposited in PPSEL’s accounts, the includes the PTO financials as part of its annual audit. The Principal acts as a liaison between all of the teachers at the school and the PTO.

Section 2. Nominations and Elections. Elections for Facilitator and Committee Heads will be held annually in the Spring. The Steering Committee is responsible for facilitating the election process.

All nominations shall be presented in writing to the present PTO Steering Committee or designated PTO representative. A list of all nominations will be presented to the PTO members before the end of the school year, and will be made available for review at least 10 days prior to the vote. Nominations may also be made from the floor. Voting shall be by the PTO members. If more than one person is running for a leadership position, a ballot vote shall be taken.

Section 3. Eligibility. To be a Steering Committee member, you must have a child enrolled in school at Pikes Peak School of Expeditionary Learning. If a Steering Committee member no longer has their child(ren) enrolled at PPSEL, he/she must stand step down from their position within the Steering Committee and be replaced.

Section 4. Terms of Office. Steering Committee members are elected by PTO General Assembly. Terms are limited to three years total for all positions, either consecutively or non-consecutively witht the principal being the exception. However, each non-faculty member must run for re-election if desiring to retain their office for the upcoming year.

Section 5. Vacancies.

a. In the event that a Steering Committee member resigns his/her position, other Steering committee members will assume those responsibilities until ratification of

appointment. The appointment must be ratified by a majority vote during a scheduled general meeting by those present.

Section 6. Removal from Office.

a. Steering Committee members can be removed from office with justified reason or without cause by a two thirds vote of those present (assuming a quorum) at a general  meeting where previous notice has been given. An election will be held to fill the vacant position. In order to enact a vote to dismiss a Steering Committee member, any PTO member can submit, in writing, a request to the principal to have a vote at the General Assembly.  The vote of the General Assembly should happen at the next scheduled PTO meeting. Voting will be done by ballot.

b. Any Steering Committee member missing more than three (3) meetings without notification to another officer with reason for absences will automatically be removed from office.

Section 3. Quorum. A quorum shall be 3 members of the Steering Committee,

when requiring a vote, or 5 members of the organization for a General Assembly

vote. No member may submit a vote by proxy, mail, or email ballot unless the decision is made in writing and is unanimous.

Article VIII – Finances

Section 1. The Facilitator and PPSEL Office Manager shall keep accurate records of any disbursements, income, and bank account information. The steering committee will create and approve an annual budgetby the end of first quarter. Any varriation from the budget under $1000 can be approved by a written steering two-third approval.

Section 2. The PTO General Assembly shall approve budget allocations. The Steering Committee shall execute all PTO funds related to overhead expenses and purchases in accordance within the bounds of the budget allocation. Prior to executing any single budget allocation totalling over $1K (a single budgeted requirement), the Steering Group will provide, at a minimum, three quotes, selection criteria, disclose any potential or perceived conflicts of interests, and the Steering Committee’s final purchase recommendation.  Such record will be presented electronically and archived by the Historian for General Assembly comment for no less than 30 calendar days.  Thereafter, a final Steering group vote will determine such obligation of funds.

Section 3. The Principal and Office Manager shall include all PTO financials in the school’s annual audit, as long as the PTO financials are using PPSEL bank accounts

Section 4. No indebtedness of obligation of more than $100 shall be incurred

in the name of or on behalf of the PTO unless by vote of the general membership.

Section 5. Upon the dissolution of the organization, any remaining funds

should be used to pay any outstanding bills and, with the membership’s

approval, spent for the benefit of the school. If the membership does not vote

to spend all funds within 60 days or the end of the school’s fiscal year, any remaining funds will be turned over to the Pikes Peak School of Expeditionary Learning School Board to be held for future PTO reestablishment, or to be spent as the school board sees fit.

Section 6. The fiscal year shall be June to June.

Article X – Parliamentary Authority

The Steering Committee reserves the right to implement Roberts Rules of Order to govern meetings when they are not in conflict with the organization’s by-laws.

Article X – Standing Policies

Standing policies may be approved by the Steering Committee, and the Facilitator

shall keep a record of the standing policies for future reference. Policies will be approved by a vote within the Steering Committee meeting.

Article XI – Dissolution

The organization may be dissolved with previous notice (14 calendar days)

stating the purpose of the meeting, and a two-thirds vote of those present at

the meeting. Two or more interested parties may keep this organization alive,

one being the Facilitator, the other being a Committee Head. Upon the dissolution of the organization, any remaining funds should be used to pay any outstanding bills and, with the membership’s approval, spent for the benefit of the school. If the membership does not vote to spend all funds within 60 days or at the end of the fiscal year, any remaining funds will be turned over to the Pikes Peak School of Expeditionary Learning School Board to be held for future PTO re-establishment, or to be spent as the school board sees fit.

Article XII – Amendments

Advance notice of proposed amendments to the by-laws shall be given to all PTO Steering Committee Members not less than forty-eight hours before a meeting at which the amendment will be read. Proposed amendments shall be read at a PTO Steering

meeting not less than thirty days before taking a vote to amend. The proposed amendments shall be presented to the PPSEL School Board and approved by a quorum. Upon the PPSEL School Boards approval, amendments to the by-laws shall be approved by the PTO Steering Committee with a two-thirds vote of those present, assuming a quorum.