BY-LAWS THE CHICAGO HIGH SCHOOL FOR THE ARTS PARENTS SUPPORT ORGANIZATION

Transcription

1 BY-LAWS THE CHICAGO HIGH SCHOOL FOR THE ARTS PARENTS SUPPORT ORGANIZATION I. Name The name of this organization shall be The Parents Support Organization for The Chicago High School for the Arts ( The PSO ). II. Purpose In accordance with its By-laws, the Board of Directors for The Chicago High School for the Arts ( ChiArts ) has established The PSO for the following purposes: To facilitate communication between ChiArts and parents; To encourage parents to become more deeply involved in the education and artistic development of ChiArts students; To offer ChiArts insight into the needs of ChiArts students and their families; and To provide ChiArts with volunteer and fundraising support. III. Authority The PSO is an auxiliary group of ChiArts, created by the ChiArts Board of Directors in accordance with the By-laws of ChiArts. As an auxiliary group, The PSO has governance responsibility over itself in accordance with these By-laws and the By-laws of ChiArts. Further, as an auxiliary group, The PSO has no governance authority or responsibility over ChiArts, its Board of Directors, staff, curriculum, or operations. IV. Fiscal Year The fiscal year of The PSO shall coincide with the fiscal year of ChiArts. V. Membership Membership in The PSO is open to all parents and/or legal guardians of ChiArts students who are currently enrolled and in good standing. To become a member of The PSO, parents and legal guardians shall complete and submit a membership form to the Secretary of The PSO.

2 Page 2 of 7 VI. Officers The officers of The PSO shall be: A. Chair, whose responsibilities include: 1. Presiding over meetings of The PAC; 2. Subject to the approval of the Executive Committee, appointing chairs of committees and assigning members to, and removing members from, committees; and 3. Serving as an ex-officio member of all committees. B. Vice-Chair, whose responsibilities include: 1. Performing the duties of the Chair in his/her absence; and 2. Performing such other duties as may be assigned by the Chair. C. Secretary, whose responsibilities include: 1. Taking the minutes and recording the attendance of all meetings of The PSO; 2. Overseeing the printing and distribution of the minutes; 3. Providing notice to members of all meetings of The PAC; and 4. Working with ChiArts staff to maintain the books and records of The PSO. D. Treasurer, whose responsibilities include: 1. Coordinating with ChiArts staff to keep and maintain current, accurate, and detailed books of account; 2. As approved by the Board of Directors of ChiArts, collecting, depositing, and accounting for funds on behalf of The PSO and paying or authorizing others to pay the obligations of The PSO; 3. Preparing and submitting a monthly financial statement to ChiArts staff; and 4. Reporting on the financial condition of The PSO at each of its meetings and any other time deemed necessary. At its annual meeting, The PSO shall elect officers by an affirmative vote of a majority of The PSO members present and voting at the meeting. The term of each officer shall be one year, commencing at the annual meeting at which he/she is elected and continuing until the next annual meeting following his/her election. In the event of a vacancy during such one year

3 Page 3 of 7 term, The PSO shall at the first meeting following the effective date of the vacancy elect an officer to fill the remainder of the unexpired term. Officers may be removed by a two-thirds (2/3 s) affirmative vote of members present and voting at a duly-called meeting of The PSO. Any officer may resign at any time by giving written notice to the Executive Committee, indicating the effective date of such resignation. VI. Committees The Committees of The PSO and their duties shall be as follows: A. Executive: 1. Comprised of the Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, and The PAC representatives elected to the ChiArts Board of Directors; 2. Determines dates and agendas for meetings; 3. Oversees the selection of candidates for nomination to be considered for election to the ChiArts Board of Directors; and 4. Conducts the business affairs between meetings of The PSO; B. Development: 1. Serves as a resource for the overall fundraising activities of ChiArts; 2. Coordinates all activities with the fundraising staff of ChiArts; 3. In coordination with, and approval from, ChiArts fundraising staff, conducts fundraising efforts on behalf of ChiArts students, their education, and their programs; 4. Maintains and operates ChiArts gift shop; and 5. Secures ads for the newsletter and Student Directory, as needed; C. Hospitality: 1. Recruits parent chaperones to assist ChiArts staff, where needed and appropriate; 2. Secures and serves food and drink for The PSO functions; and 3. Recruits volunteers to assist at ChiArts events; D. Newsletter: 1. Creates and distributes school newsletter;

4 Page 4 of 7 E. Senior Year: 1. Selected from parents of junior class in spring of year; 2. Assists with special senior year activities (e.g., graduation, yearbook, records for future contact with alums, senior year show, if any, etc.); F. Social: 1. Organizes social activities for students such as prom, dances, movie nights, etc.; G. Student Directory: 1. Compiles, prints, and distributes Student Directory to the membership of The PSO; H. Volunteer: 1. In coordination with ChiArts staff, oversees volunteer recruitment, assignment, and retention; I. Nominating: 1. Selects and prepares a list of candidates for officers of The PSO; 2. Selects and prepares a list of candidates for nomination by the Executive Committee to be considered for election to the ChiArts Board of Directors. Individual committees shall determine the frequency of their meetings and report their activities to the full membership of The PSO. Notice of committee meetings shall satisfy the notice requirements set forth in Section VII, below, except that the number of days required to give notice shall be at least three (3) days. At all meetings of committees duly called and noticed, twenty-five percent (25%) of the members of a committee present shall constitute a quorum for the purpose of transacting business, and a majority of committee members present and voting at a meeting where a quorum exists shall be the act of the committee. The Executive Committee may combine the activities and functions of the forenamed committees, as well as create new ones as it deems necessary to advance the purposes of The PSO.

5 Page 5 of 7 VII. Meetings The annual meeting of The PSO shall be held in the fall of each year. In addition to the annual meeting, The PSO shall meet at least once during the winter and once during the spring and at such additional times, upon Call and Notice, as the Executive Committee deems necessary and appropriate. The PSO shall also meet upon the Call and Notice from the Board of Directors of ChiArts. Notice of the time and place of any meeting of The PSO shall be given at least seven (7) days in advance thereof by written notice delivered personally or sent by mail, facsimile transmission, or electronic mail to each member at his or her address as shown on the records of The PSO. If mailed, such notice shall be deemed to be delivered two (2) business days after deposit in the United States mail in a sealed envelope so addressed, with postage prepaid. If given by facsimile transmission, such notice shall be deemed given at the time of transmission, provided transmission takes place during business hours at the receiving location, otherwise such transmission shall be deemed to be delivered on the next business day after transmission. If given by electronic mail, such notice shall be deemed delivered when the electronic mail is received and opened by the intended recipient. Any member may waive notice of any meeting. The attendance of a member at any meeting shall constitute a waiver of notice thereof, except where a member attends a meeting for the express purpose of objecting to the transaction of any business because the meeting is not lawfully called or convened. Generally, notice need not state the purpose for which a meeting is called, except for a meeting where an amendment to these By-laws shall be voted on, and except for the annual meeting, where the notice shall set forth the names and qualifications of candidates for officers and the names and qualifications of candidates to be nominated for consideration to be elected to the ChiArts Board of Directors. At all meetings of The PSO that are duly called and noticed, twenty-five members of The PSO present shall constitute a quorum at such meeting for the purposes of conducting business. If a quorum is present, the vote of a majority of those members present and voting shall be an act of The PSO.

6 Page 6 of 7 Members of The PSO may not participate in meetings by telephonic communication. Proxies are prohibited. The PSO shall conduct all meetings, whether of the whole of by committee, in accordance with these By-laws and Robert s Rules of Order. VII. Finances The PSO shall deposit all income, regardless of source, in accounts established in conjunction with the staff of ChiArts. All checks issued by PSO shall be signed by the Chair, Vice-Chair, or Treasurer. The PSO shall keep its books and records at ChiArts in a secure place designated by the Executive Director of ChiArts. The PSO shall not enter into any contracts or policy forming commitments without the prior written authorization by the staff of ChiArts. The books and records of The PSO shall be subject to audit by ChiArts. VIII. PAC Members of the ChiArts Board of Directors Pursuant to the By-laws of ChiArts, The PSO shall nominate two members for consideration to be elected to the Board of Directors for ChiArts. Prior to the spring meeting, the Executive Committee shall prepare a list of candidates for nomination to be considered for election to the ChiArts Board of Directors. In no event shall a candidate be a parent or legal guardian of a student who is then in the senior class, unless such parent or legal guardian has another student in a lower class. The Executive Committee shall present such list to the members of The PSO at its spring meeting. From that list the members present and voting by majority affirmative vote shall select the names of two (2) members. The Chair shall forward the names selected to the ChiArts Board of Directors, which shall consider the nominations for election. The election, if any, of a

7 Page 7 of 7 member of The PSO to the ChiArts Board of Directors shall take place at the ChiArts annual meeting. A member of The PSO elected to the ChiArts Board of Director shall serve for one (1) year, commencing at the ChiArts annual meeting at which he/she is elected and continuing to the next ChiArts annual meeting. A member of The PSO elected to the ChiArts Board of Directors may not serve more than two (2) terms, and in no event shall a parent or legal guardian whose student is in the senior class serve more than one (1) term, unless such parent or legal guardian has another student who is in a lower class. IX. Policies and Procedures and Books, Records, and Minutes The PSO may establish policies and procedures that shall have the same force and effect as these By-laws, provided, however that where these By-laws conflict with such policies and procedures, these By-laws shall control. The PSO shall keep correct and complete books and records of account and minutes of all meetings. X. Amendments The PSO may amend these By-laws, subject to the following procedure: The Executive Committee shall give written notice to the members of The PSO that an amendment to the By-laws has been proposed; such notice shall contain the date, time, and place of the meeting of The PSO where the members of The PSO shall vote on the proposed amendment; Two-thirds (2/3 s) of the members present and voting at a meeting called in accordance with these By-laws affirmatively approve the amendment; and The Board of Directors of ChiArts approves the amendment. These By-laws adopted by act of the Board of Directors of The Chicago High School for the Arts on.