PTO By-Laws

HPMS PTO By-Laws

By-laws are the broad rules that govern how your group is organized and run. Every parent group should have by-laws, and every new leader should read the group’s by-laws. By-laws cover topics such as the makeup of the executive board, how officers are elected, and membership requirements. Below are the Harbour Pointe MS PTO By-Laws, last updated on 11/14/2023.

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  1. The name of this organization is Harbour Pointe Middle School Parent and Teacher Organization (herein after referred to as “HPMS PTO”).
  2. This Organization is a non-profit corporation recognized by the State of Washington on December 15, 1995 with a Unified Business Identifier #601680818.

    It is the responsibility of this unit to annually renew the Articles of Incorporation prior to the 15th of December each year. This shall be done by the PTO Secretary.
  3. This Organization’s Federal Tax I.D. # is 91-1603789.
  4. It is the responsibility of this unit to renew the organization’s Washington State Department of Revenue Reseller Permit every four years prior. This will be done by the PTO Treasurer.
  5. This Organization will file annually for liability and bonding insurance. This will be done by the PTO Treasurer.
  6. The membership service fees for this Organization shall be as follows:
    1. $25.00 per family annually. 
    2. $25.00 for Harbour Pointe Middle School staff and/or faculty member.
    3. Financial aid may be available upon request to the PTO Executive Board.
  7. The elected officers of this PTO shall be comprised of Leaders(s), Secretary and Treasurer.  These elected officers shall constitute the Executive Board.  They shall be elected in May of each year or no later than June of each year.  Nominations will be done by the current executive board.  Officers shall assume their official duties as of August 30th and shall serve for no more than two consecutive terms.
    1. If at the end of the school year and there are any open Executive Board positions, the current Executive Board and Committee chairs may hold elections during the summer interim to fill the open positions by a two-thirds or a majority vote of five. The new committee will be presented at the first general membership meeting for final approval.  Voting can take place in person or electronically via Facebook, email, or other electronic voting means.
    2. If above is not met, any current year Executive Board member (that has exceeded the ‘two year’ consecutive term limit) may remain in their position as interim until new committee member is found or stay in the position for the new school year by majority approval at the first general PTO membership meeting.
  8. General PTO membership meetings will be held not less than 2 meetings per year.
  9. All ‘Committee Chair’ members shall be current PTO members.
  10. Appropriation of funds will be submitted to the PTO Treasurer in writing by one of the following official forms:
    1. PTO Change Request Form – noting the exact monetary break down required
    2. Reimbursement Check Form –  with all original supporting documentation supporting the reimbursement amount. Photocopies will be accepted upon an Executive Board member approval.
    3. All documents must be complete before the PTO Treasurer will issue funds.
    4. All reimbursement requests must be submitted to the PTO Treasurer by no later than June 30th of each year.
  11. Approval for the appropriation of funds will be one of the following:
    1. Majority (2/3’s) Executive Board approval vote is required for all non-budgeted requests under $750.00.
    2. Majority (2/3’s) HPMS PTO Board (Executive Board, Committee Chair(s) and or HPMS PTO Member’s) approval vote is required for all non-budgeted requests over $750.00.
    3. One Executive Board approval vote is required for all budgeted requests
    4. Approvals can be in the following format for all budgeted requests:
      1. written or e-signature
      2. electronic approval  (i.e. email response to the email request)
  12. The Organization’s budget and meeting minutes will be available from the PTO Secretary upon request and shall be posted to the organizations website for public access within 10 calendars of the meeting.
  13. The PTO Treasurer’s books shall be filed for audit to an Auditing Committee of two or more persons, or one accountant, once per year (in July prior to the 31st).  Current Executive Board and Committee Chair members are not eligible to serve on the Audit Committee.
  14. PTO’s sources of communications include hand flyers, school newsletter, PA announcements, school events, general membership meetings, a PTO web / social media site and e-mail.
  15. The Organization’s By-laws may be amended by a current Executive Board member and must be presented at any general membership meeting and approved by a two-thirds vote by attending members, or, if previous notice is given, by a majority vote. Voting may also take place electronically (email/Facebook/other) in place of a general membership meeting.  All approved updates shall be in effect immediately and supersede any previous versions.
  16. Duties of the Officers:
     

Leader(s):  The position classification of Leader(s) is President and or Vice President. The Leader(s) shall preside at all the Executive Board and general membership meetings; shall perform such other duties as prescribed in these By-laws or assigned to them by the Executive Board; and shall coordinate the work of the Executive Officers and committees in order that the objectives of this Organization are promoted through an educational and involvement program directed toward parents, staff members, and the general public.  Leader(s) shall maintain the Board Calendar & Timeline of Activities and be the main point of interaction between the school and or community.

Secretary:  The Secretary shall record the minutes of all Executive Board meetings and general membership meetings and shall perform such other duties as prescribed in these By-laws or assigned to them by the Executive Board.  The Secretary shall also keep a record of this Organization’s By-laws and copies of any /all licenses and or permits, to be readily available to be presented upon request. Will create and or maintain all HP PTO forms and documents, assist in maintain and update any / all website and social media information as well as a list of the Executive Board and Committee Chairs.  This list should be finalized by the second Executive Board meeting of each school year.

Treasurer:  The Treasurer shall have custody of all funds of this Organization; shall keep a full and accurate account of receipts and expenditures in secure location separate from other Organization documentation; and in accordance with the budget adopted and approved by the PTO, shall make disbursements as authorized in Line 10 and ensuring that all approval is in accordance to Line 11 of the By-laws. 

The PTO Treasurer shall present a financial statement at every meeting of this Organization and at other times when requested by the Executive Board and shall make a full report at the meeting at which new Officers officially assume their duties.

The PTO Treasurer must submit an approved budget, which is adopted by the first general membership meeting, to the Secretary.  Approved budget will be available to any current PTO member upon written request.  Request should be submitted via the PTO box in the Main Office.  The PTO Treasurer shall create and submit a draft budget for the next school year at the end of the current school year to the Executive Board (current and new) for review and approval.

The Treasurer’s accounts shall be examined by the Auditing Committee and signed with their approval within the dates stated on Line 13.

  1. All persons are welcome to volunteer for a PTO-sponsored activity provided they are current members in good standing of HPMS PTO, and are in compliance with Mukilteo School District volunteer policies.
  2. Requests for staff enrichment grants will only be given to current staff (teachers) that are HPMS PTO members in good standing and to those who utilize the proper PTO enrichment grant form.
  3. In keeping with our insurance policy, Harbour Pointe PTO cannot collect or distribute monies for any fundraiser unless the PTO is the event sponsor.
  4. For liability protection, we stipulate that a current PTO member(s) be present at every event where money is being collected on behalf of the PTO.  At the completion of such events, it is the responsibility of a minimum of two current PTO members to reconcile the total monies collected on appropriate cash count form. If second current PTO member is not available, the HPMS Parent Liaison may act as the second counter.

Updated 11/14/2023