Article
I: Name
The name of the organization shall be Bishkek International
School Parent/Teacher Organization (PTO).
Article II: Purpose and Mission Statement
1. The Mission of the PTO
“to enhance the learning experiences of our children
through engaging in support activities and facilitating
communication between parents, teachers, and school
administration”
2. The purpose of the PTO
is:
A. To promote cooperation
among parents, administration, staff and students in
order to encourage a friendly atmosphere in the School
that is open to the rights and suggestions of all;
B. To promote an open forum
on matters of general School concern;
C. To support efforts of
volunteers in "fun-raising" for the benefit
of students and the School on a not-for-profit basis;
D. To promote public relations
through community involvement in the School;
E. To organize on a not for
profit basis and not to conduct its operations for profit.
Article III: Membership
Members of the PTO are all parents and guardians whose
children are students in the School. Members also include
staff and administration of the School as determined
by the School administration.
Article IV: Executive Council
There shall be an Executive Council (ExCo) that will
serve as the administrative arm of the PTO. The ExCo
will meet once per month. A quorum will consist of at
least four ExCo officers.
Section 1 The ExCo shall
include a President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary,
Member-at-Large (from amongst the parents), one Teacher
and the School Director.
Section 2 All ExCo officers,
except the Director and Teacher, shall be elected at
an annual meeting held in the first two months of the
new school year. Election of ExCo officers shall be
by ballot except when there is only one nominee for
an office. The ExCo officers shall be elected to serve
for one year. Their term of office shall begin following
the election.
Section 3 The Teacher representative
will be selected for a one-year term by and from among
the QSI contracted teachers in the School.
Section 4 No ExCo officer
shall hold more than one office at a time. There shall
be no limit to the number of consecutive terms an ExCo
officer may hold the same position.
Section 5 Vacancies on the
ExCo will be filled as soon as possible by majority
vote amongst ExCo officers.
Section 6 When an ExCo officer
fails to attend two meetings without adequate excuse
or if the ExCo officer is not fulfilling his/her responsibilities
as prescribed in the by-laws, the officer may be replaced
by the ExCo, by a vote of at least 5 of the other 6
officers and the position may be filled according to
Article IV Section 5.
Section 7 ExCo officers should
not also be members of the School Advisory Board, except
the PTO President and the Director. However, the PTO
President should always serve on the School Advisory
Board.
Section 8 Before an ExCo
officer or spouse accepts a position from the school
with any enumeration, full disclosure shall be provided
to the PTO in order to disclose the relationship.
Article V: Duties of the ExCo and its members
Section 1 The President shall
preside at all PTO meetings and perform all duties assigned
by the PTO.
Section 2 The Vice President
shall serve in the absence of the President including
filling in when there is a vacancy amongst ExCo officers.
Section 3 The Secretary shall
keep a record of all PTO meetings and any required correspondence
(including minutes, briefs, etc.). Minutes should be
circulated within one week following PTO or ExCo (or
other) meetings.
Section 4 The Treasurer will
keep the PTO’s financial records and books in
good order and will be primarily responsible for all
financial transactions. The financial books will be
kept on a monthly basis and shall be open to inspection
of the general PTO membership. The Treasurer shall give
a report on the financial status at PTO meetings. Any
commitment to spend or actual expenditure will be signed
by the Treasurer and either the President or the Secretary.
Section 5 The Teacher representative
shall be present during PTO meetings. The Teacher rep
serves as liaison between PTO and staff and keeps PTO
members informed of staff concerns.
Section 6 The Director shall
be present during PTO meetings. The Director provides
the PTO with information on administrative developments
in the School.
Section 7 The Member-at-Large
provides greater diversity to the ExCo and supports
ExCo members in his/her responsibilities.
Article VI : Meetings
Section 1 PTO meetings will
be held monthly, preferably on a fixed day each month
(e.g., 1st Tuesday, 2nd Wednesday, etc.). PTO meetings
will be open to all Members, as well as to guests at
the invitation of any Member. An agenda will be distributed
at least one week prior to PTO meetings.
Section 2 Special PTO meetings
shall be called by the President and/or two or more
ExCo officers with adequate notice.
Section 3 A quorum will consist
of those present. There will be one vote per PTO member.
Unless stated otherwise, PTO decisions will be decided
by majority voting.
Article VII: Committees
Section 1 Committees, standing
or special, will be appointed by the ExCo as necessary.
Section 2 Each committee
will make reports to the ExCo and will submit a written
report on its annual activities to the May ExCo meeting.
Article VIII: Amendment of By-laws
Section 1 These by-laws can
be amended at any meeting of the PTO by a 2/3 vote of
those present. Proposed amendments should be forwarded
to the ExCo in time for discussion and decision at a
regularly scheduled PTO meeting.
Section 2 Copies of these
By-laws will be available at the first meeting of the
PTO each year and will be available for review at any
time in the School office.
Article IX: Dissolution
In the event of dissolution of the PTO, any funds that
have accrued to the PTO’s account will be placed
in a School account which will be held until a new parent
organization is established whose purpose is for the
betterment of the children of the School.
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