Parents' Association By-laws

Article I: Name

The name of the organization shall be the St. Mary Parents' Association, and is to be referred to in these bylaws as the "Association".

Article II: Object

The object of the Association shall be to raise funds and to promote volunteerism to benefit St. Mary School. In addition, the Association is committed to providing service to the school, parish, and community.

Article III: Members

Membership to the Association shall be open to all parents, guardians and friends of students attending St. Mary School and to all friends of St. Mary School.

Article IV: Officers and Their Duties

  1. The officers of the Association shall be a president, a vice-president, a secretary and a treasurer.
  2. The president shall preside at all meetings of the Association, the executive board (Ref. Article V) and executive committee (Ref. Article VI); shall be the official representative of the Association; shall appoint chairs and members of the standing committees; may appoint special ("ad hoc") committees; shall be ex-officio member of all committees except the nominating committee; shall fill all vacancies in elective offices or committees; and shall sign all contracts and other instruments necessary to carry out the affairs of the Association.
  3. The vice-president shall perform the duties of the president in his or her absence except that of ex-officio membership; shall render such other assistance as may be needed by the president.
  4. The secretary shall keep accurate records of all meetings of the Association and of the executive board; shall conduct all correspondence of the Association; and shall send Association notices to all members.
  5. The treasurer shall pay all bills authorized by the budget or the executive board; shall present a written report at the annual meeting; shall be empowered to disburse funds necessary to cover fixed monthly expenses and other funds up to $500 per month; shall with the approval of two officers of the Association, be empowered to disburse funds over $500 per month; shall endorse all checks and deposit all money in a depository selected by the officers shall keep complete and accurate books of accounts which shall be available for inspection by the officers at all reasonable times.
  6. Annual reports of all officers and standing committee chairs shall be presented in writing at the annual meeting.

Article V: Executive Board

  1. The Executive Board shall consist of the elected officers, immediate past president, standing committee chairs and faculty advisor.
  2. The Executive Board shall determine policy for the Association. It shall conduct all routine business of the Association. Policy and business decisions made at meetings of the Executive Board shall be made by a vote of the board members present. A simple majority shall be required for the approval of any motion. When voting, each standing committee will have a single vote, as will the vice-president, secretary, treasurer, immediate past president and faculty advisor. The president will vote only when needed to break a tie.
  3. The Executive Board shall have all the power of the Board between the meetings of the Board, just as the Board has all the power of the Association between the meetings of the Association, except that the subordinate body cannot modify any action taken by its superior.
  4. Meetings of the Executive Board shall be held as needed, at a time and place to be selected by the president or by the Executive Board. All meetings shall be open to all members of the Association.

Article VI: Executive Committee

The executive committee shall consist of the elected officers and shall conduct routine business of the Association between the executive board meetings.

Article VII: Committees

  1. There shall be the following standing committees: Arrangements, Fundraising, Newsletter, Parish Council Liaison, Publicity, Room Parents and Crisis Coordinator, Sunday Coffee, Sunshine, Community Service Coordinator, Volunteer Coordinator, Athletics Coordinator and Host Family Coordinator; whose duties shall be prescribed in writing by the executive board.
  2. There shall be the following ad hoc committees: Nominating, Bylaws; whose duties shall be prescribed in writing by the executive board.
  3. As stated in Article IV, the chairs and members of all committees shall be appointed by the president.

Article VIII: Spiritual Director

The spiritual director of the Association shall be the pastor of St. Mary Parish or his representative.

Article IX: Nominations and Elections

  1. A nominating committee of five members shall be appointed by the president one month prior to the annual meeting. The committee shall elect its own chair.
  2. The nominating committee shall recruit and present a slate of nominees for officers at the annual meeting for the ensuing year with nominations from the floor.
  3. Ordinarily the nominating committee shall submit only one nominee for each office.
  4. It shall be customary for the vice-president to be nominated as president for the year following his or her term as vice-president.
  5. The officers shall be elected to serve one year or until their successors are elected. The term shall begin each July 1, and shall end each following June 30.
  6. No officer shall serve more than two consecutive terms in the same office except for the treasurer who may serve four terms.
  7. No board member may serve in an individual appointed position for more than two years or in any combination of appointed seats for a consecutive period of more than four years.

Article X: Meetings

  1. There shall be three regular meetings of the Association: in the fall, winter and spring.
  2. The last meeting of the school year shall be the annual meeting.
  3. Special meetings of the Association may be called by the president, by board members or by a petition of 50 members of the Association with at least three days' notice when feasible. Only the business as noted in the special meeting notice will be taken up.
  4. Fifteen members of the Association shall constitute a quorum.
  5. Members will be notified at least seven days in advance of all regular meetings.

Article XI: Income and Distribution

  1. No part of the income of the Association shall inure to the benefit of any member, director or officer of the Association, or any private individual (except that reasonable compensation may be paid for services rendered to or for the Association affecting one or more of its purposes).
  2. The Association is part of St. Mary Parish of Shrewsbury Massachusetts. As such, its assets, and their disbursement, are under the direct control of the Pastor of St. Mary Parish. In the event of the dissolution of the Association, all its assets shall remain the property of St. Mary Parish.

Article XII: Prohibited Activities

No part of the activities of the Association shall be carrying on propaganda, or otherwise attempting to influence legislation or participating in, or intervening in (including the publication or distribution of statements), any political campaign on behalf of any candidate for public office. Nor shall the Association engage in or undertake any political campaign on behalf of any candidate for public office. Nor shall the Association engage in or undertake any activity that is not permitted by St. Mary Parish, or by the Diocese of Worcester.

This includes activities not permitted a corporation exempt from Federal Income Tax under Section 501 (c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 or any corresponding future of the Revenue Code, as the Association is part of St. Mary Parish, which is such a corporation.

Article XIII: Indemnification of Officers

The members may vote to indemnify any officer of the Association for any losses, damages or claims sustained or suffered by any such officer in the conduction of the Association affairs.

Article XIV: Professional Advisors

The president may appoint legal, financial and/or accounting advisors who will be available to offer counsel and assistance to the Association.

Article XV: Parliamentarian

The president may appoint a parliamentarian for consultation and/or advice as needed.

Article XVI: Parliamentary Authority

Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised shall be the parliamentary authority in all cases not covered by these bylaws.

Article XVII: Amendments

  1. All proposed amendments to the bylaws shall be submitted in writing to the bylaws committee, who shall present them to the executive board for its consideration and recommendation before notice to the Association.
  2. These bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds vote at the annual meeting, provided that the proposed amendments have been sent to each member at least two weeks in advance of the annual meeting.
  3. Bylaws may be amended at a special meeting of the Association as described in Article X, Section 3 of these bylaws.

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This page last updated on 11/8/2006. 

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