Saint Leo the Great Catholic School

Article I- Name and Purpose
 The name of this organization is the St. Leo Parent Teacher Organization (PTO).  The PTO is organized under the authority of the Pastor and shall operate in accordance with applicable rules of St. Leo the Great Parish and the Diocese of Arlington.  The purpose of the PTO is to promote the advancement of Catholic education and the welfare of the children of St. Leo School.  It will enhance the roles of parents and teachers in the education of the child by increasing their knowledge of education and its processes; by increasing their mutual understanding of children; and by providing an opportunity for parents and teachers to work together for the good of the children and the school.

Article II- Authority and Responsibility
Section 1. The PTO has no authority for the administration of the school.  The Principal has the authority for the administration of the school under the direction of the Pastor and in accord with the directives of the Diocese of Arlington.  The PTO has the responsibility to insure that its activity is consistent with the best interests of St. Leo School, St. Leo the Great Parish, and the Diocese of Arlington.

Section 2. The PTO shall provide the Principal and the Pastor with such advice and assistance that the Principal or Pastor may request.

Section 3. The PTO shall serve as a forum for the discussion of issues related to St. Leo School that are of interest to the membership of the PTO.  The PTO will function as a vehicle for the organized expression of opinions and recommendations related to St. Leo School that the membership wishes to convey to the appropriate authority.

Section 4. The PTO shall seek to enrich St. Leo School by providing education, cultural, social, and recreational resources and experiences for the students and their families.

Section 5. The PTO may raise and spend money in support of its purpose, consistent with the oral and written financial policies and regulations of St. Leo the Great Parish and the Diocese of Arlington, with the advice and consent of the Principal and the Pastor.

Article III- Membership and Dues
Section 1. Upon the payment of dues, all parents and guardians of children attending St. Leo shall become members of the PTO (Parent Members) provided that no family shall have more than two (2) members who are members of the PTO.

Section 2. The teachers of the school shall automatically be considered members of the PTO (ex Officio Members).  Ex Officio Members shall enjoy the same rights as Parent members.

Section 3. Dues are established annually by the Executive Board.

Section 4. All members may attend and speak at general membership meetings, chair committees as appointed by the President, and serve on committees.  Parent and ex Officio members may vote on such matters as shall be presented to the general membership.

Article IV- Officers: Executive Board
Section 1. The administrative body of the PTO shall be known as the Executive Board.  The Executive Board shall consist of the elected officers and ex officio officers of the PTO.

Section 2. The elected officers of the PTO shall be the President, Vice President, Recording Secretary, Corresponding Secretary, and Treasurer.

Section 3. The President shall formulate the agenda for and preside at all meetings of the PTO and the Executive Board.  He/she will perform all duties pertaining to the Office, shall be an ex-officio member of all committees, and shall receive all notices of all meetings.  The President shall, with the approval of the Executive Board, have the right to form or disband committees and to appoint the Chair of such committees.  With the Treasurer, the President shall have signature authority on the bank accounts of the PTO.

Section 4. The Vice President shall perform the duties of the President in the President’s absence, and such duties as are assigned by the President.  The Vice President shall serve as the Executive Board’s liaison to Diocesan meetings and functions, including but not limited to the Diocesan council of PTO’s.

Section 5. The Recording Secretary shall keep a minute book showing a true and accurate history of all meetings of this organization and of the Executive Board.  The Recording Secretary shall post the minutes in a public place within the school and shall, consistent with the Constitution and By-laws, make the minutes available upon request.  He/she shall perform other duties and the President or the Executive Board shall designate.

Section 6. The Corresponding Secretary shall send notices of regular meetings to members prior to said meetings.  He/she shall handle such correspondence as the President or the Executive Board shall designate.

Section 7. The Treasurer shall receive all dues and other monies, and shall make disbursements only as permitted by the Constitution and By-laws.  With the President, the Treasurer shall have signature authority on the bank accounts of the PTO.  He/she shall make a financial report at each general membership meeting.  The Treasurer shall prepare the books and records of the PTO subject to all applicable diocesan and parish requirements.  Such books and records shall be open to review as required by such diocesan and/or parish authorities.

Section 8. The ex-officio officers shall include the Principal, not more than three (3) faculty representatives chosen by the faculty at the beginning of each school year, and the school’s volunteer coordinator.  The Principal shall serve as the designated representative of the Pastor unless the Pastor changes the designation.

Section 9. The term of office for elected officers shall be for one (1) year.  No person shall be eligible to hold the same elected office for more than two (2) consecutive terms.

Section 10. An elected officer may be removed from office on grounds of malfeasance, misfeasance, or nonfeasance by a vote of 2/3 of the Executive Board.

Section 11. The Vice President shall assume the duties of the President if the President cannot complete his/her term.  The Executive Board shall fill any other vacancies among the elected officers by majority vote of the Board.  An officer appointed to office under this section shall serve the remainder of the term of the elected officer he/she has replaced.

Section 12. The Executive Board shall carry out the objectives and policies of the PTO and propose new objectives and policies when necessary.

Section 13. The Executive Board shall manage the affairs of this organization in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution and By-laws.

Section 14. Consistent with Section 5 of Article II, the Executive Board shall adopt a budget of revenues and expenditures at the beginning of each school year with the advice and consent of the Principal and the Pastor.  The Board may modify the budget throughout the year as events require and with the advice and consent of the Principal and the Pastor.

Section 15. The Executive Board shall vote on the raising and expenditure of funds and report on such to the PTO members.  All expenditures of PTO funds in excess of $100 require the prior approval of the Executive Board.  The Treasurer, with the agreement of the President, may make disbursements of up to $100 that are reasonably incident to items or projects approved by the Executive Board, provided that such disbursements are reported to the Executive Board at its next scheduled meeting.

Section 16. The Executive Board shall approve the plans, programs, and actions of the committees.  All matters of the committees requiring a vote of the Executive Board shall be submitted in writing to the President one week prior to the scheduled Executive Board meeting.

Article V- Committees
Section 1. The President, with the approval of the Executive Board, may from time to time appoint committees that further the objectives and purposes of the PTO.

Section 2. Each committee chairperson shall be responsible for organizing his/her committee, appointing such deputies and establishing such subcommittees as he/she may deem necessary or desirable.  The recording Secretary shall be informed of the membership of each committee by the chairperson.

Section 3. Each committee chairperson shall present a proposed budget to the Executive Board as well as an accounting of money received and expended.

Article VI- Election of Officers
Section 1. Elections of officers shall be held once a year at an election meeting.  The Executive Board shall designate the election meeting at least 60 days prior to the election meeting, and shall take reasonable steps to inform the PTO membership of the date of the election meeting.

Section 2. The Executive Board shall appoint a Nominating Committee consisting of at least three  (3) Parent Members at least 60 days prior to the election meeting.

Section 3. A Parent Member in good standing may place his/her name in nomination for elected office by submitting his/her name to the Nominating Committee at least 30 days prior to the election meeting.  A Parent Member may place another Parent Member’s name in nomination for elected office by submitting it to the Nomination Committee at least 30 days prior to the election meeting, provided that the Nomination Committee obtain the consent of the nominee prior to the submission of the nominee’s name to the PTO membership.

Section 4. The Nomination Committee shall inform the Executive Board of the nominees for elected office at least 30 days prior to the election meeting.  The Nomination Committee shall take reasonable steps to inform the PTO membership of the nominees.

Section 5. In the event the Nomination Committee has not identified a candidate for an office, nominations for that office may come from the PTO membership at/before the election meeting.

Section 6. Candidates for elected office may present written and/or oral statements in support of their candidate at or before the election meeting.  PTO members may ask questions of the candidates at the election meeting prior to voting.

Section 7. The Nomination Committee shall supervise and count the voting.  Voting shall be secret ballot by Parent and Ex Officio Members and attending the election meeting.  Each Parent and Ex Officio member shall be entitled to vote, subject to a maximum of two (2) per family.  The candidate for each office that receives the greatest number of votes shall be declared the winner of that office.

Section 8. In the event of exigent circumstances, the Executive Board may designate a different procedure for elections by 2/3-majority vote of the Executive Board.

Article VII- General Membership Meetings
Section 1. There shall be meetings of the general membership from time to time as the President of the Executive Board shall decide, provided that there shall be at least one (1) general membership held each year.  The election meeting may serve as the required general membership meeting.

Section 2. The Executive Board shall take reasonable steps to inform the PTO membership, the Principal, and the Pastor when a general meeting has been called.

Section 3. Those present at a general membership meeting shall constitute a quorum.

Section 4. The President shall formulate the agenda for all general membership meetings.  Members shall submit items for the agenda in writing to the President at least seven (7) calendar days in advance of the meeting, where feasible, or where such advance written notice is not feasible, the member shall give notice to the President prior to the commencement of the meeting.  In the event written notice is not given, the proposed agenda item may be deferred until the next general membership meeting.

Section 5. At least once each year, the Executive Board shall report to the general membership meeting on all funds raised and expended by the PTO and on such other matters, as the Board may deem appropriate.

Section 6. In the event matters are submitted to the PTO membership for a vote, each Parent and Ex Officio member shall be entitled to one (1) vote, subject to a maximum of two (2) per family.  Unless otherwise required by the Constitution or By-laws, a vote of the majority attending the meeting shall be sufficient to approve the matter at large.

Section 7. The Recording Secretary shall keep minutes of all general membership meetings.  Minutes shall be made available to the PTO membership.  The Board may require a member to reimburse the PTO for photocopy and postage expenses of minutes.

Article VIII- Executive Board Meetings
Section 1. At the beginning of each school year, the Executive Board shall establish a schedule of Executive Board meetings for the school year (“scheduled meetings”).  The Board shall take reasonable steps to provide notice of these meetings to Board members, the Principal, and the Pastor and, consistent with Section 7, to the PTO membership.

Section 2. Additional meetings of the Executive Board shall be held at the call of the President or, if the President should decline to call a meeting, at the call of two other elected officers of the Board.  The Board shall take reasonable steps to provide notice of these meetings to Board members and, consistent with Section 7, to the PTO membership.

Section 3. The majority of the Executive Board shall constitute a quorum at an Executive Board meeting.

Section 4. The President shall formulate the agenda for all Executive Board members shall be included in the agenda.

Section 5. All members of the Executive Board, the Principal, and the Pastor shall be entitled to attend the Executive Board meetings.  Subject to Section 7, the Executive Board may invite others to attend Executive Board meetings upon a majority vote of the Board.  Subject to Section 7, upon majority vote, a meeting of the Executive Board shall be open to the PTO membership, either in whole or in part.

Section 6. The Recording Secretary shall keep minutes of all meetings of the Executive Board.

Section 7. Subject to Section 8, the Executive Board may declare a meeting of the Board confidential by a 2/3 majority of the Board when the Board believes that it is in the best interest of the PTO membership.  Notice of meetings that may be confidential need only to be given to members of the Executive Board, the Principal, and the Pastor.  Only Executive Board members, the Principal, and the Pastor and those invited by two-third vote of the Executive Board may attend Executive Board meetings deemed confidential.  Matters discussed at meetings deemed confidential shall not be disclosed except, as the Board shall direct.

Section 8. The Executive Board shall not declare the raising or expenditure of PTO funds to be a confidential matter.

Section 9. The Recording Secretary shall keep minutes of all meetings of the Executive Board.  Unless declared confidential by the Board pursuant to Section 7, minutes of the Executive Board shall be made available to the PTO membership.  The Board may require a member to reimburse the PTO for photocopy and postage expenses of minutes.

Article IX- Rules of Order
All meetings of this organization shall be conducted according to “Robert’s Rules of Order, Revised”, when not inconsistent with this Constitution and By-laws.

Article X- Amendments
Section 1. Amendments to the Constitution and By-laws shall be provided at one general membership meeting (“the proposal meeting”) and voted on at the next (“the voting meeting”).  Modifications to amendments that are accepted by majority vote at the proposal meeting shall be included in the proposed amendment for vote by the membership at the voting meeting.

Section 2. A two-thirds vote of the membership attending the voting meeting is necessary to amend the Constitution and By-laws.

Section 3. Each Parent and Ex-officio member shall be entitled to one (1) vote, subject to a maximum of two (2) per family, at both the proposal and voting meeting.

Section 4. Amendments shall not take effect unless ratified by the Principal and Pastor pursuant to Article XI.

Article XI- Approval and Ratification
Section 1. This Constitution and By-laws shall replace the current Constitution and By-laws upon the approval of the PTO membership and ratification by the Principal, and Pastor.

Section 2. This Constitution and By-laws shall be proposed at a PTO meeting (“the proposal meeting”) and voted upon at the next PTO membership meeting (“the voting meeting”).

Section 3. Modifications to this Constitution and By-laws that are accepted by majority vote at the proposal meeting shall be included in the Constitution and By-laws for vote by the PTO membership of the voting meeting.

Section 4. A two-thirds vote of the membership attending the voting meeting is necessary to approve the Constitution and By-laws.

Section 5. Upon approval by the PTO membership, this Constitution and By-laws shall be submitted to the Principal and Pastor for ratification.

Section 6. The Principal and the Pastor may ratify this Constitution and By-laws as submitted.  The Pastor reserves the right to amend this Constitution and By-laws and resubmit them to the members for approval.

Section 7. All amendments to this Constitution and By-laws that are approved by the PTO membership pursuant to Article X shall be submitted to the Principal and Pastor for ratification.  The Principal and Pastor may: 1) ratify the amendment as submitted; 2) reject it; or 3) amend it and resubmit it to the members for approval.

Section 8. In the event that a new Principal or Pastor takes office, this Constitution and By-laws, as may be amended, must be submitted for re-ratification to the Principal and Pastor no later than 60 days after the new Principal or Pastor assumes office.  In that event, the Principal and Pastor may ratify the Constitution and By-laws as submitted or may amend it and resubmit if to the members for approval.

Section 9. This Constitution and By-laws will remain in effect during the ratification process set forth in Sections 7 and 8.


Article XII- Short Title
This Constitution and By-laws may be referred to as “The 2002 Constitution”.