Bylaws
I. NAME OF ORGANIZATION
The name of this organization shall be The Lake Ridge Academy Parents Association, hereafter referred to as “the PA” or some variation thereof.
II. GENERAL PURPOSE & AUTHORITY TO ACT
The purpose of the PA is to support and complement the mission and philosophy of Lake Ridge Academy (“LRA”) through volunteer service, monetary efforts and programs that actively involve parents, teachers, students, administrators and our educational community. We strive to actively involve and efficiently and effectively communicate with the parent community through efforts that foster mutual respect, awareness and support for the school’s policies and programs. The PA is expressly granted authority to act within these by Lake Ridge Academy.
III. GOALS OF THE PA
1. To support and complement the mission and philosophy of Lake Ridge Academy;
2. To foster a cooperative relationship between parents, teachers, support staff, and school administrators;
3. To encourage family participation within the school;
4. To encourage families to volunteer in school and/or with PA events;
5. To plan and carry out special events, of which all monies raised, will be used to directly benefit the LRA community;
6. To collaborate with school staff, including faculty and administration;
7. To promote the school’s presence in the community and encourage growth;
8. To encourage communication between the school and the citizens of the community.
IV. LIMITATIONS
In order to protect the rights of individuals and ongoing educational programs, the PA agrees to abide by the following limitations:
1. The PA shall not violate any of the Lake Ridge policies, including, but not limited to, the Lake Ridge Academy student handbook, any personal agreements, contracts, policies, or other agreements that Lake Ridge has with its staff or families;
2. It shall not infringe on the legal rights of individual students, groups of students, teachers, parents, or community;
3. The PA shall remain neutral in that it shall be noncommercial, nonsectarian and nonpartisan, notwithstanding the terms of these bylaws;
4. All PA fundraising initiatives will be coordinated with the Lake Ridge Academy Advancement Office;
5. Any legally binding contracts shall be approved by both a PA Executive Board member and an employee of the school.
V. GENERAL MEETINGS
1. General meetings shall be held on a regular basis approximately once a month with a minimum of six per year. The dates will be determined by the PA President and approved by the Executive Board, and posted in the school calendar and the Lake Ridge Academy app.
2. All meetings will be posted on the PA website, calendar, or other means, one week prior to the meeting or earlier.
3. The President of the PA will conduct the meetings. If the President is unable to attend a meeting, the next ranking Executive Board Member shall conduct the meetings.
4. The President, as necessary, may call special general meetings.
VI. GENERAL MEMBERSHIP POLICIES
Every parent or guardian of a child attending Lake Ridge Academy in grades Kindergarten through Twelfth, alumni of Lake Ridge Academy, and parents of alumni of Lake Ridge Academy are considered members of this organization. No membership fee is required. Anyone in the community who is interested may be invited by a member to attend general meetings, but invitees are not considered PA members unless they meet the established membership criteria. In order to facilitate communication and visibility, the school may designate a school employee(s) as PA representative(s), ex officio (non-voting).
1. Each voting member has the right to one vote.
2. Each voting member has the right to propose motions.
3. Motions are passed by a simple majority vote of Members present.
4. Proposed amendments will be forwarded in writing to the PA general membership no less than fourteen (14) days prior to the next General Meeting.
5. Proposed amendments will pass or fail by a simple majority vote of Members present.
6. For those rules not addressed specifically in these bylaws, Robert’s Rules of Order, revised, shall govern the PA in cases in which they apply, including with respect to veto power. The PA will function in an orderly fashion but does not adhere to strict parliamentary procedures.
VII. RESPONSIBILITIES/DUTIES OF GENERAL MEMBERS
1. To attend meetings;
2. To elect PA Executive Board officers at the April meeting of each year;
3. To organize, execute, and participate in school activities, committees, events, fundraisers, and educational programs sponsored by the PA;
4. To provide input and vote on expenditures of funds earned by the PA;
5. To share ideas and concerns relating to PA sponsored events with members, school officials, and the community;
6. To review and approve the budget at the first General PA Meeting of each school year.
VIII. ELECTIONS AND TERMS OF OFFICE
1. The elected offices of the PA Executive Board shall consist of/rank as follows:
a. President
b. Vice President
c. Secretary
d. Treasurer
e. Immediate Past Present
2. The term of office is for two consecutive years, with a limit of one consecutive term in the same position. An exception can be made with a majority vote of a quorum.
3. All elected officers must have a child currently enrolled in Lake Ridge Academy.
4. Prior to the March PA General Meeting, the Nominating Committee will facilitate an open call for vacancies and present a complete slate of the above listed positions.
5. Members outside of the Nominating Committee may bring a complete slate of Executive Board positions to the April PA General Meeting. This complete slate must receive approval from the Nominating Committee prior to presentation.
6. No person shall be elected to an office without his or her consent.
7. Election of officers shall be conducted by written ballot or voice vote at the April PA General meeting by a simple majority vote of Members present.
8. Newly elected officers of the PA shall assume the responsibilities of their offices on June 1.
a. In the event any current elected officer no longer has a child enrolled at Lake Ridge Academy, for any reason, said officer will be considered to have resigned, and that leadership position will be considered vacant. The vacant position can be filled according to the provisions listed below.
b. Any vacancy occurring in an office shall be presented to the General Membership and filled, for the remainder of the term, by a person(s) elected by a simple majority vote of the PA Executive Board.
IX. RESPONSIBILITIES/DUTIES OF THE EXECUTIVE BOARD
1. All officers of the Executive Board are expected to regularly attend scheduled Executive Board and General Membership meetings.
2. The Executive Board is responsible for gathering input from committee chairs and coordinators in order to manage, maintain, review and revise any Standard Operating Procedures.
3. The Executive Board has the power to act in an emergency without the consent of the PA General members.
4. All Executive Board members have the right to propose motions.
5.All Executive Board members have the right to one vote.
6. All Executive Board members review and approve the budget at the first general meeting of each PA term along with the General Membership.
7. From year to year, the Executive Board maintains a slate of non-elected committee chairs for events, programs and fundraising. By the April General Membership meeting of the prior school year, the Executive Board will present committees for the following year and conduct an open call for all vacant positions.
8. All Executive Board members collaborate with active councils and committees working within the school.
9. All Executive Board members facilitate the transition of new PA officers, committee chairpersons and coordinators.
THE PA EXECUTIVE BOARD
PRESIDENT
The President has the following duties:
- Assumes responsibility for communication to parents at large
- Plans the calendar for the upcoming school year and maintains updates in collaboration with LRA Administration
- Assists Treasurer/Executive Board in developing annual budget
- Acts as liaison between PA and LRA Administration
- Serves as member of the Grants Committee
- Oversees the execution of PA events and endeavors
- Appoints members of the Bylaws Committee
VICE PRESIDENT
The Vice President has the following duties:
- Attends all PA General Meetings
- Advises and assists the President
- Serves as the Chair of the Bylaws Committee
- Conducts meetings in absence of the President
- Assists the Treasurer/Executive Board in preparing the budget
SECRETARY
The Secretary has the following duties:
- Records minutes at PA General Meetings and Executive Board Meetings
- Presents previous PA General Meeting minutes at following meeting
- Assists with organizing communication and social media
- Presides at meetings in the absence of the President and Vice President
- Assists the Treasurer/Executive Board in preparing the budget
TREASURER
The Treasurer has the following duties:
- Works directly with Business Office and follows all Business Office policy
- Approves reimbursements/deductions
- Maintains an updated report of the PA financials
- Presents monthly financial report at PA General Meeting
- Works with President/Executive Board to create an annual budget to be approved by General PA Membership at first meeting
- Arranges for end-of-year reporting
- Collaborates with previous officer and future officer to complete budgetary reporting as necessary
- Presides at meetings in the absence of President, Vice President and Secretary
IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT
The Immediate Past President has the following duties:
- Advises current Executive Board
- Attends General PA Meetings as necessary to carry out function
X. SPECIAL COMMITTEES/CHAIRPERSONS
The Executive Board of the PA may form subcommittees and/or designate chairpersons as necessary to carry on the work of the PA organization.
1. Every attempt will be made to create and fill committees that include but are not limited to:
a. Fundraising groups: working to raise money for PA expenditures/accounts
b. Community building groups which may or may not raise funds
c. School-centered events
d. Division Coordinators (Lower School, Middle School, Upper School)
2. These committees shall:
a. Coordinate events and/or projects;
b. Report progress at PA Executive and General Membership meetings;
c. Maintain a record of activities to be passed down from year to year to future committee chairs.
3. The following committees will be created annually.
a. Educational Grants Committee
- Distributes information to faculty regarding upcoming grants and chairs meeting;
- Communicates confirmation or denial of grants to faculty;
- Coordinates with Division Directors regarding composition of Grants Committee.
b. Scholarship Committee
- Works with the US faculty to send the applications to the seniors;
- Anonymously reviews and votes on the submissions;
- Presents the scholarships at the senior luncheon at the end of the year.
- Committee will not include a parent of an 11th or 12th grade student.
c. Nominating Committee
- Members of the Nominating Committee shall be:
Immediate Past-President (Chair)
Four (4) Members from the PA at-large
- The Nominating Committee Chair will make a best effort to include Members with a child in each LRA Divisions (Lower School, Middle School, Upper School).
- The Chair of the Nominating Committee will facilitate an open call to the membership for the committee. Should there be more than four (4) volunteers, committee members will be chosen at random.
- The Nominating Committee shall prepare a complete slate of candidates for the Executive Board of the PA for the following school year, subject to review and approval by LRA and consent from each nominee prior to presenting the complete slate to the PA. In the event of more than one nominee for an office, voting shall be by written ballot.
- Should a Member present the Nominating Committee with an alternative complete slate, the Nominating Committee will review the slate for eligibility before validating and approving it for presentation before the General Membership for a vote.
- The Nominating Committee must have a quorum of three to conduct its business.
d. Bylaws Committee
- The bylaws of the PA will be reviewed at least every three years or more often if necessary.
- The Bylaws Committee will be appointed by the President, who will make a best attempt to include Members with a child in each LRA Division (Lower School, Middle School, Upper School).
- These bylaws may be amended by providing notice of proposed amendments to the Members of the PA at least fourteen (14) days prior to a General Meeting at which the vote will be taken.
- Bylaw amendments require approval by a majority of Members present at any General Meeting called for this purpose.
XI. REMOVAL AND/OR RESIGNATION FROM EXECUTIVE OFFICE
Removal and/or resignation from office may occur by a majority vote of the Executive Board (including the President).
1. A Committee Member could be subject to removal at any such time that he or she fails to perform assigned duties, is corrupt, or performs any act/behavior that brings dishonor to, or negates the purpose and/or goals of this organization.
2. Removal shall take place only after the Executive Board has met in an effort to assess and discuss the problem and all attempts have been made to resolve the problem.
3. In the event any current elected officer no longer has a child enrolled at Lake Ridge Academy, for any reason, said officer will be considered to have resigned, and that Executive position will be considered vacant, unless there is a majority vote of the Executive Board to the contrary. The vacant position can be filled according to the provisions listed below:
a. The open position will be announced to the General Membership.
b. Any vacancy occurring in an office shall be filled, for the remainder of the term, by a person(s) elected by a simple majority vote of the PA Executive Board.
XII. FISCAL POLICY
1. The fiscal year of the PA shall begin on July 1 and end on June 30.
2. The budget shall be based on the prior year’s available funds.
3. All expenditures outside the projected budget must be approved by either the Executive Board, or if over $250 by the General Membership at a PA General Meeting.
4. The PA will follow LRA Business Office policy.
5. The PA shall make financial contributions only to LRA and its affiliated organizations.
6. A contingency fund of an amount set forth in the PA budget and approved by the membership shall be maintained each year for ad-hoc or unplanned expenditures that arise during the fiscal year. Use of contingency funds shall be approved by a majority vote of the PA Members at a General Meeting.