Bylaws

Article I. Name and Purpose

Section 1. Name

The name of this organization shall be the Lake Ridge Academy Parents

Association (“PA”).

Section 2. Purpose

The PA will support and complement the mission and philosophy of Lake

Ridge Academy ("LRA") through volunteer service, fundraising and special events. We strive to actively involve and communicate with the parent community through efforts that foster mutual respect, awareness and support for the school’s policies and programs.

Article II. Membership

Section 1. Membership

Membership includes all parents and/or responsible parties of currently enrolled students and alumni of LRA.

Section 2. Dues

Voluntary annual dues, in an amount to be determined annually by the

PA and subject to approval by LRA, may be collected from each family. Dues shall be levied per family, not per student. Collection of dues shall be the responsibility of the Treasurer. All dues shall be deposited in an account maintained by LRA.

Article III. Officers

Section 1. Officers

The Officers of the PA shall be:

  • President
  • Vice President
  • Secretary
  • Treasurer
  • Fundraising Coordinator
  • Event & Social Calendar Coordinator
  • Lower School Division Coordinator
  • Middle School Division Coordinator
  • Upper School Division Coordinator
  • Educational Grants Committee Chair

Section 2. Executive Committee

The Executive Committee shall consist of:

  • President
  • Vice President
  • Secretary
  • Treasurer
  • Educational Grants Chair
  • Immediate Past President

Section 3. Nominations and Elections

The Officers shall be nominated by the Nominating Committee and

elected by a majority vote of the Members of the PA present at the final General Meeting of each fiscal year.

Section 4. Term of Office

The term of office shall be one year or until a successor is elected.

No member of the Executive Committee shall be eligible to serve more than two terms in the same office consecutively. For all other Officers, it is recommended no member shall be eligible to serve more than two consecutive terms in the same office or hold more than two positions concurrently. The term shall begin at the close of the final General Meeting at which such Officers are elected, with transition from each Officer to the newly elected Officer occurring as needed through the end of the fiscal year. Vacancies shall be filled by the President with review and approval by LRA Administration. Mid-term resignations should be submitted in writing to the President.

Section 5. General Requirements of Officers

  1. Attend all General Meetings and all other meetings relevant to said Officer's position.
  2. Maintain written and/or electronic records of activities for each year to be passed onto each newly elected Officer.
  3. Prepare a year-end summary to be provided to the President and included in such Officer's records of activities.
  4. Contribute to the PA’s communications by submitting short summaries to the President when appropriate.
  5. Approve the work of the standing and ad-hoc committees.
  6. Report at the regular meetings of the PA. g. Assist the President as necessary.

Section 6. Removal of Officers

If any Officer shall at any time cease to meet the qualifications or fulfill the duties of the position, that person may be removed from office by resolution adopted by a 2/3 majority vote of all of the Officers, as evidenced by duly recorded minutes.

Article IV. Duties of Officers

Section 1. President

  1. Schedules and presides over Executive Committee Meetings, Officers’ Meetings and General Meetings.
  2. Assumes responsibility for preparation of the weekly parent communication.
  3. Member of the Educational Grants Committee.
  4. Plans the calendar for the next school year with the LRA Administration.
  5. Approves all contractual agreements on behalf of the PA in excess of $500.
  6. At year end, updates the President's binder with the incoming President.
  7. Assists the Treasurer of the PA in preparing the budget.
  8. Communicates with the LRA Administration liaison to the PA and invites her to meetings.
  9. Attends meetings of other organizations when deemed appropriate.
  10. Ex-officio member of all committees.
  11. Appoints Committee Chairs that are not Officers except for Nominating Committee.

      Section 2. Vice President

      1. Advises and assists the President, and acts as the President in her/his absence.
      2. Serves as Chair of Bylaws Committee.
      3. Assists the Treasurer of the PA in preparing the budget.

      Section 3. Secretary

      1. Records all minutes and takes attendance at Executive Committee Meetings, Officers’ Meetings and General Meetings.
      2. b. Distributes the prior meeting's draft minutes to the attendees of said meeting at least three days before the next meeting.
      3. Presents the prior meeting’s minutes at each respective meeting. d. Carries on all correspondence for the PA.
      4. Presides at meetings in the absence of the President and Vice President.
      5. Assumes responsibility for the weekly communications when needed. g. Keeps a current copy of the Bylaws.
      6. Maintains a schedule of all meetings of the PA. i. Assists the Treasurer in preparing the budget.

      Section 4. Treasurer

      1. Keeps the financial records of the PA.
      2. Responsible for preparing the budget of the PA with the Executive Committee to be presented at the first General Meeting.
      3. Notifies all Committee Chairs and other financial recipients, in writing, of their budgets prior to the beginning of the school year and throughout the year as needed.
      4. Arranges for approved and properly submitted bills to be paid by the LRA Business Office on behalf of the PA. The Treasurer is not responsible for physical handling of funds of the PA. LRA Business Office handles all PA funds and generates reports monthly to the Treasurer.
      5. Distributes to the PA Members the proposed annual budget at least three days prior to the first General Meeting.
      6. Distributes to the PA Members the monthly financial report at least three days prior to each General Meeting.
      7. Presents the monthly financial report at each General Meeting.

      Section 5. Fundraising Coordinator

      1. Oversees the major fundraising functions of the PA and supports the individual Committee Chairs.
      2. b. Reviews periodic updates from Committee Chairs responsible for fundraising.
      3. Ex-officio member of committees responsible for fundraising.

      Section 6. Event and Social Calendar Coordinator

      1. Oversees the major social events of the PA and supports the individual Committee Chairs.
      2. Reviews periodic updates from Committee Chairs responsible for volunteer and social events.
      3. Ex-officio member of committees responsible for all LRA social events.

      Section 7. Lower School, Middle School and Upper School Division

      Coordinators

      1. Oversee the events of their respective divisions, coordinate these events with their respective Division Directors, and support the individual Committee Chairs in that division.
      2. b. Review periodic updates from Committee Chairs responsible for events in their respective divisio
      3. Ex-officio member of committees responsible for their respective division's events.

      Section 8. Educational Grants Committee Chair

      1. Distributes information to faculty regarding upcoming grant meetings, chairs meetings and communicates confirmation or denial of grants to faculty.
      2. Coordinates with Division Directors regarding composition of Grants Committee.

      Article V. Meetings/Quorums

      Section 1. Executive Committee Meetings

      1. The Executive Committee shall meet at the call of the President.
      2. A majority of the Executive Committee present at any Executive Committee Meeting shall constitute a quorum for the purposes of conducting business.

      Section 2. Officers’ Meetings

      1. The Officers shall meet at the call of the President.
      2. A majority of all Officers present at any Officers’ Meeting shall constitute a quorum for the purposes of conducting business except as otherwise specified by Article III Section 6 (Removal of Officers).

      Section 3. General Meetings.

      1. There will be a minimum of three General Meetings during the fiscal year. These meetings shall be open to all Members of the PA.
      2. A quorum of the PA shall consist of a majority of those Members present at any General Meeting.

      Article VI. Committees

      Section 1. Nominating Committee

      1. The Members of the Nominating Committee shall be:
        Immediate Past-President, Chair
        President
        One additional Officer
        Two Members from the PA at-large
      2. The Nominating Committee shall prepare a slate of candidates for the Officers of the PA for the following school year, subject to review and approval by LRA and consent from each nominee prior to presenting the slate to the PA. In the event of more than one nominee for an office, voting shall be by written ballot.
      3. The Nominating Committee must have a quorum of three to conduct its business.

          Section 2. Other Committees

          1. Such other committees, standing or ad-hoc, shall be created by the Officers of the PA as deemed necessary to carry out the work of the PA. The President shall approve the Chair of such committees.
          2. The term of a standing or ad-hoc Committee Chair shall be one year or until the appointment of a successor.
          3. All Committee Chairs shall periodically update the President and the respective Coordinators concerning the work of the committee.
          4. No committee work shall be undertaken without the consent of the President.

          Article VII. Fiscal Policy

          Section 1. Fiscal Year

          The fiscal year of the PA shall be from July 1 to June 30.

          Section 2. Financial Disbursements

          1. The budget shall be based on the prior year’s available funds. All expenditures over projected budget must be approved at a General Meeting.
          2. The PA shall make financial contributions only to LRA and its affiliated organizations.

          Section 3. Contingency Fund

          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.

           Article VIII. Amendments to Bylaws

          These bylaws may be amended by providing notice of proposed amendments to the Members of the PA at least seven 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.

          Article IX. Bylaws Review 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.

          Approved April 15, 2016