Patuxent High School

NJROTC Boosters Association, Inc.

BY-LAWS

ARTICLE I: NAME

a.   The name of the organization shall be the Patuxent High School NJROTC Boosters Association, Inc.

ARTICLE II: PURPOSE

a.   The purpose of this organization is to provide educational, financial, social, and other support for the Patuxent High School NJROTC program.

b.   Declaration of Intent:

1.    It is the policy of Patuxent High School NJROTC Boosters Association, to help all NJROTC students, even if the student’s parents are not active members of the organization, or do not take part in any fund-raising activity.  The support of a student will not depend on the fund-raising effort of the NJROTC member’s parent(s).  We will make this policy clearly known to our members.

2.    Patuxent High School NJROTC Boosters Association will not participate in any fund-raising program where there is any direct benefit to the member who raises the funds.  For example, we will adopt no system where a parent receives a point or other credit for their fund-raising participation which can then be used to offset a student’s expense.

ARTICLE III: OBJECTIVES

a.   The Patuxent High School NJROTC Boosters Association (hereafter known as the “Association”) shall organize, support, and operate various fund raising activities approved in accordance with these by-laws to finance or partially finance the purchase of equipment, and any other items and supplies for the Patuxent High School NJROTC program and its affiliates.

b.   The Association shall provide chaperones and arrange transportation services when requested by the NJROTC Naval Science Instructors.

ARTICLE IV: MEMBERSHIP

A.   Any person 21 years of age or older and interested in the Patuxent High School NJROTC program may become a member upon payment of the annual (current school year) membership fee of $10.00 per voting member.

B.   All members must complete a Volunteer form to be in compliance with CCPS Policy 8123.  This form is available through the school’s volunteer co-coordinator.

ARTICLE V: OFFICERS

a.   The officers of the Association shall be the President, Vice-President, Secretary/Treasurer.  All officers must be current paid members of the Association.  These officers are the Executive Board.  Offices may be occupied by more than one (1) person as deemed necessary by the Executive Board.

b.   The President shall preside at all meetings, is an ex-officio member of all committees except the nominating committee, and shall coordinate and monitor the activities of all committee chairpersons.

c.   The Vice-President shall preside over meetings in the absence of the President, assume the presidency should the President be unable to serve, and perform such other duties as the Association may direct.

d.   The Secretary /Treasurer shall record proceedings of all meetings and handle all correspondence necessary for the Association, keep all permanent records, and perform such other duties as the Association may direct. The Treasurer shall collect monies due the Association and deposit these to the School Activity Fund (SAF) in accordance Calvert County Public School Board Policy 5700.1.   The Treasurer shall maintain accurate records of all Association transactions and shall be the principal interface between the SAF coordinator and the Association.

e.   The officers shall be elected to serve one (1) year terms, starting 01 June and completing 31 May, or until their successors are elected. Officers shall serve no more than two (2) consecutive terms in the same office unless there is no nomination for a successor and there is a majority vote at the April election meeting in favor of the incumbent remaining in office.

f.    A vacancy in any office (other than the Presidency) shall be filled by special election at the next regular meeting following the vacancy. Special election meetings must be announced to the membership at least three (3) days prior to the designated meeting time and shall begin by taking nominations for the vacant office from the attendees, providing the attendees make up a quorum (as defined for the Annual Meeting, Article VII, Section C). If no names are entered into nomination, the President (or Vice-President if the Presidency is vacant) shall appoint a special committee who shall canvas the membership to seek a suitable candidate for the vacant office.

g.   Upon reasonable written notice, any officer may be removed from office for cause by a two-thirds majority vote of the Executive Board subject to approval by a majority of a quorum of the membership at its next regularly scheduled meeting.  Any such accused officer shall not vote on the issue of his/her removal from office, although he/she shall be afforded an opportunity to be heard concerning the issue both before the Executive Board and the membership and to be confronted by his/her accuser with evidence of wrongdoing.

h.   Any elected officer absent from four (4) consecutive regularly scheduled membership meetings without having submitted good and valid reasons for such absences shall be considered to have resigned and will be replaced by a person elected by majority vote at a regular meeting as provided for in Article V.G of these By-Laws.

i.      Candidates for office shall be nominated from the floor at the first meeting in March, elected at the second meeting in April, and installed at the first meeting in June of each year. 

j.    Retiring officers shall surrender all Association materials to the incoming officers before the June meeting.

ARTICLE VI: EXECUTIVE BOARD

a.   The Executive Board shall consist of all officers of the Association. Meeting times of the Executive Board shall be determined by a majority of the Executive Board.

b.   A quorum of the Executive Board shall consist of two (2) officers.

c.   The duties of the Executive Board shall be to transact necessary business between regular Association meetings. The Executive Board shall have the power to authorize disbursements of funds if an emergency exists, not to exceed $250.00.   Attendants at Executive Board meetings will consist of Executive Board members and other invited individuals as necessary to transact business. However, only the Executive Board members will be permitted to vote on any matter discussed.

d.   Any duality of interest or possible conflict of interest on the part of any Executive Board member shall be disclosed to the Executive Board and made a matter of record.  Any Executive Board member having such duality or possible conflict of interest shall not vote or use his/her influence on such matter in question or be counted in determining a quorum for the meeting.  The minutes of the meeting shall reflect such disclosure, abstention from vote, and the Board members comprising the quorum.

e.   Any elected officer absent from four (4) consecutive regularly scheduled Board meetings without having submitted good and valid reasons for such absences shall be considered to have resigned and will be replaced by a person elected by majority vote of a quorum at a regular meeting as provided for in Article V.G of these By-Laws.

ARTICLE VII: MEETINGS

a.   The Annual Meeting of the Association shall be held during the first April meeting at Patuxent High School beginning at 7:00 p.m.  The purpose of the Annual Meeting is the election of officers.

b.   General meetings shall be the first  Thursday evening of each month, unless otherwise directed by the Association, by unscheduled school closings, or by the Executive Board. A three days notice shall be given for a change of date. 

c.   A quorum for the Annual Meeting is required and shall be counted as 51% of the parties present in good standing.

d.   A quorum for a regular meeting is required and shall be counted as three (3) officers, and seven (7) paid members except in the case of special elections which must meet the quorum requirements of an annual meeting.

e.   Special meetings may be called at the direction of any two (2) Executive Board members or ten (10) paid members. Notice of special meetings shall be given to the membership not less than three (3) days prior to the meeting.

f.    Action without a Meeting:  Any action required or permitted to be taken by the members, or the Executive Board, may be taken without a meeting if the members, or the Executive Board agree that such an issue cannot be tabled until the next scheduled meeting.  In these cases an email vote shall be held.  All email votes shall be retained as a system of record and therefore binding.

a. Email voting should not be used routinely. Association should only vote by email when unique circumstances justify it, i.e. when scheduling problems, the need for a decision between meetings, or other unanticipated and/or unavoidable circumstances make voting at a live or telephonic meeting impracticable.

b. Upon deciding that an email vote is necessary, the Board member executing the vote will:

1. Ensure that the list of email addresses for all Association members is updated and correct. If any Association member does not have access to email, alternative arrangements must be made to ensure that they may participate in the voting. The email message will be flagged as important/high priority.

2. Clearly identify in the email ballot the matter to be voted upon, the email address to which votes should be directed, and the deadline, including time, for receipt of votes.

3. Provide Association members as much time as possible, and in any event at least five (5) business days following the date the ballot is emailed to the Association members for voting.

4. Include in the Association minutes of the vote an explanation of the unique circumstances leading to the Board members decision to invoke these email voting procedures.

5. Resolve, subject to review by the Board, any dispute regarding the receipt of an email ballot by the established deadline, or any other questions regarding compliance with these policies.

6.  For voting purposes a quorum will be as defined in Article VII, paragraph D.

c.   Ballots shall be retained as the official record of the vote for at least a period of one year as part of the official minutes.

**NOTE**

Email motions can only be voted up or down. They can’t be amended. Email approval is only suitable for straightforward motions. Email is not suited for the conduct of a deliberative process. Email doesn’t provide the opportunity for discussion or amendment of the motion that you would have in a face-to-face meeting. Members should feel free to say, “I vote No, because I think we should discuss it.”

ARTICLE VIII: COMMITTEES

a.   The Fundraising Committee shall consist of a chairperson appointed by the President and two (2) or more members to be selected by the chairperson. This committee shall be responsible for identifying fundraising ideas, presenting them to the Executive Board for approval, and organizing the fundraising activities.

b.    The Website Committee shall consist of a chairperson appointed by the President and additional members to be selected by the chairperson. This committee shall be responsible for developing and maintaining the Association web-site.

c.   The Finance Committee shall consist of a chairperson appointed by the President and additional members to be selected by the chairperson.  This committee shall be responsible for maintaining the donor database and conducting annual contacts for donations.  The committee shall also be responsible for grant writing in support of the Unit.

d.   The President is responsible for appointing any special committees that may be needed by the Association.

ARTICLE IX: FINANCIAL

a.   General Information:

·         All expenditures shall be approved by:

o   A majority vote of the members present for the meeting at which the vote is held.

-- OR --

o   A majority vote of the Executive Board.

·         All expenditures passed shall be submitted on a Purchase Order Requisition Form (Pink Form*) for Principal’s approval.

o   There shall be no reimbursement for any purchase(s) that has not received prior approval for such expenditures.

o   Request for expenditure may be submitted via email however this is not to be the standard approach.  Approval is normally obtained in 24-48 business hours.

·         All requests for checks distributed from the SAF shall be requested via the Check Requisition/Payment Voucher Form (Yellow Form*).  All associated receipts shall be attached to this form prior to submittal for which payment is being requested.

·         All deposits made to the SAF in the name of the Association shall be deposited in the drop safe located within the school office and accompanied by:

o   Fundraiser Profit Statement (White form*).

o   Student Activity Fund Deposit Form (Blue Form*).

*Note*

The color of these forms is significant in their handling and processing, therefore all copies should be obtained from the school office to avoid confusion.  In the event a form needs to be copied it shall have the “color” of the form boldly written at the top of that copy.

ARTICLE X: PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY

a.   Parliamentary authority shall be the latest edition of Robert’s Rules of Order, Revised, except in those cases where it conflicts with these By-Laws.

ARTICLE XI: AMENDMENTS

a.   These By-Laws may be amended at any annual, regular, or special meeting provided notice has been given at least three (3) days in advance of the meeting at which they are to be acted upon.  A two-thirds vote of the active paid members present shall be required for adoption.

ARTICLE XII: LIABILITY and INDEMNIFICATION

a.   To the fullest extent permitted by law, the officers of the Association shall not be personally liable for the debts, liabilities, or other obligations of the Association.

b.   The officers of the Association shall be indemnified by the Association to the fullest extent permissible under the laws of Maryland except for crimes of moral turpitude or misappropriation of funds.

ARTICLE XIII: DISSOLUTION

a.   In the event of dissolution of the Association, all assets remaining after payment of the obligations and liabilities shall be distributed to Patuxent High School NJROTC.

ARTICLE XIV:  APPROVAL

a.   Revised by-laws approved:

Signature and Date

_________________________

Bob Kaczorowski, President                                             

_________________________

Steve Haw, Vice-President

__________________________             

Beth Haw , Secretary/Treasurer