• ROBINSON PTO BYLAWS

    ARTICLE I: NAME

    The name of this organization shall be: ROBINSON PARENT/TEACHER ORGANIZATION (PTO) of George R. Robinson Elementary School of Kirkwood R-7 School District. The Robinson PTO shall not be affiliated with any state or national organization.

    ARTICLE II: PURPOSE

    The purpose of the Robinson PTO is to strengthen, enhance, and encourage the educational and social environment of Robinson Elementary School. It seeks to create a strong equitable and inclusive school community that values and respects diverse backgrounds, experiences and points of view. Its goals are to complement the school curriculum with additional opportunities for parents, teachers, and students to learn, socialize, communicate, and grow. It shall seek to support the mission and objectives of Robinson Elementary as well as the Kirkwood School District while being non-commercial, non-sectarian, and non-partisan.

    ARTICLE III: POLICIES

    SECTION 1. The purpose of the Robinson PTO shall be for educational purposes under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. It shall not seek to direct the administrative activities of the school or to control its policies.

    SECTION 2. The Robinson PTO shall be non-commercial, non-sectarian, and non-partisan. Without the express consent of the Kirkwood School District written policy, no commercial enterprise or any candidate shall be supported by Robinson PTO, nor will the name of this organization or its officers in their official capacities be used in connection with a commercial concern, or with any partisan interest, or for other than the regular work of the organization.

    SECTION 3. The Robinson PTO shall not, directly, or indirectly, participate or intervene in any way, including the publishing or distributing of statements, in any political campaign on behalf of, or in opposition to, any candidate for public office. Likewise, no substantial part of this organization’s activities shall be any display or distribution of propaganda or otherwise attempting to influence legislation. This includes KSD ballot campaigns. The Robinson PTO may present factual informative statements within the Facebook group and will not seek to sway personal vote.

    SECTION 4. No part of net earnings of the Robinson PTO shall inure to the benefit of, or be distributable to its members, trustees, officers, or other members, except that the organization shall be authorized and empowered to pay reasonable compensation for services rendered and to make payments and distributions in furtherance of the purposes set forth in the purpose clause hereof, in Section 1.

    SECTION 5. The Robinson PTO shall not carry on any activities not permitted (a), by an organization exempt from the Federal Income Tax under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 as from time to time amended, or (b), by an organization whose contributions are deductible under Section 170 (c)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 as from time to time amended.

    SECTION 6. The Robinson PTO may cooperate with other organizations and agencies involved in the educational process such as conference groups or coordinating councils, provided the organization makes no commitments that bind the Robinson PTO.

    SECTION 7. Although the Robinson PTO may sponsor, charter, or otherwise be involved with other organizations, associations, or groups, it a), denies any and all liability for any actions, omissions, errors, statements, policies, or other behavior whether intentional, negligent, or otherwise of any such chartered organization or any person belonging to or affiliated with any such group; and b), assumes no financial liability to or responsibility for any such chartered organization, or any person belonging to or affiliated with any such group.

    SECTION 8. In the event of dissolution of the Robinson PTO, the assets of the organization shall be distributed for one or more of the exempt purposes specified in Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 as from time to time amended, or shall be distributed to the federal government, or to a state or local government, for a public purpose.

    SECTION 9. For the Robinson PTO to operate effectively, a staff, teacher or administrator of Kirkwood School District must be present for any Robinson PTO event to take place. This excludes PTO Board meetings, committee meetings and any gathering that accepts the personal liability risk associated with not having a KSD official present.

    SECTION 10. Regular meetings of the PTO shall be held September through May at Robinson Elementary School, as determined by the PTO Board. Per Kirkwood School District, monthly PTO meetings are to be held on the second Tuesday of every month. Meetings of the Robinson PTO Board shall meet when deemed necessary by the PTO Board. Special meetings of the PTO Board or Robinson PTO may be called by the President(s) or a majority of the PTO Board.

    SECTION 11. Robinson PTO expectation is that all communication be respectful, credible and honest. Curse words, slander and hate is not tolerated. All PTO communication including electronic and written communication and social media is used to inform the Robinson community of upcoming events, activities and school news not pertaining to religious affiliations, commercial endorsement, illegal activity or partisan political views including Kirkwood School District campaigns. Additional communication and social media policies can be found in the PTO Policies and Procedures Handbook.

    ARTICLE IV: ORGANIZATIONAL FINANCES

    SECTION 1. FINANCIAL MODEL: The Robinson PTO follows the Kirkwood School District Financial Model. See Appendix A in Robinson PTO Policies and Procedures Document.

    SECTION 2. BUDGET: A tentative budget shall be drafted by the PTO Board in the summer prior to each school year. The budget shall be thoroughly presented by the Treasurers for a vote at the first regular PTO meeting of the school year. If approved by a majority vote of the Members present, the budget is considered finalized. If not approved, the PTO Board will collect specific concerns, modify the tentative budget to reflect the will of the Membership and present the revised budget for approval at the second PTO meeting of the school year. A majority vote of members present is necessary to amend the budget.

    SECTION 3. RECORDS: The Treasurers shall keep accurate records of any disbursements, income and financial account information.

    SECTION 4. EXPENSES: The PTO Board shall approve all expenses of the Organization in accordance with the approved annual budget. Monetary requests are to be made to the PTO Board in July for the upcoming school year. Any monetary changes that are not within the approved budget will need to be presented to and approved by the Board prior to allocation of any additional expenditures or collections. New budget items should be voted on and approved by a simple majority of the larger Robinson PTO. The following exception applies: a majority of the PTO Board may approve expenses $500.00 or below which are outside of pre-approved budgets.

    SECTION 5. INTERNAL REVIEW:

    1. The PTO President or designee should review all deposits and Reconciliation

      Confirmation Slips on a monthly basis to ensure that the deposits were made correctly

      and within 30 days (in accordance with district financial guidelines).

    2. Bank statements should be accessed by the PTO president, in addition to the treasurer.

    3. The principal of Robinson Elementary school must review the monthly financial

      statements for reasonableness.

    SECTION 6. SPECIAL FINANCIAL POLICIES:

    1. The fiscal year of the Robinson PTO shall be August 1st through July 31st.

    2. The Organization shall leave a minimum of $10,000 in the Treasury at the end of each

      fiscal year.

    3. Any funds remaining at the end of the fiscal year are not permitted to be rolled over. The

      only exception being directed corporate donations. If additional fundraising is necessary outside of the PTO fundraising initiatives, those funds should be raised for said initiative as well as general PTO operational funds.

    4. The PTO President or Treasurer must file the Form 990 or Form 990-EZ tax return by December 15th and send a copy to the Kirkwood School District’s Finance Office.

      ARTICLE V: MEMBERSHIP

    Any parent or guardian of a child enrolled at Robinson Elementary School and all Robinson teachers and staff are members of the Robinson PTO.

    ARTICLE VI: OFFICERS AND THEIR ELECTION

    SECTION 1. The property, business and affairs of the Robinson PTO will be managed by the PTO Board. The PTO Board consists of the officers of the Robinson PTO, our advisors and the principal of Robinson Elementary. The members of the PTO Board shall be the President and President-Elect, hereafter known as “Presidents; Vice-President and Vice-President-Elect, hereafter known as “Vice-Presidents”; Secretary and Secretary-Elect, hereafter known as “Secretaries”; Treasurer and Treasurer-Elect, hereafter known as “Treasurers”, Equity Inclusion Officer and Equity Inclusion Officer-Elect, hereafter known as Equity Inclusion Officers; and the Robinson Principal.

    SECTION 2. ELIGIBILITY AND ELECTION PROCESS: Any member who is a current guardian of a child enrolled at Robinson Elementary is eligible to be an officer. Nominations for the PTO Board positions and for the Committee chairpersons shall be made by a nominating committee. The nominating committee will consist of the full-term PTO Board members. The nominating committee will communicate openings through the Robinson weekly newsletter, social media and website, and backpack mail, as well as noting them at PTO meetings. The nomination will be presented to the Robinson community and will be voted on by the attendees of the PTO meeting, following the nominations. Election/appointment of officers will occur by the last PTO meeting of the school year. Additional nominations from the floor may be made at this time. Officers assume their duties on July 1 of that year. For vacant board positions, the PTO Board will follow outlined succession planning, go through outlined voting procedures or the PTO Board will nominate/appoint a member to the board position when necessary.

    SECTION 3. LENGTH OF TERM AND TERM LIMITS: The PTO Board members shall be appointed or elected (in the case of more than one person interested) for two-year terms and shall be ineligible for more than 4 consecutive years on the PTO Board. The first year for the board member will be an “elect term” to learn the position. In the second year of the term, the board member will transition to the “full term” position (i.e. President, Vice-President, Secretary....) in which they will serve and teach the roles/responsibilities of the position. Replacement board members will rotate in every year and each person shall hold only one office at a time.

    SECTION 4. VOTING: Any position may be held by more than one parent/guardian, with each parent/guardian retaining voting privileges in the Robinson PTO. Each Board member shall be a voting member of the PTO Board. Any vote must be passed by simple majority, and the Presidents shall vote in event of a tie. A majority of the members of the PTO Board shall constitute a quorum for purposes of transacting any business at a PTO Board meeting.

    SECTION 5. VACANCY: Any vacancy occurring in any office shall be filled as follows:

    1. Positions will be communicated via Robinson weekly newsletter, social media and

      website, and backpack mail, as well as noting them at PTO meetings.

    2. InthecaseoftheofficeofthePresidentbeingvacated,theco-chairservesasPresident.If

      there is not a co-chair then the Vice President(s) shall then become President(s) and a co-chair or new Vice President(s), approved by the Board, will be appointed.

    SECTION 6. REMOVAL FROM OFFICE: Board members must maintain permanent legal guardianship of a Robinson Elementary student to remain an active Board member. Board member status shall be suspended and/or revoked if permanent guardianship is in question. A Board member may also be removed from office with or without cause by two-thirds vote of members present at a regular PTO meeting where previous notice has been given. The

    PTO Board also has the power to remove an officer by majority vote if said officer misses more than two consecutive board meetings without approved notification.

    SECTION 7. TRANSITION OF OFFICE: A current copy of the Robinson PTO By-Laws will be given to all incoming officers of the PTO Board for their review and signature. The hand-off of responsibility of the PTO officers and committee chairs shall be conducted on or before July 1. At this time all files, information, and reports are to be transferred as well.

    ARTICLE VII: DUTIES OF OFFICERS

    SECTION 1. The Presidents shall preside at all meetings of the Robinson PTO and the PTO Board and shall be a member ex-officio of all committees, shall appoint special committees, and shall perform all other duties usually pertaining to the office, such as attendance at any meetings requested by the Principal of Robinson Elementary School. The Presidents shall prepare agendas for organizational and PTO Board meetings in conjunction with the Secretaries. The Presidents along with the principal of Robinson Elementary must review the monthly financial statements for reasonableness, accuracy and accountability. The President, in addition to at least a minimum of one (1) additional PTO Board member, shall review all contracts binding Robinson PTO to obligations. Upon successful review, the President is empowered to sign all contracts binding Robinson PTO to the contractual terms and conditions.

    SECTION 2. The Vice Presidents shall assist the Presidents and shall act in the absence of the Presidents. The Vice Presidents shall oversee the committee chairs, committee volunteers
    and upcoming committee needs, and shall review those positions and any changes with the Board each month.

    SECTION 3. The Secretaries shall solicit committee reports for inclusion in PTO meeting minutes, keep an accurate record of all meetings of the organization and of the PTO Board, handle official correspondence, and perform other duties as may be delegated to the office of Secretary, including distribution of monthly PTO meeting minutes to each member of the PTO Board, posting them on the Bulletin Boards, and to the PTO webmaster. The Secretaries will be the lead administrators for the PTO Facebook Group. All posts will be approved by the Secretaries and if requested content is declined based on by-law non-compliance or the Organization’s communication and social media policies, a reason for exclusion will be provided by the President via email. The Secretaries shall only approve new members to the Robinson PTO Facebook Group once the new member’s affiliation with a current Robinson student has been verified by the Robinson front office staff in accordance with policies set forth in the PTO Policies and Procedures Handbook.

    SECTION 4. The Treasurers shall receive all monies of the organization, keep an accurate record of expenditure receipts, and disperse funds only as authorized by the PTO Board. Segregation of

    banking duties must exist so that one Treasurer shall be responsible and accountable for control of all monies of the organization, and the other Treasurer shall be responsible for keeping an accurate record of expenditures and receipts and make disbursements within the approved budget of the provisions of these by-laws. The Treasurer shall maintain possession of the Organization’s debit card unless the Presidents request the card for use, and the Treasurer shall delegate its use as described in the PTO Policies and Procedures Handbook. The Treasurers shall be authorized to sign Organization checks and use the debit card belonging to the Organization in accordance with the policies set forth in the PTO Policies and Procedures Handbook. The Treasurers shall routinely monitor the bank account of the Organization to ensure that no fraudulent charges are incurred and no unauthorized use of checks or the debit card occurs. Establishment and use of any other e-commerce payment platform shall follow payment, reimbursement and statement reconciliation policies outlined in the PTO Policies and Procedures Handbook.

    The Treasurers shall produce a proposed budget for the upcoming year at the September PTO meeting to be approved by the members at that meeting. The Treasurers shall present a financial statement to the Robinson PTO on a timely basis and at other times when requested by the PTO Board. The Treasurers shall provide a monthly reconciliation to the PTO Board in accordance with the Kirkwood School District’s financial model and shall make a full report at the last meeting of the school year.

    The Treasurers shall make sure all receipts and expenditures are turned in no later than July 1. The Treasurers accounts shall be examined annually by an auditing committee or an accountant, who, when satisfied the Treasurer’s annual report is correct, shall sign a statement to that effect. Tax returns shall be held forever and other 501(c)(3) records shall be held for 10 years.

    SECTION 5. The Equity and Inclusion Officer(s) is responsible for providing strategic direction regarding equity and inclusion for the Organization and its events. The EI Officer(s) is an active REG member who attends REG meetings regularly, and who acts as a liaison between the REG and PTO. This person works in collaboration with other PTO Board Officers and committee chairs to ensure that equity and inclusion are prioritized in all activities.

    SECTION 6. All officers on the Board are expected to respond to inquiries in a reasonable timeline. If communication is received by email, the receiving officer will reply within 1 week. By or on July 1st of the officer term year, all officers will hand off any and all account login names and passwords to the new officer(s) affiliated with such accounts, not limited to email, PTO Facebook Group administration, KSD, and vendor accounts.

    ARTICLE VIII: COMMITTEE APPOINTMENTS AND DUTIES

    SECTION 1. To hold a Committee Chair Role, one must be a current guardian, teacher or staff associated with George R. Robinson Elementary School for that respective school year.

    SECTION 2. Committees shall be created by the PTO Organization and approved by the PTO Board in accordance with the purpose of the Robinson PTO. The Chairperson(s) of the committees may be appointed by the PTO Board for the period of one to three years beginning on July 1.

    SECTION 3. The duties of the Committee Chair(s) shall be:

    1. To submit a monthly update including past and future month initiatives and expenditures to both the Secretaries and Presidents by the second Monday of each school year month.

    2. Toensurethatcommitteenewsoreventsthatneedtoappearintheprincipal’sweekly newsletter be turned into the Secretaries the Wednesday before the Sunday newsletter. The Secretaries will combine committee news and events into a final draft for final submission to the principal. Any draft entries received after Wednesday will appear in the following week’s newsletter to follow a Wednesday-to-Wednesday Calendar.

    3. CommitteesareencouragedtopostannouncementsandeventsonthePTOFacebook Group Page. All printed handouts, flyers, marketing materials and Facebook posts should include the Robinson PTO logo and stated committee name of the Robinson PTO (i.e. The PTO Community Outreach Committee, The PTO Staff Appreciation Committee).

    4. Reimbursements should be turned in by the 30th of each month. The Treasurer will issue a check within 15 days from the reimbursement request. Checks will be available for pick up at the school office.

    5. Budget needs for the upcoming year need to be discussed with the PTO Board in July of each summer.

    Section 4: Any vacancy occurring in any committee Chairperson position shall be filled based on nominations from the Robinson community and the current PTO Board.

    ARTICLE IX: AMENDMENTS

    The bylaws may be amended at any regular meeting by a two-thirds majority vote, provided notice of the proposed amendment was given at a previous meeting.

    ARTICLE X: DATE OF EFFECTIVENESS

    The bylaws shall be effective immediately upon adoption by a majority of the members present at any PTO Board or regular meeting of the current school year.

    ARTICLE XI: REVIEW OF BYLAWS

    The bylaws of the Robinson PTO shall be reviewed every five years by the PTO Board.

    Accepted 1949 Revised 1988 Revised 1990 Revised 2000 Revised 2004

    Revised 2006 Revised July, Nov 2022 Revised 2009
    Revised 2013
    Revised 2016

    Revised 2021