Clough PTO Bylaws
BYLAWS
of
Clough PTO
These bylaws were adopted on August 5, 2020.
These bylaws were amended on October 15, 2026.
ARTICLE I – NAME, DESCRIPTION & PURPOSE
Section 1: Clough PTO – The name of the organization shall be Clough PTO. The PTO is located at 10 North Ave., Mendon, MA 01756.
Section 2: DESCRIPTION – The PTO is a non-profit organization that exists for charitable, educational, and scientific purposes, including the making of distributions to organizations that qualify as exempt organizations under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
Section 3: PURPOSE – The purpose of the PTO is to enhance and support the educational experience at Henry P. Clough Elementary School, to develop a closer connection between school and home by encouraging parental involvement, and to improve the environment at Henry P. Clough Elementary School, through volunteer and financial support.
ARTICLE II – MEMBERSHIP
Section 1: Membership shall be automatically granted to all parents and guardians of Henry P. Clough Elementary School, students, plus all school staff. There are no membership dues. Members have voting privileges.
Section 2: PTO members can be removed from committees at the discretion of the Executive Board. Reasons can be presented at an Executive Board meeting and a decision made based on the majority vote.
ARTICLE III – OFFICERS
Section 1: EXECUTIVE BOARD– The Executive Board shall consist of the following officers: President, Vice President, Recording Secretary, Communications Secretary, and Treasurer. Officer positions may be shared, with the exception of the Treasurer. The state requirement for nonprofit in Massachusetts is that nonprofit corporations are required to have at least a
President, Treasurer, and Secretary (formerly called “clerk,” a term still seen on most Massachusetts forms). The officers are subject to the same fiduciary duties as directors.
Section 2: TERM OF OFFICE – The term of office for all officers is one year, beginning immediately upon election, and ending upon officer election the following school year.
Section 3: QUALIFICATIONS – Any PTO member in good standing may become an officer of the PTO.
Section 4: BOARD VOTING – The Executive Board voting will be held once a year. Only person or persons listed on the ballot will be eligible and considered for any Executive Board position. If the position(s) are to be shared, please note the exception in Section 1, then it must be stated on the ballot.
Note 4A. If there is a shared board position, the “Position” only counts as ONE vote. For example, a shared Vice-President position only gets one vote, not two. This eliminates one position being more powerful than any other.
Section 5: DUTIES –
Executive Board – Develop the PTO’s annual budget, establish and oversee committees to conduct the work of the PTO, establish fundraising programs, approve by majority vote of the Board unbudgeted expenditures of no more than $500.00.
President – Preside at General PTO meetings and Executive Board meetings, serve as the official representative of the PTO, and retain all official records of the PTO.
Vice President – Oversee the committee system of the PTO, assist the President and chair meetings in the absence of the President.
Recording Secretary – Record and distribute minutes of all Executive Board meetings and all General PTO meetings, prepare agendas for official PTO meetings, hold historical records for the PTO.
Communications Secretary – Manage communications and marketing for the PTO including, but not limited to PTO newsletters, email broadcasts, website, bulletin boards, etc.
Treasurer – Serve as custodian of the PTO’s finances, collect revenue, pay authorized expenses, follow all financial policies of the PTO and hold all financial records.
Section 6: BOARD MEETINGS – The Executive Board shall meet monthly during the school year, or at the discretion of the President.
Section 7: REMOVAL – An officer can be removed from office for failure to fulfill his/her duties, after reasonable notice, by a majority vote of the Executive Board.
Section 8: VACANCY – If a vacancy occurs on the Executive Board, the President shall appoint a PTO member to fill the vacancy, for the remainder of the officer’s term.
ARTICLE IV – MEETINGS
Section 1: GENERAL PTO MEETINGS – General PTO meetings shall be held to conduct the business of the PTO. Meetings shall be held monthly during the school year or at the discretion of the Executive Board.
Section 2: VOTING – Each member in attendance at a PTO meeting is eligible to vote. Absentee or proxy votes are not allowed.
Section 3 – QUORUM – Six (6) members of the PTO present and voting constitute quorum for the purpose of voting.
ARTICLE V – FINANCIAL POLICIES
Section 1: FISCAL YEAR - The fiscal year of the PTO begins August 1 and ends July 31 of the following year. By the 2nd General Meeting of the school year or by the end of October the organization will approve the budget for the fiscal year.
Section 2: BANKING - All funds shall be kept in a checking account in the name of Clough PTO, requiring two signatures of the Executive Board and held at a local financial institution.
Section 3: REPORTING - All financial activity shall be recorded in a manual or computer-based accounting system. The Treasurer shall reconcile the account(s) monthly and report all financial activity monthly. The PTO may arrange an independent review of its financial records. Expense summaries for events over $1k shall be provided.
Section 3: ENDING BALANCE - The organization shall leave a minimum of $5,000.00 in the treasury at the end of each fiscal year.
Section 4: CONTRACTS - Contract signing authority is limited to the President or the President’s designee. Purchases over $500 should be competitively bid by 3 vendors.
Section 5: MONEY RAISED - Money raised by this organization shall be spent as specified in the approved budget. Any additional expenditure must be approved by a majority vote of the Executive Board. If the dollar amount is under $500, then a vote by the Executive Board is required. If the dollar amount is over $500, then a vote at the General PTO meeting is required. The PTO shall not be liable for any non-budgeted monetary expenditures without prior approval of the PTO Executive Board Members. PTO Board Members have the obligation to be conservative in the use of PTO funds and to report to the Board at a monthly meeting regarding the intended use of any budgeted funds.
Section 6: REIMBURSEMENT POLICY - All reimbursement requests must be submitted within 90 days of the expense, with the exception of year-end activities which must be submitted by June 30th. In order for PTO funds to be disbursed (for a reimbursement or to initiate a payment to an external company) an invoice, receipt and/or equivalent request must be completed. If the original receipt cannot be found, a No Receipt Form may be submitted. Reimbursements shall be due within 30 days upon receipt approval. All PTO checks must be signed by the Treasurer or other approved signatory. Any commitment of funds that does not follow these policies is the personal responsibility of the initiator.
Section 7: IN SCHOOL FUNDRAISING
Fundraising activities during school hours- to ensure that all students have equal access to PTO–sponsored activities, any PTO fundraiser or fundraising-related activity conducted during regular school hours, as defined as 9:00a.m. through 3:00p.m. on school days, shall be open to all students regardless of whether the student or their family has participated in the fundraising or met any fundraising goals.
Students shall not be required to sell, purchase, collect donations, or meet a fundraising requirement in order to participate in or receive the benefits of an activity taking place during school hours. (ex. Funds raised go towards an assembly for all students to participate in)
The PTO may establish fundraising incentives, prizes, or recognition programs for students who participate in fundraising; however, such incentives shall not restrict or prevent any student from participating in the underlying PTO sponsored activity during school hours.
The purpose of this policy is to promote equitable access to PTO-sponsored activities and ensure that a student’s ability to participate during the school day is not dependent on their family’s ability or willingness to fundraise.
Section 8: HANDLING OF PTO FUNDS -
The Chairperson of each PTO event shall work with the Treasurer and other officers to plan for the handling of all funds in an approved manner.
Chairpersons/Project Coordinators must make sure any volunteers dealing with funds understand the process.
All PTO funds must be counted by the Chairperson / Coordinator and the following information provided with the funds:
Itemized fund sources ( membership, T-Shirt Sales, event sales, etc.) as well as cash vs. checks. If check, then list name on check and student’s name, as applicable.
Copy the information and give to the Treasurer or an PTO Executive Board Member.
The Treasurer will make all deposits unless specifically planned otherwise.
The Treasurer can not issue checks to him/herself, they must be issued by 2nd signer - President.
Funds should be deposited to the bank within a week of acquisition or specified reasonable amount of time. All checks should be recorded on the bank deposit slip or a spreadsheet can be attached instead.
PTO funds are intended to benefit the students through the enhancement of school programs and activities. The PTO Executive Board Members are the guardians of these funds and have an obligation to see that they are protected and used wisely. It is very important that everyone follow these policies.
ARTICLE VI – BYLAW AMENDMENTS
Amendments to the bylaws may be proposed by any PTO member. Amendments to the bylaws must be presented at a PTO general meeting and shall be considered for voting at a subsequent general meeting. Voting is required, with two-thirds approval of all present members to adopt an amendment to the Bylaws.
ARTICLE VII - DISSOLUTION
In the event of dissolution of the PTO, any funds remaining shall be donated to Clough Elementary.
ARTICLE VIII - PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY
The authority for this organization shall be “Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised.”