|
IMSA Parents' Association Council |
Table of Contents:
Article
I - Membership In The Parents’ Association
Article
III - Powers of the Parents' Association Council
Article
V - Executive Committee
Article
VI - Executive Committee Responsibilities
Article
VII – Regional Representatives
THE IMSA PARENTS’
ASSOCIATION EXISTS IN ORDER TO ENHANCE OUR CHILDREN'S EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE BY
WORKING OLLABORATIVELY WITH STUDENTS, FACULTY, AND ADMINISTRATION IN ALL
ASPECTS OF ACADEMIC AND RESIDENTIAL LIFE.
WE ARE COMMITTED TO THE BELIEF THAT QUALITY EDUCATION CAN BE ACHIEVED
ONLY THROUGH PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT AND SUPPORT.
Article
I - Membership in The IMSA Parents’ Association
The IMSA Parents’
Association membership consists of all parents and/or legal guardians
(hereinafter collectively referred to as “parents”)
of students currently enrolled at IMSA.
Article
II – Governance
Section A. The governing body of the IMSA Parents’
Association shall be known as the Parents’ Association Council (hereinafter
referred to as the “Council” or “PAC”).
Section B. General
Provisions
1.
Membership in the Parents’ Association Council (hereinafter referred to as “Council Members” or “PAC Members”) shall consist of the elected
positions of President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer; the appointed
positions of Regional Coordinators and Standing Committee Chairs; and the elected
or appointed positions of Regional Representatives and be drawn from within the
membership of the IMSA Parents’ Association. The Members of the Council shall
have the powers and responsibilities as delineated in these Bylaws.
2.
The Parents’ Association Council (PAC) shall form an Executive Committee Members
of the Executive Committee shall be known as Officers of the Parents’
Association Council (hereinafter referred to as “Officers”). The Officers of the Council shall have the powers and
responsibilities as delineated in these Bylaws.
3.
The IMSA Parents’ Association Fiscal Year extends from July 1 of the current
calendar year to June 30 of the next calendar year.
4.
Council Members shall assume their Council Positions at the start of the PAC
fiscal year subsequent to their election or appointment, and shall serve for a
term of one year. It shall be the
responsibility of incumbent Council Members and their immediate successors to
meet and coordinate a transition no later than 2 weeks prior to the start of
the new fiscal year.
5.
Removal of any Council Member from her/his position shall require a two-thirds
(2/3) vote of the Parents’ Association Council membership. With the exception
of the PAC President (who shall automatically be succeeded by the
Vice-President), any other removed Council Member shall be replaced at that
same meeting.
6.
Within two weeks after their term expires, all Council Members will relinquish
to their successors all IMSA and Council materials relating to their PAC
position.
7.
A Parents’ Association Council Procedural Guidelines document shall provide specific
advice and tips for Council Members on recommended practices for Council
positions. At the request of the affected Council Member, responsibilities
described in the Procedural Guidelines document may be updated to more accurately
reflect the true responsibilities of that Council position; such updates are
approved and made at the direction of the PAC President. The Parents’
Association Bylaws always supersede the Procedural Guidelines. All Council
Members are expected to carefully and completely read both documents.
Article
III - Powers of the Parents’
Association Council
Section A. All powers
assumed by the Parents’ Association Council (PAC) shall be exercised by, or
under the authority of, its Council Members.
Section B. Council Members
shall conduct, manage, and control the affairs and business of the IMSA
Parents’ Association, and shall make all rules and regulations consistent with
these Bylaws.
Section C. Only members of
the Council may vote on IMSA Parents’ Association business. Each Council Position
carries only one vote. On each business item requiring a vote,
and Council Members may cast only one vote even if the member serves in
multiple Council capacities.
Article
IV – IMSA Parents’ Association Meetings
Section A. Regular
meetings of the IMSA Parents’ Association shall be scheduled at a time and
place designated by the Council membership. An effort will be made to conduct
one or more of these meetings in a location other than in the Northeast portion
of
Section B. A quorum of
Council membership is required to hold an IMSA Parents’ Association meeting and
conduct IMSA Parents’ Association business. A quorum is defined as a simple
majority of Council Members: that is, one more than half of the Council
membership. To establish that a quorum exists, each Council Member will be
counted once by the PAC Secretary, even if the member serves in multiple
Council capacities. Provisions are made for
an emergency quorum to conduct business by the Executive Committee, in the
unlikely event that such a need may arise.
Section C. Failure of any
Council Member to attend three (3) PAC meetings in one academic year shall
constitute just cause for a seeking a vote of the Parents’ Association Council
membership to remove that Member from her/his position; a two-thirds (2/3) vote
is required for removal to be approved.
Section
D. The Annual Meeting of the
IMSA Parents’ Association shall be held in March of each year at a time and
place designated by the Counci1. At that time, all Council Members for the
upcoming fiscal year, except Sophomore Class Regional Representatives, shall be
duly elected or appointed pursuant to these Bylaws.
Section E. Special meetings of the IMSA Parents’
Association may be called by the President, or by the direction of a simple
majority of Council Members. Notification of the purpose, time, and place of
any special meeting shall be communicated to all IMSA Parents’ Association
members at least seven (7) days prior to the date set.
Section F. All IMSA Parents’ Association meetings shall
be open meetings. Meeting participants who are not Council Members shall be
provided with the opportunity to make comments during a special guest comments
section of the meetings.
Article
V - Executive Committee
Section A. Membership of
the Executive Committee shall consist of the President, Vice-President,
Secretary, Treasurer, Regional Coordinators, and the Multi-Cultural Coordinator.
Members of the Executive Committee shall be known as Officers of the Council
(hereinafter referred to as “Officers”).
Officers, with the exception of the Regional Coordinators, shall not serve concurrently
as Regional Representatives.
Section B. Membership of
the Executive Committee will be established by a simple majority vote of those
Council members present and voting at the Annual Meeting. In the
event that no one candidate for any position receives
more than the required majority, the two individuals receiving the greatest
number of votes shall have a runoff. An Officer, other than the Regional
Coordinators and Multi-Cultural Coordinator, shall not be elected or appointed to
the same position for more than two (2) consecutive terms.
Section C. A simple majority
that is one more that half of the Executive Committee membership shall constitute
a quorum for meeting to reach decisions on issues that require Executive
Committee approval.
Section
D. The Executive Committee
shall meet prior to each of the IMSA Parents’ Association meetings to review
and discuss the meeting agenda, and any other business relevant to the
Section
D. The Executive Committee may
be used by the President as a planning team to discuss issues that may need
further study before being brought before the full Council. Before such issues can be brought before the
full PAC, approval by three (3) members of the Executive Committee is
required.
Section E. To handle
matters that cannot be otherwise handled in full Council meetings, emergency
Executive Committee meetings may be called at the discretion of the President
or with the agreement of three (3) other Executive Committee members.
Because of time or other
demands, decisions on such matters shall be made by simple majority vote of the
Executive Committee members present. Executive Committee decisions on such
occasions shall be reported to the Parents’ Association Council at its next
scheduled meeting.
Article
VI - Executive Committee Member Responsibilities
Section A. PRESIDENT. It
shall be the duty of the President to:
1. Supervise and direct
the business of the Parents’ Association Council;
2. Serve as Chair of the
Executive Committee;
3. Prepare an agenda for and preside at all Parents’
Association Council meetings
4. Serve ex-officio on all
Council committees;
5. Appoint Chairs to all Council
committees for which identifying Chairs are not otherwise specifically
designated in these Bylaws; such appointment are to be made by the meeting
subsequent to the Annual Meeting;
6. Appoint Regional
Coordinators for the new fiscal year; such appointments are to be made by the
meeting subsequent to the Annual Meeting;
7. Appoint, in the event
that a Regional Representative vacancy occurs during the school year that
cannot be filled through the normal election process within thirty (30) days of
the vacancy, a Representative from that geographic region as solicited and
identified by the appropriate Regional Coordinator;
8. Serve as liaison and
ex-officio member of the Board of Trustees and to meet regularly with the
President of the Board of Trustees and the Director of the Academy;
9. Serve as liaison to the
Administration of IMSA, to meet regularly with the Principal of the Academy
and/or other administrators and faculty to present and follow-up on concerns
expressed by the Parents’ Association Council;
10. Serve as spokesperson
and communicator for the Parents’ Association and
Parents’ Association
Council;
11. Serve as Chair of the
Nominating Committee;
12. Direct and lead
updates, as needed, to the PAC Bylaws and Procedural Guidelines according to
the approval process outlined in these Bylaws;
13. Ensure that the Parents’ Association
Council’s official annual budget is agreed to by no later than the December PAC
meeting; sign and date the annual official budget; and,
14. Serve as co-signer to
all checks written from the PAC checking account by the Treasurer. Alternately, the President may designate
another Executive Committee Member as the check co-signer for the fiscal year;
this designated co-signer must be approved by simple majority vote of the Executive
Committee.
Section B. VICE-PRESIDENT.
It shall be the duty of the Vice-President to:
1. Act in the absence of
the President and assist the President as requested;
2. Succeed to the position
of President in case of vacancy in that position;
3. Serve ex-officio on all
committees;
4. Ensure that the Treasurer’s duties are upheld
in a timely fashion:
a. verify that
the PAC checking account bonding policy is kept current with the
appropriate amount and correct covered individuals;
b. conduct a
monthly review of the PAC checking account reconciliation provided by the PAC Treasurer,
c. ensure that an
annual team inspection of the PAC checking account is conducted by no later
than two weeks prior to the end of the fiscal year.
5. In the event a
Communications Committee Chair is not appointed, be responsible for the timely
dissemination of information from the Executive Committee and Parents’
Association Council to all Association members;
6. Be the liaison to the
IMSA Office of Admissions and serve as the PAC-Office of Admissions Volunteer
Coordinator:
a. Maintain regular communications with
Admissions.
b. Coordinate Volunteers for the Office of
Admissions throughout the Academic year.
c. Make sure that
volunteer opportunities are announced in the Parents Newsletter and posted on
the IMSA-PAC website; and,
7. Serve as, or designate an Executive Committee-approved
PAC member to serve as the oversight coordinator of the
a. Initiating the review of all Downstate
Bus Routes in order to provide service as effectively as possible to the greatest
number of IMSA students;
b.
Overseeing the recruitment of volunteer parents to server as route coordinators;
and
c. Coordinating the transportation service
providers.
Section C. SECRETARY. It
shall be the duty of the Secretary to:
1. At
all Parents’ Association meetings: take attendance of Council Members,
determine if a quorum exists in order to conduct meeting business, take meeting
minutes;
2. Submit the approved
Parents’ Association Council minutes for distribution to the PAC web site and
in mailings to Parents’ Association members.
3. Maintain an email
directory of all PAC members, and serve as conduit for information between IMSA
administration and the IMSA Parents’ Association Council;
4. If checks or cash are
sent directly to the Parents’ Association, make 2 copies of each receivable
(one for Secretary records, one for Treasurer records), and direct all monies
to the ISMA Fund for Advancement Coordinator for deposit in the sub-account
designated for Association funds. The two exceptions to this requirement are for
Senior Banquet payments (as defined in Article VI, Section D, under Treasurer’s
responsibilities) and Parent Partners donations (in accordance with current IMSA
Policy).
5. During the school year,
compile all PAC-related documentation (minutes, agendas, meeting handouts, official
budget, treasurer’s reports, bonding policy, etc.) into an archive binder. After
the end of the school year, submit this binder to the IMSA archivist assigned
by the IRC.
6. Should a Secretary’s
assistant be needed, that person must be an Association member and be approved
by the PAC Executive Committee.
Section D. TREASURER. It
shall be the duty of the Treasurer to:
1. Supervise the
Association's checking account and the Association’s account in the IMSA Fund
for the Advancement of Education and maintain the integrity of all PAC
finances. If a Treasurer’s assistant is needed, that person must be an
Association member and be approved by the PAC Executive Committee.
2. Develop an annual
Association budget and obtain PAC membership approval for this
official budget by no later than the December PAC meeting
of the current school year. A copy of this budget shall then be marked as
official, signed and dated by the PAC President, and retained by the PAC Secretary
as an official financial record of the fiscal year;
3. Maintain organized financial records of the
PAC checking account, including all bank statements, all reimbursement requests
and all receipts; submit to the PAC Secretary monthly financial reports for
distribution at the regular PAC meetings, and a fiscal year-end report for the
annual review of the PAC financial records. Under no circumstances are any financial
records to be destroyed;
4. Provide monthly bank reconciliation to the
PAC Vice President for review.
5. Renew the PAC checking account bonding policy
prior to its expiration date. Ensure that the bonding policy is updated with
names of newly elected or appointed PAC members who have responsibility to
handle monies (President, Treasurer, Secretary, Senior Banquet chairperson,
Parent Partners chairperson) prior to the end of your current term. Provide the
PAC secretary with an official copy of the PAC checking account bonding policy
and all riders, and retain a copy with financial records;
6. Upon receiving proper reimbursement request
documents and associated receipts, submit requests for disbursements via check
to the proper parties in a timely fashion; cash disbursements are NOT allowed.
Ensure that each check written is co-signed by the duly appointed co-signor;
7. Obtain approval, by simple
majority vote of PAC members present, for payments of any sum over five hundred
dollars ($500.00). In the event that the PAC is not in session, such payment
approval decisions shall be made by Executive Committee simple majority vote. Executive
Committee decisions on such occasions shall be reported to the Council at its
next scheduled meeting;
8. Be
a member of the Parents Fund Committee;
9. Serve as the liaison between the Parents’
Association Council and the IMSA
Fund for Advancement of
Education;
10. Ensure that all incoming funds are routed to
the PAC Secretary and properly directed to the PAC sub account of the IMSA Fund
for Advancement. The only exceptions to this policy are for two sub-committees
of the Student Life Committee: Senior Banquet and Parent Partners. For Senior Banquet payments, the Treasurer shall
appoint a minimum of two IMSA parents to work together to process payments as
required; the PAC Executive Committee must approve the appointments. Donations
made directly to Parent Partners must be handled in accordance with current
policies of the IMSA Fund for Advancement of Education.
11. Assemble a team of
three (3), approved by Executive Committee simple majority vote, to review the
PAC checking account annually. Provide financial records to this team for the
annual inspection. The review must be completed, documented, and signed by all
team members by no later than June 15 of the current fiscal year. Members of this team shall include: the Treasurer elected for the next fiscal
year, and two members from among the current and/or newly elected and/or
appointed Officers of the PAC excluding any members covered by the current
bonding policy.
Section E: MULTI-CULTURAL
COORDINATOR. It shall be the duty of the
Multi-Cultural Coordinator to serve
as Chair of the Multi-Cultural Committee and as a communication facilitator
between the PAC Executive Committee and Parents’ Association Council members on
matters of diversity.
Section F. REGIONAL
COORDINATORS.
Regional Coordinators are
appointed by the PAC President and serve in the following positions: Downstate
Coordinator and Metro Coordinator. Each
Regional Coordinator must serve simultaneously as either Regional
Representative or Alternate Regional Representative. Region definitions, and
the regions that each Regional Coordinator is responsible for, are set forth in
the PAC Procedural Guidelines.
A Parents’ Association
Council Regional Coordinator is expected to:
1. Solicit volunteers to
server as Regional Representatives;
2. Ensure that Regional
Representatives are aware of their duties;
3. Aid IMSA admissions by
being a contact within in their regions for prospective students, attending
informational meetings in their regions, and assisting with IMSA outreach
activities;
4. Participate in New
Parent Orientation sessions and be a resource to incoming parents.
5. Serve as communication
facilitators between the President and the Regional Representatives;
6. Assist the Vice
President as requested.
7. In the event of a
Regional Representative vacancy during the school year that cannot be filled
within thirty (30) days of the vacancy, the appropriate Regional Coordinator
shall solicit a new Representative from that geographic region to fill the
position.
Article
VII – Regional Representatives
Section A. Each grade at
IMSA shall have one Parents’ Association Council Regional Representative per
geographic. At the Annual Meeting, Junior and Senior Class parent Regional Representatives
will be elected or appointed for the following year by the constituents of
their respective regions. The Sophomore Class parent Regional Representatives
may be elected or appointed by the constituents of their respective regions on
or before the start of the school year. If possible, Sophomore,
Junior and Senior Regional Representatives should be located in different
geographical areas within their region. Alternate Regional Representatives (one
per region and grade) may be elected or appointed in the same manner as the
Regional Representatives. If a Regional Representatives is absent from a
Council meeting, the alternate may conduct Council business in lieu of the
representative.
Section B. If a Regional Representative vacancy occurs
during the school year, the alternate shall assume the position. If the
position cannot be filled within thirty (30) days of the vacancy, the appropriate
Regional Coordinator shall solicit, and the President may appoint, a replacement
Representative from that geographic region.
Section C. A Parents’ Association Council Regional Representative
is expected to:
1. Attend all Council
meetings;
2. Be
an active member on a PAC committee;
3. Serve as a liaison
between the parents in their region and the Parents’ Association Council,
primarily through email communications and meetings held in the region or
regional meetings held at IMSA;
4. Hold a region picnic in
the summer to welcome new Sophomore students and their
families and enable them to meet current IMSA parents and students in their
region and arrange for the election or appointment of the Sophomore Class Regional
Representative to the PAC;
5. Participate in New Parent
Orientation sessions and be a resource to incoming parents;
6. Aid IMSA admissions by being
a contact in their region for prospective students, attending informational
meetings in their region, and assisting with IMSA outreach activities;
7. Volunteer in any other
ways, whenever possible, to aid IMSA and its students; and
Article
VIII - Committees
Section A. General Provisions.
1. IMSA Parents’ Association Council Committees
shall be established to coordinate the work of the Council. Three types of
committees may be established: Standing Committees, sub-committees of Standing
Committees, and Ad Hoc Committees (hereafter referred to as “Committees”). A simple majority vote of PAC members present
is required to create or disband Standing Committees, and to create Ad Hoc
committees;
2. No PAC committee shall solicit funds without
the approval of the Executive Committee; this requirement holds for each
fund-soliciting occasion. Any funds given to a PAC committee member shall be
handled in accordance with procedures specified in these Bylaws;
3. The Standing Committees are: Academic,
College and Academic Counseling, Communication, Multi-Cultural, Nominating,
Parents Fund, Student Life, and Technology Committees.
4. The Chairs of the above
committees shall be members of the Parents’ Association and shall be appointed
by the PAC President. Committee membership shall be limited to members of the
Association. Every effort should be made to have regional, ethnic, and class
diversity on each committee.
5. The Chair of each committee
shall establish and publicize a schedule for regular meetings, and report on
committee business at each PAC general meeting;
6. Each committee shall
meet and discuss issues and priorities relevant to its mission that are of
common interest to the families, student body, administration, faculty, and
Academy. All committee meetings shall be open meetings. Each committee shall establish
goals or projects annually, bring resolutions or recommendations to Council meetings
for approval by simple majority vote of the PAC members present, and implement
proposals when directed by the Council.
Section B. ACADEMIC
COMMITTEE. The primary purpose of the Academic Committee is to facilitate
communication and involvement between the Administration, Faculty, and parents
on academic matters. It shall be the duty of this committee to:
1. Maintain parent involvement
as IMSA establishes appropriate curriculum (course selection, variety, and
levels of instruction) for students;
2. Provide information and
input on parental concerns to the administration and/or faculty within the
general area of academics at IMSA; and,
3. Serve, if and when
necessary, as conduit/liaison for the academic concerns of those parents who
request committee assistance;
Section
C. COLLEGE AND ACADEMIC COUNSELING COMMITTEE. The College and Academic Counseling Committee
shall facilitate communication and involvement between IMSA's College and
Academic Counseling department and IMSA parents. The Committee shall support
IMSA's college fair(s).
Section
D. COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE. The Communications Committee shall
facilitate, manage, and improve communications primarily through the regular
publication and distribution of the PARENTS NEWSLETTER.
Section E. MULTI-CULTURAL
COMMITTEE. The purpose of this committee
is to ensure that the Parents’ Association Council attempts to meet the needs
of all of its diverse members. The chair of the Multi-Cultural Committee is
also the Multi-Cultural Coordinator, and serves as a communication
facilitator between the PAC Executive Committee and Parents’ Association
members on matters of diversity. It shall be the duty of this committee to:
1. Help to ensure and
encourage involvement in PAC by all ethnic and racial groups;
2. Consult with the IMSA
Coordinator of Multicultural recruitment, retention, and learning;
3. Help with recruitment
at VIP days and informational meetings;
4. Help with panel
discussions at the Placement Day breakfast and Orientation activities; and
5. Hold meetings with
parents, as needed, to ensure that their diversity concerns and needs are being
met.
Section
F. NOMINATING COMMITTEE. The
Nominating Committee shall be composed of the President, who shall serve as
Chair of this committee, and the Regional Coordinators. The purpose of the
Nominating Committee is to identify nominees and appointees for Executive
Committee positions. It shall be the duty of the Nominating Committee to:
1. Explain the duties and
responsibilities of these positions to prospective candidates;
2. Present the slate of
Executive Committee candidates to the Council at the February general meeting,
as well as accept further nominations from the floor, for each of the Council
positions being filled by election; and
3. Conduct the election of
Council Officers, and Junior and Senior Class Regional Representatives in
accordance with the Bylaws of this Council.
Section G. PARENTS FUND.
The purpose of the Parents Fund Committee is to assist and support IMSA in the
solicitation and stewardship of gifts, in accordance with IMSA Fund policy,
from parents and others to the IMSA Fund for Advancement of Education to advance IMSA's work and mission. The
Treasurer shall be a member and may chair this committee. It shall be the duty
of this committee to secure Parent volunteers, as needed, to assist
IMSA/IMSA Fund with solicitation and stewardship activities and events,
and provide input and feedback to the IMSA Fund regarding PAC’s funding
priorities. This committee shall also review and submit to the PAC all
recommendations made by the IMSA Fund for large one-time expenditures
from the PAC designated gifts within the IMSA Fund for the benefit of IMSA
students.
Section H. STUDENT LIFE
COMMITTEE. The purpose of this committee is to enhance
the quality of student life at IMSA by facilitating
parent involvement with students and Academy personnel. The Chair shall be the
Parents’ Association Council liaison to the IMSA Student Council. It shall be
the duty of this committee to implement various components of student life
programs by establishing subcommittees.
Any subcommittee approved to handle monies (for example, the Senior
Banquet Subcommittee and the Parent Partners Subcommittee) shall adhere to
Bylaws instructions on this matter. This
committee, as well as any subcommittees established under the Student Life Committee shall facilitate:
1. Student Activities. To
work with students and Academy personnel to
enhance Academy extracurricular activities.
2. Residential Life. To work with Academy
personnel on student housing,
travel concerns, and overnight accommodations.
3. Family Adjustment. To
provide support to parents and students regarding the residential atmosphere
and social environment of the academy.
technology in the education of students. It shall be the duty of this committee to
provide coordination oversight for the IMSA-PAC web site content and recruit
Parent volunteer(s) to maintain this web site.
Section J. AD HOC TASK
FORCE COMMITTEES. Other committees shall be established by simple majority vote
of the Council members present, to work in areas of long and short-term goals
of the Academy. Such committees need not have any formal structure, but shall each
be directed towards a single objective. Council members will be identified, as
needed, to serve as liaisons between the Parents’ Association Council
and established committees or groups within the IMSA
administration, faculty,
student body and the IMSA Board of Trustees. Ad hoc
committee representatives are expected to be active members of these groups and
to facilitate communications between these groups and committees and the
Parents’ Association Council. Their terms of
service shall be one year and may be renewed annually by
simple majority vote of Council Members present at the Annual. A liaison
position not specifically mentioned elsewhere in this document is the Research
Review Committee.
Article
IX - Amendments
This Mission Statement and
Bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Parents’ Association Council
members present and entitled to vote at a regular meeting; or by a special
meeting called for that purpose, provided that the proposed amendments have
been furnished to the Association membership at least seven (7) days prior to
the voting date.
Last
Amended:
APPENDIX – Region Definitions
Region Zip Codes Major Mailing Centers
1. 610,611,612,613
2. 614,615,616,617
3. 609,618,619,624
4. 625, 627, 623
5. 620, 622, 628, 629
6. 600,603
7. 601
8. 604 Far
9. 605
10. 602,606
PAC home page | IMSA home page
Updated:
Copyright © 2005 IMSA