Parent Associations

The National Parents Council website has a series of articles about Parent Associations for schools, including Role of a Parent Association and Setting up a Parent Association - and more.

Parents Associations: Sample Bylaws

Parents Association Bylaws: SAMPLE

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MISSION STATEMENT

The SCHOOL Association supports the School's philosophy, programs and activities for the benefit of all SCHOOL students. The Association facilitates communication and parent education as well as encourages and coordinates volunteerism. The Association fosters a spirit of inclusion, partnership and cooperation among the entire school community.

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BY-LAWS

Article I Name

The name of this association shall be the "SCHOOL Association". (Here in after referred to as the "Association".)

Article 11 Purpose

The "Association" shall support the School's philosophy, programs and activities for the benefit of all students. The "Association" shall facilitate communication and parent education as well as encourage and coordinate volunteerism. The "Association," which is comprised of parents, faculty, staff and administrators, shall foster a spirit of inclusion, partnership, community, and cooperation.

Article III Membership, Dues and Budget

Section 1. Membership and Dues

A. All parents or guardians of SCHOOL students shall be dues paying members.

B. All faculty, staff and administration of the school who are not parents or guardians are invited to be non-dues paying members.

C. All members shall have equal voting privileges.

Section 2. Dues

A. Dues shall be billed with the first tuition invoice. The Executive Committee of the "Association" shall establish dues. The amount shall be voted upon and ratified at the Annual Meeting of the "Association."

B. Dues shall cover administrative costs and other specified functions.

Section 3. Budget

A. A budget of projected annual revenues and expenses shall be developed and approved by the Executive Committee of the "Association" and submitted to the Finance Committee of the Board of Trustees for review and recommendation for approval by the Board of Trustees.

Article IV Officers

Section 1. Personnel

A. There shall be a President; 5 parent Vice Presidents; 2 faculty Vice Presidents; a Treasurer and a Secretary of the "Association."

Section 2. Nominating Committee

A. The Nominating Committee shall consist of 7 members: a Chair, who is the immediate past President; 2 retiring Vice Presidents; 1 of the faculty Vice Presidents; one parent or guardian representative from each of the three divisions. The Executive Committee shall select the members with the exception of the immediate past President.

B. The faculty shall determine its own nominating process.

Section 3. Election and Vacancy

A. The Nominating Committee shall accept nominations from the members of the "Association" and obtain consent of each nominee to serve if elected. The Nominating Committee shall present a report at the March meeting of the Executive Committee. The Chairman of the Nominating Committee shall present the candidates at the Annual Meeting in May. Additional nominations from the floor may be made, with consent of the nominees to serve if elected.

B. The officers shall be elected at the May Annual Meeting.

C. The President shall appoint all non-faculty vacancies with the approval of the Executive Committee.

D. The faculty shall appoint all faculty vacancies.

E. If the President is unable to fulfill his or her term, the Executive Committee shall elect his or her successor from among the non-faculty officers.

Section 4. Terms

A. Officers shall serve for two years.

B. An officer may not serve for more than two consecutive terms, and may not serve consecutively in the same position. Former officers may return after a year's absence from the Executive Committee.

C. Staggered terms for officers shall be determined by the Executive Committee.

Section 5. Duties

A. President: The President shall become a voting member of the SCHOOL Board of Trustees. The President shall preside at all meetings of the "Association" and the Executive Committee. The President shall have general and active management of the affairs of the "Association"; shall see that all decisions and resolutions of the "Association" and Executive Committee are carried into effect; and shall have the general duties and powers of supervision on the management customarily vested in the office of President of an association. In addition, the President shall regularly report on activities and affairs of the "Association" to the Board of Trustees of the School.

B. Vice Presidents: The Vice Presidents shall perform all the duties of the President in his or her absence or inability to act and shall be members of the Executive Committee. The Vice Presidents shall decide among themselves who shall act as President due to the President's absence. The Vice Presidents shall perform such duties as may be deemed necessary by the Executive Committee or the President.

C. Treasurer: The school shall have custody of the funds of the "Association." The Treasurer shall keep an accounting of the funds through the management of the receipts and disbursements and give a current report at each meeting of the Association. The Treasurer shall be a member of the Executive Committee and shall perform such duties as may be deemed necessary by the Executive Committee or the President.

D. Secretary: The Secretary shall attend and act as secretary for all meetings of the members of the "Association" and Executive meetings; shall record all votes taken at any such meeting; shall take and transcribe minutes of the proceedings of any such meetings; shall receive, tabulate and bring to any Annual or special meeting of members all proxies solicited on behalf of the "Association"; shall maintain a record of all correspondence and proceedings of the "Association" in a book to be kept for this purpose; shall ensure that proper notice is given of all meetings of the members of the "Association" and Executive Committee; and shall perform such other duties as may be deemed necessary by the Executive Committee or the President.

Section 6. Executive Committee

A. The following members of the "Association" shall be members of the Executive Committee: The President (parent); The Head of School; The Division Heads; the Vice Presidents (parent and faculty); the Treasurer; the Secretary and the three division Room Parent Liaisons.

Article V Meetings

Section 1. Executive Meetings

A. Meetings of the Executive Committee of the "Association" shall be determined by the President.

B. A quorum for the Executive Committee for the "Association" shall consist of a simple majority of the members.

Section 2. Association Meetings

A. Meetings of the "Association" shall be determined by the Executive Committee of the "Association." "Association" meetings include all meetings where the entire membership is notified. These "Association" meetings may include speakers, general business and information. The Annual Meeting shall be held in May.

B. A quorum for the "Association" meetings shall consist of a simple majority.

Article VI Amendments

These bylaws may be amended at any meeting of the "Association" by

Two-thirds of the voting members present, provided that written notice of such proposed amendments has been mailed to each member no less than one week in advance of such meeting.

Article VII Miscellaneous

As with any organization in association with the school, the "Association" falls under the auspices of the Board of Trustees of the school.

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Source: Lake Forest Country Day School (IL) Association, Fall ’99.

PARENTS ASSOCIATIONS for INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS

ISACS recommends that schools consider carefully the advantages of structuring their organizations and especially their governing bodies in such a way so that effectiveness is maximized and overlapping responsibilities avoided. Towards that end, ISACS holds that the board of trustees, the administration of the school, and the parents association should be considered separate bodies with separate responsibilities:

* The board of trustees should be self-perpetuating (the average day school board being 50% current parents, the average boarding school board having even fewer current parents): its primary functions are setting the mission and general policies for the school, financing the operation (through setting of adequate tuition and significant fund-raising), the hiring and support of the head of school, evaluating the performance of the school and its leadership, and strategic planning for the future. The board should conceive itself as holding the school "in trust": i.e., as responsible for not their own children's school but for the school of their children's children, focusing their efforts on the future of the school.

* The head of school and administration should be seen as primarily entrusted with day to day operations, executing the mission and policies of the school (as set by the board), communicating frequently to the board and to the parents association and serving as the medium between the two for suggestions and criticisms and for planning the events of the school year that bind the community together.

* The parents association should be the organization for parental voice and support of the school, seeing its mission both as developing a positive and welcoming climate for all parents and as working closely with the school in meeting its current needs. A representative from the parents association is often appointed to the board by the board and serves as the board's communicating link back to the parents association. Any fund-raising by the parents association must be coordinated by the development office of the school and approved by the board so as to remain focused on the primary needs of the school and so as not to interfere with normal annual giving and other fund-raising events. The parents association should exist at the pleasure of the Board and report to the board; the board should send a board member to the parents association meetings. Since the parents association exists at the pleasure of the board and since the parents association raises funds in the name of the school (using the school's tax ID for charitable fund-raising purposes), any monies raised and accumulated by the parents association should be recorded and tracked on the school's books (by the school's business officer). Both fund-raising projects and expenditures of funds (over some minimal level, such as $250) should be authorized by the school prior to any announcements by the parents association of goals and plans.

There are two key principles that can be best manifested by such a clear understanding of mutual responsibilities of each of the three groups:

* Independent schools seek a partnership with parents, and the role of the parents association is to work with the administration to build that partnership: adversarial relationships have no place in independent schools.

* Independent schools typically eschew the notion of "representative democracy," since the schools are corporate, not public entities; history has shown that independent governance is best executed when there is a board that is broadly constituted with strong community leaders who are focused on the future, a strong administration that is the court of last resort to resolve any problems or conflicts (with no "appeals" to the board), and a parent association committed to their specific role of advancing the cause of the school and contributing to a positive school climate.

Toward the end of institutionalizing this structure and these relationships, ISACS counsels its schools to develop a parents association mission statement and set of by-laws, in conjunction with the school administration and approved by the board of trustees. A regular newsletter from the PA is also advised to keep all parents abreast of events and developments. Sponsoring regular parent's forums, with invited speakers, is another strategy to make the PA strong and its services to the parent body effective. Sample documents are available from ISACS as models.

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Author: Patrick F. Bassett, 5/19/97