Name.  The name of the organization shall be the L’Etoile du Nord French Immersion Parent Teacher Organization, LNFI PTO.

Purpose.  The purpose of the organization shall be to aid the students of L’Etoile du Nord by providing support for their educational and recreational needs and to promote open communication between the administration, teachers, parents and students.

MembershiP.  All parents and/or legal guardians of students who are currently attending L’Etoile du Nord and all current faculty/staff of L’Etoile du Nord will be eligible for membership in the PTO.  Regular members shall have the right and are encouraged to attend all PTO meetings and activities for the organization.

Meetings.  There shall be one meeting each month of the school calendar on a specified day and time. 

Executive Committee

Membership.  The membership of the Executive Committee shall consist of the Presidents, Secretary, Treasurer, Committee Chairs, and Principal.

General Powers.  The Executive Committee shall manage the affairs, activities, and operation of the organization.  The Executive Committee shall transact necessary business during the intervals between the meetings of the membership.  It may create Standing and Special Committees, approve the plans and work of standing and special committees, present reports and recommendations at the meetings of the membership, prepare and submit a budget to the membership for approval, and, in general, conduct the business and activities of the organization. The members of the Executive committee are voting members of the PTO.

Meetings.  Regular meetings of the Executive Committee shall be held during the year as needed. 

Officers. The officers of the PTO shall consist of Co-Presidents or co-Chairpersons, a Secretary and a Treasurer.  Currently, all officers and committee chairpersons are serving in these roles on a volunteer basis and will continue to do so until such time as the current Executive Committee establishes Election which procedures will be voted upon by the PTO general membership.

Presidents.  There shall be up to two presidents who share in the responsibilities of running the PTO.  The co-presidents shall be available for questions and will provide leadership to the PTO in general.  All agendas and ideas for meetings shall go through the co-presidents for final approval.  The co-presidents shall together be the principal executive officer of the organization and, subject to the control of the executive committee and the direction of the membership shall in general supervise and control all of the activities of the organization.  If there is no Volunteer Coordinator elected or no one agrees to take on this position, the co-presidents will be required to fulfill this position.

Secretary.  The secretary shall keep the minutes of the proceedings of the membership and the Executive Committee meetings.  The secretary will also be responsible for collecting all committee reports for the PTO’s records and reporting them to the Newsletter Coordinator.  The secretary will determine the due date for committee reports at the beginning of the year. 

Treasurer. All money for the PTO will go through the treasurer.  The treasurer shall have charge of and be responsible for all funds of the organization and shall receive and give receipts for monies due and payable to the organization from all sources and shall deposit such funds in such bank or other organizations as are recommended by the treasurer and approved by the Executive Committee.  The treasurer shall make disbursements as budgeted annually by the PTO, or additionally as approved by the Executive Committee, in a timely and responsible manner. The treasurer will reconcile all PTO bank accounts monthly and submit a written Balance Sheet and Income Statement at each general meeting of the PTO. The treasurer must also sign all approved PTO meeting minutes.

Finances- The financial records of the PTO are to be open for viewing by the membership at all times, with minimal prior notice.  In order to provide checks and balances in the financial systems of the PTO, all bank statements and other bank correspondence shall be received by the Fundraising committee chair, who shall open and examine them for any irregularity before giving them to the treasurer.  The Fundraising committee chair and the treasurer are both to be signers on the accounts of the PTO; checks are to require one signature. At such time as the annual expenditures of the PTO meet or exceed $50,000 (fifty thousand dollars), any check written for $500 (five hundred dollars) or above is to require two signatures. 

Fiscal year. The fiscal year will begin on July 1 and end on June 30.

Non-budget requests over $500. Any expense over $500 not included in the annual budget approved by the General Membership must have the full approval of the Executive committee prior to being incurred and /or reimbursed.  This approval must be written, although e-mail forwarded among the members and acknowledged by each is considered sufficient.  If the approval is made in person, the minutes shall be considered the written record thereof.

Non-budget requests less than $500. Any expenses less than $500 not included in the annual budget approved by the General Membership must have the approval of the Treasurer, Fundraising Chair and one co-President prior to being incurred and /or reimbursed. The approval will follow the same process as listed in Section VII, Article A.

PTO dissolution. In the event of the PTO’s dissolution, all funds available will be transferred to the L’Etoile du Nord School.

Standing Committees

Communications Committee. The Communication Committee shall be responsible for the development and timely delivery of the school newsletter, school directory, parent fair resource materials and PTO handouts. 

Fundraising Committee. The Fundraising committee is responsible for raising all monies needed for the PTO and will create sub-committees as necessary throughout the year.

Intern Committee. The Amity committee shall be responsible for coordinating with the company organizing the interns for the purpose of recruiting interns, including the selection process, placing the scholars in host families, and the overall organization of the interns, along with teaching staff and the Intern Coordinator.

Social Committee. The Social Committee shall be responsible for planning and coordinating school-wide social activities for L’Etoile du Nord families. Sub-committees will be formed as necessary for social events throughout the year.

Ad Hoc Committees. The Presidents and/or the Executive Committee may create Ad Hoc Committees. Ad Hoc Committees shall be created for a specific time and/or task and shall cease to exist when that time or task has been completed.

Indemnification of Persons.  To the full extent permitted by the Minnesota Nonprofit Corporation Act, as enacted or hereafter amended, or by other provisions of law, each person who is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any proceeding, wherever and by whosoever brought (including any proceeding by or in the right of the corporation), whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, by reason of the fact that he or she is or was a director, officer, employee, or agent of the corporation, or that he or she is or was serving at the specific request of the Board as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, shall be indemnified by the corporation against all reasonable expenses, including attorneys' fees and disbursements, judgments, penalties, fines and amounts paid in settlement, actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection with such action, suit or proceeding; provided, however, that the indemnification with respect to a person who is or was serving as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise shall apply only to the extent such person is not indemnified by such other corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise.  The indemnification provided by this Bylaw shall continue as to a person who has ceased to be a director, officer, employee or agent and shall inure to the benefit of such person and his or her heirs, executors and administrators, with respect to activities of such person during the period he or she acted as a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, and shall apply whether or not the claim against such person arises out of matters occurring before the adoption of this Bylaw.

AMENDMENTS. These Bylaws may be altered, amended or repealed, by the voting members at any regular or special meeting.

AUTHORITY. If any part of these Bylaws shall conflict with the decisions, policies or procedures adopted by the St. Paul Public School Board, they shall be deemed null and void and the decision of the St. Paul Public School Board shall, in all cases, control.

Approved by:                                                                                          

Co-President                                                               Date

                         Co-President                                                              Date

Secretary                                                                    Date

Treasurer                                                                     Date