Bylaws
BY-LAWS OF THE FOREST AVENUE
HOME & SCHOOL ASSOCIATION
ARTICLE I – Name
The organization shall be known as the Forest Avenue Home & School Association (hereinafter “Forest Avenue HSA”).
ARTICLE II – Purpose
The purpose of the Forest Avenue HSA is:
- To bring into closer relationship and communication, parents, teachers and administrators of students attending the Forest Avenue School in Glen Ridge,
- To aid in informing parents of Forest Avenue School students of the educational philosophy of the Glen Ridge Board of Education and methods by which this is to be implemented in the Forest Avenue School,
- To communicate to the Glen Ridge Board of Education and the Administration concerns of parents about the educational process in the Forest Avenue School,
- To promote the excellence of the educational process by providing and supporting enrichment to the students in the Forest Avenue School, and
- To assist in accomplishing the objectives of the Glen Ridge Home and School Executive Council.
ARTICLE III – Membership
- Any parent or guardian of a pupil currently enrolled in the Forest Avenue School in Glen Ridge is considered a member of the Forest Avenue HSA (hereinafter, “Member”).
- Every Member in attendance at a membership meeting where a vote is taken shall be eligible to vote. Voting by proxy shall not be permitted.
- Any notice to the membership as required by these By-laws may be provided electronically by email to the email address listed with the Glen Ridge Public Schools.
ARTICLE IV - Executive Board and Officers
Section 1. Executive Board
1. The management of the Forest Avenue HSA shall be vested in an Executive Board (hereinafter the “Board”), which shall consist of all of the officers of the Forest Avenue HSA.
2. The Board shall have general charge and control of the affairs and management of the Forest Avenue HSA and shall have full power to do all things necessary and essential to accomplish the purposes for which the Forest Avenue HSA was founded.
Section 2. Officers and Terms
1. The officers of the Forest Avenue HSA shall be a President, First Vice President, Second Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer elected according to Article VII (hereinafter, “Officers”). Two individuals co-sharing one office is permissible if both parties consent and both are duly elected to the co-office.
2. Officers shall serve a full term of two years, beginning August 1st and ending July 31st two years hence. At the end of the two-year term, each outgoing Officer shall serve in a transitional role with the new Officers for an additional period of one month in August.
3. The Officers shall serve two-year terms expiring in alternating years, such that two of the Officers' terms expire one year after the other three Officers' terms commence. The President and the Treasurer shall be elected in alternate years.
4. Officers may serve for consecutive terms if duly elected for such terms. Any Officer who has served in a particular office for one full term shall be eligible for that office for another term so long as the office is presented as vacant to all Members prior to the date of the Annual Meeting and the notice requirements and election procedures of Article VII are followed.
5. In the event that no Member seeks election to office in the Annual Meeting, all Officers will remain in office until successors are elected.
Section 3. Officer Resignation, Removal and Vacancy
1. Resignation by an Officer shall be in writing and submitted to the Board.
2. An Officer may be removed from office for cause by a majority vote of the Board.
3. When an Officer has not attended meetings or performed the duties of that office, as defined in Article IV Section 4, for a period of 60 consecutive days, that office will be deemed vacant.
4. Vacancies of Officers by resignation, removal, absence or incapacity occurring during a term of office shall be filled with an interim officer appointed by a majority vote of the Board until the next Annual Meeting, at which time the vacancy shall be filled by election according to Article VII.
Section 4. Duties and Responsibilities of Officers
1. The Officers and members of the Board shall serve without compensation.
2. The Officers and members of the Board must be Members of the Forest Avenue HSA and 18 years or older.
3. The powers and duties of the Officers shall be as follows:
a. President – The President shall be the executive officer of the Forest Avenue HSA and shall:
i. Preside at the meetings of the members of the Board and the meetings of the membership;
ii. Be an ex officio member of all committees except the Nominating Committee;
iii. Be the Forest Avenue HSA’s member on the Executive Council of the Glen Ridge Home and School Association;
iv. Be authorized to sign checks, singly for any check up to $500.00 and jointly with any other Board member on checks in excess of $500.00 on the Forest Avenue HSA’s bank accounts;
v. Authorize expenditures, in accordance with these by-laws, which do not exceed $500.00;
vi. The President shall exercise all the usual powers pertaining to the office.
b. First Vice President - The First Vice President shall assist the President and shall assure all duties of the President in his/her absence (An absence is defined as two months or less; otherwise the position will be considered vacant and an election should be held for someone to fulfill the vacant position’s term).
c. Second Vice President - The Second Vice President shall assist the President and shall assume all the duties of the President in the absence of the President and the First Vice President in his/her absence (An absence is defined as two months or less; otherwise the position will be considered vacant and an election should be held for someone to fulfill the vacant position’s term).
d. Secretary - The Secretary shall keep a complete record of all proceedings and correspondence of the Forest Avenue HSA and Board. He/she shall send notices of meetings to Members or the Board, as the same may be required. He/she shall perform all other duties usually pertaining to the office of Secretary.
e. Treasurer - The Treasurer shall perform the duties usually assigned to this office and shall give bond if required by the Board. The Treasurer shall:
i. Conduct all fiscal transactions of the Forest Avenue HSA upon approval of the membership including, but not limited to, signing singly any check up to the amount of $500.00, and jointly with the President (or any other Board member) any check in excess of $500.00.
ii. Review all bank records and reconciliation thereof and the completion of all documentation necessary.
iii. Make any required filings requested by any federal, state or local government agency in accordance with the business of the Forest Avenue HSA.
ARTICLE V – Meetings
1. The Board shall hold at least six general membership meetings per year, one of which shall be the annual Board election meeting (“Annual Meeting”) which shall be held during the spring months before the first of July.
2. Special meetings must be called upon the request of ten Members or upon the written request of a majority of the Board or at the discretion of the President.
3. Notice of any meeting must be given to Members of the Forest Avenue HSA seven (7) days prior to the date of the meeting.
4. A majority of the voting Members present shall constitute a quorum. A majority vote of those present is required for action on any motion brought before a meeting.
ARTICLE VI – Committees
Section 1. Committees Chairpersons and Terms
1. The Board shall establish Standing Committees and Ad Hoc committees depending on the needs of the Forest Avenue HSA.
2. The President shall appoint chairpersons of each Standing Committee and of any Ad Hoc Committee who shall serve for a term not to exceed the expiration of the President’s term. Each member of a committee shall serve for a term not to exceed the expiration of the President’s term.
3. Committees shall operate by majority vote.
4. A majority of the members of a Committee shall constitute a quorum for any action by the Committee, and a majority vote of the members present at a meeting shall be required for the Committee to take an action.
Section 2. Standing Committees
1. Standing Committees shall be staffed at all times.
2. Standing Committees shall include:
a. Nominating Committee, which shall submit a slate of Officers for election at the Annual Meeting of the Forest Avenue HSA in accordance with Article VII. This Committee shall consist of voting Members of the Forest Avenue HSA appointed by the President and the Nominating Committee chairperson. Members of the Nominating Committee may also serve as chairpersons or members of other Committees.
Section 3. Ad Hoc Committees
1. The President may appoint Ad Hoc Committees as the need arises.
2. The President shall designate the powers and purposes of each Ad Hoc Committee.
3. Ad Hoc Committees shall be established for a specific purpose, and the Ad Hoc Committee will cease to exist when that purpose has been met.
Section 4. Fiscal Responsibilities of Committee Chairpersons
1. For any Committee with a separate bank account owned by the Forest Avenue HSA for which the Committee chairperson has signatory authority, the Committee chairperson shall submit a monthly report of the Committee’s financial activity to the Forest Avenue HSA President.
ARTICLE VII – Elections and Nominations
Section 1. Nominations
1. In March of each year, the Nominating Committee shall consider Members for election to each Officer position that will become open on the following July 31st of such year. Any Member shall be entitled to propose any Member (including oneself) for nomination (each, a “Proposed Nominee”).
2. Only those individuals who are current Members of the Forest Avenue HSA and who have expressed their consent to serve if elected shall be eligible to be a Proposed Nominee.
3. Notice of open Officer positions for which the Nominating Committee will be reviewing Proposed Nominees will be made to the general membership at least 60 days prior to the Annual Meeting.
4. The Nominating Committee shall notify the membership of the period (which shall not be less than fourteen days) during which the Nominating Committee will accept submissions of Proposed Nominees and any applicable deadlines for such submissions. The names of Proposed Nominees must be submitted to the Nominating Committee Chairperson by the stated deadline.
5. All Proposed Nominees shall have an opportunity to meet with and present to the Nominating Committee at least 30 days prior to the Annual Meeting. After all Proposed Nominees have met with the Nominating Committee, the Nominating Committee will nominate one or up to three such Proposed Nominees per office (each, a “Nominee”) based on criteria adopted from time to time by the Nominating Committee, but will include at least prior involvement with the Forest Avenue HSA or other public service.
6. Proposed Nominees will be notified of the results in a timely fashion.
Section 2. Elections
1. The membership shall be notified of the slate of Nominees selected by the Nominating Committee at least 14 days prior to the Annual Meeting.
2. The election of new Officers shall take place at the Annual Meeting. Only those Nominees selected by the Nominating Committee shall be on the ballot. No nominations for an open Officer position may be made at the Annual Meeting.
3. Only Members who are present at the Annual Meeting shall be permitted to vote, and each Member present shall have one vote. Voting by proxy is not permitted.
4. Each Nominee receiving the largest number of votes will be elected. In the event of a tie, the vote will be conducted again until one Nominee receives the most votes.
ARTICLE VIII - Fiscal Policy
Section 1. Fiscal Year
Each fiscal year of the Forest Avenue HSA shall commence on August 1st and end on July 31st.
Section 2. Use of Funds
The funds of the Forest Avenue HSA shall be used only for the furtherance of the business and objectives of the Forest Avenue HSA, for the payment of the Association’s contribution to the Student Aid and Scholarship Fund, and for any purpose or object which relates directly to the benefit of the Forest Avenue School and/or the students in the Glen Ridge school system.
ARTICLE IX – Indemnification
Section 1. Indemnification
a. The Forest Avenue HSA will indemnify the Officers and members of the Board in accordance with law whenever a civil, administrative, criminal or quasi-criminal action of other legal proceeding is brought against an Officer for any act or omission arising out of and in the course of the performance of his/her duties as an Officer of the Forest Avenue HSA. In the case of an action which results in a final disposition in favor of the Officer, the Forest Avenue HSA will defray all costs of defending the action, including reasonable counsel fees and expenses, together with costs of appeal, and will save harmless and protect the Officer from any financial loss resulting from the action.
b. The Forest Avenue HSA may arrange for and maintain proper insurance to cover all such damages, losses and expenses.
ARTICLE X - Amendments to By-Laws
Section 1. Amendments
a. The By-Laws of the Forest Avenue HSA may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the members present and voting at the meeting of the Forest Avenue HSA, provided that the proposed amendment or amendments have been presented at a previous meeting of the Forest Avenue HSA and notice has been given to each voting member at least seven days prior to the date of the meeting.
ARTICLE XI - Dissolution of the Forest Avenue HAS
Section 1. Vote to Dissolve
The Forest Avenue HSA may be dissolved by the affirmative vote of three-fourths (3/4) of the Board members. A special meeting must be called for such a purpose with at least sixty (60) days notice to all Members of the Forest Avenue HSA.
Section 2. Disposition of Assets
Upon dissolution of the Forest Avenue HSA, the Board shall, after paying or making provisions for the payment of all the liabilities of the corporation, dispose of all the assets of the corporation exclusively for the purposes of the corporation in such manner, or to such organization or organizations organized and operated exclusively for charitable, educational, religious, or scientific purposes as shall at the time qualify as an exempt organization or organizations under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (or corresponding provisions of any future United States Internal Revenue Law), as the Board shall determine. Any such assets not so disposed of shall be disposed of by the Court of Common Pleas of the county in which the principal office of the corporation is then located, exclusively for such purposes or to such organization or organizations, as said court shall determine, which are organized and operated exclusively for such purposes.
The By-laws of the Forest Avenue Home and School Association were affirmed as revised at a meeting of the General Membership on xxxx xx, 2021.