The name of this organization is the Parent, Teacher, Parishioner Organization of St. Mark Catholic School (PTPO). The purpose of this organization is to further the objectives set forth in Article II of the PTPO’s Constitution.

1. All parents and legal guardians of students enrolled in St. Mark Catholic School and parishioners of St. Mark Church are considered members of the PTPO, provided that no family shall have more than two (2) members entitled to vote on PTPO matters. No person or family will be required to pay dues prior to participating in the PTPO.
2. All faculty members of St. Mark Catholic School are considered members of the PTPO.
3. The pastor of St. Mark Catholic Church and the principal of St. Mark Catholic School have the right to override any decision(s) made by the PTPO Board. The pastor shall hold the final authority over all PTPO decisions and financial matters.
4. Members shall elect annually the officers (Officers) of the PTPO Board in accordance with Article IV.D. of these By-Laws. Such Officers are: President; three (3) Vice Presidents; Secretary; Treasurer; and Room Parent/Core Plus Coordinator.
5. All members are permitted to chair or serve on committees as such are established by the PTPO Board.
6. Dues will be established annually by the PTPO Board. Dues will be deducted from each family’s FACTS account automatically each school year.

1. The PTPO shall conduct a general membership meeting for all members in April or May of each year. This meeting shall be used for the election of the Officers of the PTPO Board and other appropriate business.
2. The PTPO Board shall determine whether additional general membership meetings are required and shall inform members of such meeting at least ten (10) days in advance.
3. A quorum shall be required to conduct business at a general membership meeting. For such meetings, a quorum is defined as the members present.
4. All members of the PTPO are permitted to attend and speak at general membership meetings, following the agenda prepared for the meeting and in accordance with the rules and procedures established by the PTPO Board.
5. The President of the PTPO shall run general membership meetings following the agenda prepared for the meeting and in accordance with the rules and procedures established by the PTPO Board.
6. All members are entitled to vote on matters presented to the general membership at general membership meetings. In the case of a tie vote, the President or Presiding Officer shall cast the deciding vote.
7. Members shall have the right to vote by secret ballot on all matters presented for a vote to the general membership. The vote of each member shall be accorded exactly the same weight as the vote of all others.

1. The PTPO Board
   1. The PTPO Board (Board) shall consist of the President; three (3) Vice Presidents; the Secretary; the Treasurer; and the Room Parent/Core Plus Coordinator. A Parish Liaison and a Faculty Representative shall also serve on the Board. After the annual election of Officers, a majority of the Officers of the Board shall appoint the Parish Liaison, and the principal shall appoint the Faculty Representative. Members of the Board shall serve without remuneration or benefit, either direct or indirect, for their service in connection with the PTPO’s activities.
2. Duties of the PTPO Board
   1. The Board shall carry out the objectives and policies of the PTPO and propose new objectives and policies when necessary. The Board may solicit input from the general membership on any matter related to the PTPO’s objectives, policies, or activities and shall consider such input fairly and without prejudice.
   2. The Board shall present a detailed budget to the membership for the following school year and shall take comments from the membership for 10 (ten) days before final approval of the budget. The Board shall only approve expenditures consistent with the budget. The Board may modify the budget during the course of the school year as circumstances warrant.
   3. The Board shall present a report of its activities at each general membership meeting.
   4. At the end of each school year, the Board shall prepare and distribute to the membership a report outlining the status of PTPO finances and detailing initiatives undertaken during the year, as well as proposed initiatives for the upcoming year.
   5. The Board shall conduct regular meetings at least quarterly. A quorum of the Board shall be a majority of the Board members, and a quorum shall be required to transact any business. Special meetings of the Board may be called by the principal or the President.
   6. Each Board member shall have one vote.
   7. No Board member shall speak on behalf of the Board as a whole without the express consent of a majority of the Board. 8. The Board shall conduct its affairs in accordance with the PTPO Constitution and these By-Laws.
3. Duties of Board Members
   1. President
      The President shall formulate (with the Secretary) the agenda for and preside at all general membership meetings and all Board meetings. The President shall appoint, with the approval of a majority of the Board, the chairperson of each committee and any special committee and is an ex-officio member of all committees. The President, or his/her designee from the Board, shall be the PTPO’s primary liaison to the pastor and the principal and shall timely communicate to the whole Board any concerns the pastor or principal have with respect to PTPO activities. The President, or his/her designee from the Board, shall be the PTPO’s representative for Diocesan meetings and parish meetings and functions.
   2. Vice Presidents
      The Vice Presidents shall serve as coordinators for the PTPO committees and shall be assigned a manageable number of committees similar in activities. The President shall also designate one Vice President to perform the duties of the President in the President’s absence and to assume the duties of the President if the President is unable to (i) preside at any PTPO meeting or (ii) resigns or is removed from office. The President may assign other duties to the Vice Presidents as necessary.
   3. Treasurer
      The Treasurer shall receive and account for all PTPO revenues and expenditures. The Treasurer shall prepare a PTPO budget for the Board’s consideration and approval, as well as for the parish Finance Council’s review, and work to align PTPO budgeting priorities with those of the school as appropriate. The Treasurer shall submit a written financial statement to the President monthly and shall give a status of funds report at each Board meeting. The Treasurer shall also submit an annual written financial statement to the parish Finance Council. The Treasurer may be assigned other duties as necessary.
   4. Secretary
      The Secretary shall be responsible for preparing correspondence distributed by the Board; keeping and distributing minutes of general membership and PTPO Board meetings to the Board, the pastor, the principal and the general membership; working with the President to set the agenda for all PTPO meetings; maintaining copies of (i) the minutes book for both general membership and Board meetings, (ii) these by-laws, (iii) a PTPO membership list, and (iv) any PTPO procedural rules. The Secretary may be assigned other duties as necessary.
   5. Parish Liaison
      The Parish Liaison shall act as an interface between the parish and the PTPO with respect to the activities of both and shall advise the Board on the compatibility of PTPO activities with parish activities.
   6. Faculty Representative
      The Faculty Representative shall be a member of the St. Mark School faculty and shall act as an interface between the school and the PTPO.
4. Election of Officers
   1. The election of Officers shall be held at the general membership meeting in April or May.
   2. The Board shall appoint an Election Committee consisting of at least three (3) members forty-five (45) days prior to the election meeting. No current Officer of the Board may serve as a member of the Election Committee.
   3. Any member, who is virtus-compliant, may place his/her name in nomination for elected office by submitting it to the Election Committee at least thirty (30) days prior to the election meeting.
   4. The Election Committee shall inform the Principal and Pastor of the nominees for elected office at least three two weeks prior to the election meeting, and provide a slate of nominees for the elected Board positions to the general membership at least seven (7) days prior to the election meeting.
   5. The Election Committee shall prepare ballots and distribute them at the election meeting. Absentee ballots shall be made available at least three (3) days prior to the election meeting for those unable to attend the election meeting. Absentee ballots must be returned to the school prior to 3:00 PM on the date of the election meeting, and any ballots received after that time shall not be counted for any purpose.
   6. Voting shall be by secret ballot. The Election Committee shall supervise the voting and count all ballots.
   7. Within twenty-four (24) hours of the election meeting, the Election Committee shall count the votes and notify the President, principal, pastor, and candidates of the results.
   8. The newly elected Board will hold an organizational and planning meeting within thirty (30) days of the election, at which time the new Board will determine Officer positions for the following year. Within twenty-four (24) hours of the organizational and planning meeting, the general membership will be informed of the Officer designations for the following year.
5. Terms of Office
   Officers are elected for a one year term beginning the day after the last day of school until the last day of school of the following year. An Officer may serve no more than three (3) consecutive terms in the same office, but may serve in a different role afterward for no more than three (3) consecutive terms. Each Officer may hold only one office at a time. The Parish Liaison and the Faculty Representative are appointed for the same one year term as the Officers and may serve no more than three (3) consecutive terms in those positions, but may return in a different, and appropriate, position after those 3 years.
6. Removal of Board Members
   In the event a Board member is unable, unwilling, or otherwise fails to discharge fully his/her responsibilities as set forth herein, he/she shall be removed from office upon a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Board, or at the request of the Pastor.
7. Board Vacancies
   Upon the removal or departure any Board member during his/her term, the remaining Board members shall fill the vacancy from the general membership by a simple majority vote of the Board; provided, however, that the principal alone shall fill a vacancy for the Faculty Representative. A Board member appointed under this section shall serve the remainder of the term of the member he/she has replaced and shall not be deemed to have served a full term for purposes of Article IV, section E.

1. The President, with the approval of a majority of the Board, may form from time to time such committees as he/she determines necessary to advance the work and objectives of the PTPO.
2. The President shall name the chair of each committee, who shall be responsible for organizing his/her committee, including, but not limited to determining the number of and recruiting the members for the committee, assigning committee member to head the committee’s major activities, and recommending a successor as chair.
3. Each chair shall consult with the Board in the formulation of all activities and programs and at the expiration of his/her term, shall give the Secretary or the successor chair all records and materials pertaining to the committee’s activities.
4. Each chair’s term of office shall be for one year from the day after the last day of school until the last day of school of the following year; provided, however, that the President, with the approval of a majority of the Board, may remove a chair at his/her discretion.
5. Each chair shall submit a proposed Budget to the Board and shall account for all monies received and expended by his/her committee.

1. The Treasurer shall prepare a year-end financial statement for distribution to the general membership.
2. The PTPO’s fiscal year shall begin on July 1 and end on June 30 of the following year.
3. All revenues and expenditures for PTPO-sponsored activities must be submitted through the Treasurer.

1. The Board may propose amendments to the PTPO Constitution or these By-Laws. Alternatively, a proposal to amend the Constitution or these By-Laws may be initiated by:
   1. Any member whose proposed amendment is favorably endorsed in writing by at least twenty (20) PTPO members; or
   2. Any committee appointed in accordance with Article V for the express purpose of amending the Constitution and/or these By-Laws.
2. The pastor and the principal must approve any proposed amendment before its submission to the general membership for approval.
3. The Board shall present proposed amendments at a general membership meeting and such amendments shall become effective upon a favorable vote of a two-thirds (2/3) majority of the members present at that general membership meeting.
4. A newly amended Constitution or By-Laws must be dated with its effective date and shall supersede all prior versions.