These Bylaws are adopted by the PTPO of St. Mark Catholic School in accordance with the principles and requirements set forth in the Diocese of Arlington PTO Management Handbook (2023 Edition). In any matter of interpretation or implementation, the Handbook shall serve as an authoritative guide. All activities and decisions are subject to the oversight and approval of St. Mark Catholic Church’s Pastor (“the Pastor”) and St. Mark Catholic School’s Principal (“the Principal”).

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. This organization functions in an advisory capacity under the authority of the Pastor and the Principal, consistent with the Diocese of Arlington PTO Management Handbook.

1. All parents and legal guardians of students enrolled in St. Mark Catholic School, are considered members of the PTPO, provided that no family shall have more than two (2) members entitled to vote on PTPO matters.


2. All faculty members of St. Mark Catholic School and parishioners of St. Mark Catholic Church are considered non-voting members of the PTPO except for faculty members who meet criteria set in Article II, item 1.


3. The Pastor 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 annually elect the officers (Officers) of the PTPO Board in accordance with Article IV.D of these By-Laws.


5. All members are permitted to chair or serve on committees as such are established by the PTPO Board.


6. Dues are paid through each family’s FACTs account. Notifications are sent in FACTs in the month that the charge appears on the account. Membership is automatic and participation is encouraged regardless of due payment status, unless the student status with the school changes – withdrawal or expulsion.

1. The PTPO shall conduct at least two general membership meetings for all members, that will be scheduled, as needed, during the school year with at least ten (10) days of advance notice. Meetings of the Board are held separately as outlined in Article IV. 2(5).

2. Meetings shall begin and end with a prayer, and the agenda shall reflect the format provided in the Diocesan PTO Management Handbook, including remarks from the Pastor and/or Principal when available.

3. A quorum shall be defined as the members present.

4. All members of the PTPO are permitted to submit a topic for consideration at least one (1) week in advance of general membership meetings. PTPO members are permitted to ask questions during the Q&A portion of the meeting in accordance with the Diocesan PTO Handbook.

5. The President of the PTPO shall preside over general membership meetings.

6. All dues-paying members are entitled to one (1) vote on matters at general membership meetings. In the case of a tie vote, the President or Presiding Officer shall cast the deciding vote.

1.   The PTPO Board Composition

a. The PTPO Board (Board) shall consist of the President; Treasurer; Secretary; Communications; Fundraising; Teacher Appreciation; Student Services.

b.    A Parish Liaison and Faculty Representatives shall also serve on the Board. 

c.     After the annual election of Officers, a majority of the Officers of the Board shall appoint the Parish Liaison.

d.    The Principal shall appoint a Faculty Representative from each of the Early Learning Center (ELC) and Primary School (K-8).

e.     Board members serve in a volunteer capacity, receiving no direct or indirect compensation.

2.    Duties of the PTPO Board

a.    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.

b.    The Board shall review and approve a budget for the school year and present the budget to the general membership. The Board shall only approve expenditures consistent with the budget. The Board may modify the budget during the school year as circumstances warrant.

c.     The Board shall present a report of its activities at each general membership meeting.

d.    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.

e.     The Board shall conduct regular meetings (Board 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 with each board member casting one (1) vote. Special meetings of the Board may be called by the Principal, Pastor, or the President.

f.      No Board member shall speak on behalf of the Board as a whole without the express consent of a majority of the Board. 

g.    The Board shall conduct its affairs in accordance with the PTPO Constitution and these By-Laws in consultation with the Pastor and Principal and comply with Diocesan PTO Handbook.

h.    All PTPO Board Members must be mindful of their role when engaging with other parents (e.g., refrain from initiating grade-wide communication forums that look like they are PTPO sponsored). All PTPO Board Members shall refer parents with questions or concerns to the school directly.

3.    Duties of Board Members

a.    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. Whenever the President (or any officer) meets with the Principal or Pastor in an official PTPO capacity, a second PTPO Board member shall be present, unless otherwise directed by the Pastor or Principal. This second member may be designated by the President or the Board. The purpose of this practice is to ensure transparency, shared understanding, and the ability to accurately document key discussions or decisions (in alignment with Article IV. Section 2(7) The President shall also designate one alternate Board member 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 other Board Members, as necessary.

b.    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, and work to align PTPO budgeting priorities with those of the school, as appropriate. The Treasurer shall submit a written financial statement to the Pastor, Principal, and President monthly and shall give a status of funds report at each PTPO Board meeting. The Treasurer shall also submit an annual written financial statement to the Pastor. The Treasurer furthermore coordinates with the School and Parish business managers to ensure compliance with Diocesan financial controls. The Treasurer may be assigned other duties as necessary.

c.     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.

d.    Teacher Appreciation

The Teacher Appreciation Board member shall coordinate and assist with teacher appreciation events and programs.

e.     Fundraising

The Fundraising Board member shall coordinate and assist with fundraising efforts for the Board.

f.      Student Services

The Student Services Board member shall coordinate and assist with student appreciation events and programs. Additionally, Student Services oversees a Committee Role for Student Enrichment Programs.

g.    Communications

Communications shall lead all communications as needed by the Board; and shall coordinate Class Ambassadors and the associated activities. 

4.    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.

5.     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.

6.    Election of Officers

a.    The election of Officers shall be held digitally before the last day of school.

b.    The Board shall appoint an Election Committee consisting of two (2) or more members no later than March 1st. No current Officer of the Board may serve as a member of the Election Committee.

c.     Any member, who is Child Protection 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.

d.    The Election Committee shall inform the Principal and Pastor of the nominees for elected office at least three (3) weeks prior to the election and provide a slate of nominees for the elected Board positions to the general membership at least seven (7) days prior to the election.

e.     The Election Committee shall prepare a means for anonymized digital voting that ensures a single vote per household with an established voting start and end date and time.

f.      Voting shall be by secret (anonymized) ballot. The Election Committee shall supervise the voting and count all ballots. No votes will be accepted past the advertised end date and time.

g.    Within twenty-four (24) hours of the election close, the Election Committee shall count the votes and notify the President, Principal, Pastor, and candidates of the results. Within forty-eight (48) hours of the election close, the current Board will notify the general members of the election results.

h.    The newly elected Board will hold an organizational and planning meeting within thirty (30) days of the election, at which time the current Board will transition duties to the new Board.

i.      The Principal, in consultation with incoming board member nominees, will decide the best path forward if positions within the PTPO Board are vacant.

7.     Terms of Office

Officers are elected for a one-year term beginning July 1^st until June 30th of the following year. An Officer may serve no more than three (3) consecutive terms in the same position and may serve in a different position afterward for no more than three (3) consecutive terms. Each Officer may hold only one position at a time, unless filling a vacancy due per Article IV, Section 4, Item 9 or Article IV, Section 7 or mid-term vacancy. The Parish Liaison and the Faculty Representatives may serve no more than three (3) consecutive terms.

8.    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.

9.    Board Vacancies

Upon the removal or departure of 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 5.

1. 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 a 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 July 1^st until June 30^th 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.

6. The PTPO Board shall create a committee respective folder within the PTPO Board OneDrive on the stmark.org domain account. The chair shall maintain a digital archive of documents and event procedures to support continuity and future planning.

1. The Pastor has final approval of the PTPO Annual Budget.

2. The Treasurer shall prepare a year-end financial statement for distribution to the general membership.

3. The PTPO’s fiscal year shall begin on July 1 and end on June 30 of the following year.

4. All revenues and expenditures for PTPO-sponsored activities must be submitted through the Treasurer.

5. All expenditures must align with an approved fiscal year PTPO budget line item.

6. The Treasurer will review any expenditure that does not align with the approved fiscal year PTPO budget line items with the Pastor for approval.

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:

a.    Any member whose proposed amendment is favorably endorsed in writing by at least twenty (20) PTPO members; or

b.    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.