Parliamentarian
Parliamentarians (Unit/Council) and Presidents, please take note of some important updates from the California State Parliamentarian
First, there are a LOT of bylaws in the queue that still need reviewing at the State level. Please bear with us as they work through the backlog. For the past month, there have been around 100-110 bylaws in queue every week! It's a daunting job to review and respond to all those bylaws. We understand that it's near the end of the fiscal year (and school year), and that you have Association meetings that are either coming up very soon, or may have already passed. We'll get the bylaws back to you as soon as possible.
There are some additional changes you should be aware of regarding bylaws.
Minimum Quorum Change
There have been several changes to bylaws as of late, some of which have already rolled out (such as the ability to strike the historian position), and some of which have not (such as the removal entirely of the corresponding secretary position, which will be part of the 2025 bylaws template update - NOT YET FINALIZED). We also recognize that it is getting harder to fill and staff large executive boards, and that there are many boards running with just the president, treasurer, secretary, teacher representative, and principal. Therefore, the minimum quorum for the Executive Board has been reduced to 4. The formula to calculate remains the same - it is still a simple majority of the executive board as defined, but now the minimum is four instead of five. This is now in effect, so bylaws submitted can reflect the new minimum quorum if applicable.
Updated Bylaws Submittal Form (Including Debit/Check Card Language)
Available to review with the "O1 - Bylaws Submittal Form" is a document describing debit/card options. At the Februrary Board of Managers meeting, a debit/check card policy for units, councils, and districts was adopted for addition to the Toolkit. The adoption of this policy incorporates mandatory standing rules for constituent organizations regarding the use of the card. The updated O1 bylaws template version reflects a spot to check off if the organization will use a check/debit card so that the state parliamentarian can attach the mandatory standing rules to align with the new policy. Please let me know if you need the updated O1 bylaws template, and incorporate its use moving forward.
Updated Unit/Council/District Instructions
The unit/council/district bylaws instructions have been updated to reflect the minimum quorum change. These handouts are available on the Intranet and in the district drive return folders. PLEASE USE THESE AND DISTRIBUTE THESE TO LEADERS. The fewer errors that are made in bylaws, the less time it takes to approve them and get them back to you.
Queue Update
The bylaws review queue is live, and has been reformatted to account for the influx in bylaws. You will notice that the dates are missing now, and that is in large part because the formula was throwing errors when there were more than 50 bylaws in queue instead of working through the bylaws instead.
Bylaws Templates and Submissions
The eBylaws system is down and will remain so for the foreseeable future. We are aware that for some reason the system is still accessible (it isn't supposed to be). Do not submit bylaws that have come from the eBylaws system. How can you tell? The year watermark on the front cover of the bylaws will look like it is in a Times New Roman/Times Roman style font, instead of the broad, sans serif style font on the fillable templates. Only fillable templates can be used.
Speaking of the the fillable PDF templates, do not alter the templates. Please advise all unit leaders and parliamentarians to not alter the templates. Do not add language, do not change verbiage. Use the fillable fields only. Do not alter the fillable fields. Please use the templates as they were provided. If additional changes are needed, use the space in the bylaws submittal form to indicate what changes are needed, and provided they are permissible, they will be considered. Add an extra (separate) Microsoft Word doc to the submission if you need to explain anything in greater detail. This helps me get bylaws back to you faster.
Shout out: Come to the Parliamentarian sessions at the Summer Leadership Conference. Tell your incoming Parliamentarian about SLC and tell them to attend as well!
Thanks,
Bruce, parliamentarian@ninthdistrictpta.org
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