A. General Membership Meetings. At least two General Membership Meetings of the organization shall be held during each school year. The time and place of the meetings shall be announced at least fourteen (14) days prior to the meeting via website and / or school newsletter.

B. Special Meetings. Additional meetings of the organization may be called, either by vote of the Board or by petition of a majority of the Voting Members. The time and place of all Special Meetings shall be announced at least sever (7) days prior to the meeting.

C. Quorum. Those persons present at a properly called General Membership or Special Meeting shall be designated as a quorum and shall be entitled to take action on behalf of the organization.

D. Voting. A majority vote of the Voting Members present at any General Meeting shall be required for all action to be taken by the organization.

E. Board Meetings. Regular meetings of the Board shall be held during the year, no less than once per month, to be established at the beginning of the year. Special meetings may be called by the President or by a majority of the Board. Notice of all meetings shall be given to all members of the Board and, in the absence of an emergency, at least seven (7) days in advance. When possible, notice of the meetings should be announced to all Regular Members of the organization via website. Any member may attend a meeting of the Board, but shall not be entitled to vote on matters before the Board.

F. Positions. The officers of the organization shall consist of a President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Student Representative, and Faculty Representative. Two persons may be nominated and elected to fill any single position with the exception of the Treasurer position. In this instance, both of the persons shall be given all of the rights and responsibilities of the office as enumerated herein with the exception of voting, where they will share one vote.

G. President. The President shall be the principal executive officer of the organization and, subject to the control of the Board and the direction of the membership, shall in general supervise and control all of the activities of the organization. The President shall be a member of the Board and, when present, shall preside at all meetings of the Board and all meetings of the membership. The President shall vote only in the case of a tie in a vote of the Board or the membership. The President shall be a member of all committees of the organization, with the exception of the nominating committee. The President may appoint a parliamentarian, subject to the approval of the Board.

H. Vice President. The Vice President shall be a member of the Board and, in the absence of the President, shall perform the duties of the President. The Vice President shall perform such other duties as are assigned by the President or the Board.

I. Secretary. The Secretary shall be a member of the Board. The Secretary shall keep the minutes of the proceedings of the membership and the Board, shall receive the list of Regular Members who have paid dues and prepare the official list of Voting Members, shall see that all notices are duly given in accordance with these Bylaws, and, in general, perform all duties incident to the office of Secretary and such other duties as may be assigned by the President or the Board.

J. Treasurer. The Treasurer shall be a member of the Board. 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 banks or other organizations as are selected by the Board. The Treasurer shall make disbursements as authorized by the President, Board, or membership in accordance with the budget adopted by the membership. The Treasurer shall collect all membership dues as are established by the organization and shall certify to the Secretary an accurate list of the Voting Members of the organization. The Treasurer shall present a written financial report at each General Membership Meeting of the membership and at other times as requested by the Board.

K. Procedure. The election of officers shall take place during the last General Membership Meeting each year, or by mail-in ballot or by electronic voting. All Voting Members of the organization may participate in the election. The Nominating Committee shall present a slate of officers for election. Further nominations may be received from the floor. The election of the slate, in non-contested, may be by voice vote. Any contested election shall be by written ballot.

L. Term of Office. The term of each officer shall be one year, beginning on July 1 and ending on June 30 of each year. No officer may serve more than 2 consecutive terms in a given position. For the 2004/2005 year only, elections will be held during the fall General Membership meeting.

M. Nominating Committee. The Nominating Committee shall be responsible for receiving all suggestions for persons to serve as officers. The committee shall prepare a slate of officers to present for election by the membership. The committee shall contact all persons who will be nominated to confirm their willingness to serve. The committee shall insure that all nominees are eligible to serve in the office.

N. Selection. The nominee receiving the most votes shall be elected. In the case of a tie, the President shall cast the deciding vote.

O. Vacancies. Any vacancy in an office because of death, resignation, or inability to serve shall be filled by the Board for the unexpired portion of the term.

P. General Powers. The affairs, activities and operation of the organization shall be managed by the Board. The Board shall transact necessary business during the intervals between the meetings of the membership and such other business as may be referred to it by the membership or these Bylaws. It may create Standing and Special Committees, approve the plans and work of these 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.

Q. Membership. The membership of the Board shall consist of the President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, the faculty representative, and the student representative. The principal of the school and the chairperson of all Standing Committees shall be members of the Board and entitled to vote.

R. Voting. A majority of the members present shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business and voting.

S. Insurance. The Board shall always carry liability, bond, and, if applicable, property insurance.

T. Removal of a Board Member. A Board member will be removed from the position if any one of the following conditions exist: chronic absences, inability to perform duties, or ceasing to meet the qualifications of the board position.

A meeting to remove a Board member will follow these provisions:

U. Nominating Committee. The Nominating Committee shall be composed of at least three (3) persons who shall be selected by the Board at the beginning of each year. The committee shall carry out its responsibilities, as specified in Section VI, Elections.

V. Other Standing Committees. The Board may establish such other Standing Committees as it deems necessary and advisable. The President shall appoint the chairpersons of all Standing Committees, who shall serve as members of the Board. Only Voting Members may serve as chairpersons. The chairperson of each committee shall recruit the members for his or her committee. Any Regular Member may serve as a committee member. The Chairperson shall report the plans and activities of the committee to the Board, which must approve all such reports.

W. Special Committees. The President and/or the Board may create Special Committees. Special Committees shall be created for a specific time and/or task and shall cease to exist when that time or task has been completed, or on June 30 of each year, whichever occurs first. The President shall appoint the chairpersons of all Special Committees. Only Voting Members may serve as chairpersons. Any Regular Member may serve as a committee member. The Chairperson shall report the plans and activities of the committee to the Board, which must approve all such reports.

X. Budget. The Board shall present to the membership at the first Regular Meeting of the year a budget of anticipated revenue and expenses for the year. This budget shall be used to guide the activities of the Board during the year. Any substantial deviation from the budget must be approved by the membership. In event of a budget surplus or shortage of over 15% per line item, approval must be obtained by the membership.

Y. Commercial Paper. All checks, drafts, or other orders for the payment of money on behalf of the organization shall be signed by the Treasurer and one other person as authorized in writing by the Board. The Board must approve at least 3 officers as check signatories, who are not related in any way.

Z. The Treasurer shall deposit all funds of the organization to the credit of the organization in such banks, trust companies or other depositories as the Board may select and shall make such disbursements as authorized by the Board in accordance with the budget adopted by the membership.

AA. Financial Report. The Treasurer shall present a financial report at each General Membership Meeting of the organization and shall prepare a final report at the close of the year. The Board shall have the report and the accounts examined annually by an auditor or an informal audit committee, who, if satisfied that the Treasurer’s annual report is correct, shall sign a statement of that fact at the end of the report.

BB. Tax Returns. An annual income tax return shall be prepared and filed by a qualified person selected by the Board.

CC. Amount. The organization shall authorize and collect membership dues to be used for the operation of the organization. Any change in the amount of the dues shall be approved by a vote of the Voting Members.

DD. The dues for SHPTSO annual membership will be $6.00 per individual.