Actually Misty, your membership to State and National is valid until November 1st but your membership to your unit expires when your fiscal year does. That is why the date is not printed on the back of your membership card. If all memberships expired at the same time, it would be part of the pre-printed card. Each unit's fiscal year can be different according to their own bylaws. Also, bylaws vary on how many need to be in attendance. For example, most of my unit's bylaws state that 2/3 majority of members in attendance with a quorum being present vote in the affirmative. There is no set number of members to be present, only that all members be notified of the vote. Quorum is defined to be a majority of the board of directors in some and others state that plus members present under the duties of the executive board. Quorum is the number of people needed to be present to conduct business, not the total sum of your attendance.
An ammendment to all our state bylaws requires that a representative from the State be present at the meeting and given an opportunity to speak on the agenda. That could be myself (the council President) since I do serve on the State Board of Managers if I am appointed to do so, but that direction will come from the State President. In the past, it has been the State President who has attended and spoke.
It does not state in any of our bylaws, (at least for my region, council and State) that any of this be reflected in minutes, however, Robert's rules would dictate that minutes be taken.
Bylaws vary from unit to unit and State to State and so on.
Being as heavily involved with PTA as I am, PTA memberships are valid from October 1st of one year until October 31st of the following year. Your fiscal year ends on June 30th, but not your memberships. So you can vote to disband as long as you have a quorum of 15 members and your Council/District President is present. This meeting must then be reflected in your minutes.
Actually joy you're right. The parents can discuss outside of PTA, if they want a PTO. But according to most PTA bylaws, the executive board can adopt the resolution to disband the PTA. The resolution itself does not need to come from the membership. Then according to the bylaws, you notify the membership of the meeting to discuss disbanding (notice includes that this is being discussed) and vote, usually 30 days prior to the meeting with written notice being given. Then at that meeting, only PTA members can vote.
However, I have to disagree that about having both a PTA and a PTO. I think it's a terrific idea. Most of the time, they have different objectives and missions. It wouldn't be any different than a high school that has a drama club and a math club. Two clubs, two different goals. They could very well coexist and likely stop the fighting that occurs over which is better. PTA already works with organizations like Safe Kids. I highly recommend it. And for those parents who don't want the PTA to dissolve, they keep their PTA and gain another great tool to get parents involved. For those that don't like the political aspect or even the issue of dues, they too have an option. It sounds like a terrific compromise that will only increase the numbers of people that are involved. It's the mentality of "us vs them" that causes issues. It doesn't have to be that way. That can be overcome. Kma is a member of both at her school (as are other members of her volunteer organization) and sees the value of having both. I also know several people around the country who are doing the very same thing and it's working.
I agree with your assessment, JHB, about the two separate processes.
But Rialto has a unique challenge. Her big issue -- and I'm sure it comes up for other PTAs considering disbanding, too -- is determining who can/should officially vote at a July or August PTA meeting, if individual PTA memberships technically expire at the end of June.
I just can't see going through the rigamarole of a PTA membership drive, if an informal poll of the likely members shows a clear preference for disbanding.
I think you are talking about two different things/meetings.
The meeting to discuss whether or not to start a PTO is not a PTA meeting, it's a parent meeting and who is a member of what isn't relative. You are trying to determine what the majority of the PARENTS (not PTA members) want.
If it seems a majority wants a PTO, then you need to discuss disbanding at a PTA meeting. Either those who are PTA members will agree, or they will fight you and you will have to decide whether to abandon the PTO idea, pursuade the resistors, or to have two groups, both a PTA and and PTO (which I don't personally advocate).
These two things could certainly be done in one sitting (meeting) or back to back meetings, but only the PTA members could vote on whether or not to dissolve the PTA unit.
It would be very, very hard to start today and have all of this taken care of by June 30th.
And if that's not doable, then I think it would be crazy to go through a whole new membership drive just to follow the technical rules on how to dissolve. (spending time and energy and money recruiting new members to an organization so that you could dissolve that organization -- ??)
I guess another option would be for leaders to have a very small membership drive in July (sell maybe 20 memberships) and then go through the process with those 20. That would be technically OK, wouldn't it?
Seems like following the spirit of the rules (allow whole June membership to vote, even if it's July) would be better/more fair to PTA than this technically correct (letter of the rules)option.
