I am PTO President at our school and I have no problem letting people know that I will always handle things the correct way. I run our PTO according to our by-laws, and if something in our by-laws needs changed, then we are required to form a committee and work with my contact person at the Board of Education to make the changes. I have gone to her for many things and she helps me keep things on track. I know it's hard to "put people in their place" but you are the president and should be respected as the leader of your PTO. Good luck to you.

I'd suggest enlisting the help of the other members of your Board. Sounds like your VP needs to hear from all voting members of the Board on this matter. But I really think that your bylaws are in-line with your way of thinking and not the VP's. Also how are your bylaws amended per your bylaws? Is the process spelled out? If so then that amendment procedure takes precedent over RRO. Good Luck with your working relationship with that VP.

ok my bylaws state:under parlimentary authority
roberts rules of order revised shall govern the organization in all cases in which they are applicable and in which they are not in conflict with these bylaws.

Also, do you have the exact wording from your bylaws regarding RRO?

Roberts Rules of Order (RRO) states that all organizations should follow rules relating to the orderly transaction of business. (RRO is probably the most common set.) It specifically states that each society should adopt a statement like the following in its bylaws or rules:

The rules contained in [specifying the work on parliamentary practice] shall govern the society in all cases to which they are applicable, and in which they are not inconsistent with the by-laws or the special rules of the society.

In my copy, this is Article XI, Section 67.

So, for example, one of my PTO's has the following under the parlementarian's duties:

...refer to Robert’s Rules of Order for all matters not in conflict with this Constitution and By-Laws.

The other, which doesn't have a parlementarian, has a section called "Parliamentary Authority"

</font>

• Observance of the bylaws adopted by the organization is essential for the orderly conduct of business.</font>
• Officers and members should be familiar with the rules they have accepted.</font>
• The rules contained in the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order shall govern the organization in all cases, where applicable, provided they are not inconsistent with these bylaws or any special rules of order the organization may adopt.</font>
• Clarification of the organization’s bylaws will be directed to the Secretary.</font>

Perhaps your bylaws has such a reference. Or perhaps you could raise the issue (in a helpful way). Something like, "Since we sometimes lose valuable time on trying to determine the right procedural approach, let's spend a little time at a meeting and discuss that so we all understand in the future." Then you have your references ready.

Even better - offer to be parliamentarian. It's not that hard for PTO. All you need is the basics. You can look up anything else.

Good luck.

[ 08-30-2006, 09:26 PM: Message edited by: JHB ]

I have two summary versions of Robert's Rules, and neither one stipulates a 30 day window. How could RRO specify such a strict time frame when it is written to cover all organizations, even ones that meet only annually. Per the RRO books I have, a bylaw amendment must be approved by a 2/3 vote of the members present and voting, provided there has been prior notice (but it doesn't stipulate a specific time frame or method for notifying the membership). We use a one-month delay but that's in our Bylaws.

If you have some people on your board who fancy themselves RRO expers, then you should get smart on RRO too. Buy yourself one or two copies of RRO (there are many summarized versions in book form for about $5 at your larger bookstores). When an RRO issue comes up, you can just pull out your book(s) and double check the official word.

And yes, your approved bylaws supercede RRO. AND your Bylaws should specifically designate Robert's Rules as the group's parliamentary authority (which fills the gaps in your bylaws).

I say you either change your bylaws on this issue to align with Robert's Rules or you use your ByLaws (as Phil says--they are the first line of ruling). I suspect RR's even says that somewhere. So highlight the portion of your bylaws that pertain, and the portion of RRs that pertain and ask for a meeting with the Pres and a "neutral party" to see if you can meet in agreement with the governing laws. If you VP wanted the President's job--she should have run for it...and you can tell her that from me...if that helps [img]smile.gif[/img] .

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