MPA Bylaws

ARTICLE I

Section 1.1 Name. The name of this Association is “MARET SCHOOL PARENTS ASSOCIATION,” hereinafter referred to as the “MPA”.
Section 1.2 Year. For purposes of these by-laws, “year” shall mean the Maret School fiscal year, i.e. July 1 – June 30.

ARTICLE II – Purposes

The purposes of the MPA are t

  • provide a means through which parents of Maret students may effectively aid Maret School in achieving its mission by encouraging communication and by promoting and supporting the educational and related activities of the school;
  • undertake educational and fundraising activities to benefit the school, its facilities, students and parents, in accordance with the school’s mission.

ARTICLE III – General Membership

All parents, including any persons in loco parentis, of students enrolled in Maret School are members of the MPA.

ARTICLE IV – Executive Committee/Officers

Section 4.1 Powers and Duties of Executive Committee. The Executive Committee shall be responsible for managing the day-to-day affairs of the MPA. A majority of the Executive Committee shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of any business at its meetings. The action of the majority of the Executive Committee shall be the action of the Executive Committee.
Section 4.2 Composition. The members of the Executive Committee shall be the officers of the MPA; specifically, President, President-Elect, Vice-President Upper School , Vice- President Middle School , Vice-President Lower School , Secretary, Treasurer, and such other officers as may be elected from time to time, pursuant to Section 4.3 below. In addition, a Development Office staff member designated by the school shall serve as a non-voting ex-officio member of the Executive Committee.
Section 4.3 Election and Term of Office.
(A) The officers for the coming year shall be elected annually at the May MPA general membership meeting from among the MPA general membership.
(B) Each year the Executive Committee shall appoint a Nominating Committee Chairperson to serve for the following year. Such Chairperson shall appoint two (2) members from each of the three (3) school divisions to serve with him or her as a seven (7) member committee.
(C) The Nominating Committee shall have the duty to invite members of the MPA to submit suggested names for nomination, and to invite any MPA member interested in holding an elected office to submit to the Nominating Committee chairperson his or her own name, qualifications, and the office in which he or she is interested.
(D) The Nominating Committee shall review the qualifications of all names submitted and shall then propose a slate of officers to be elected for the coming year, to include a President-Elect, a Vice-President for each of the three (3) divisions of the school, a Secretary, a Treasurer and such additional officers as the Executive Committee shall deem appropriate. The current President-Elect shall automatically serve as the new President. Each Vice-President must be a parent of a current student within the school division represented by that Vice-President. Notice of the Nominating Committee’s slate of officers shall be provided to all MPA members fourteen (14) days prior to the May general membership meeting, at which the elections shall take place.
(E) Each officer shall be elected for a term of one (1) year, commencing at the close of the year in which he/she is elected. Any additional officers elected shall serve for a term of one (1) year, at the close of which the incumbent Executive Committee shall decide whether or not to extend the additional officer position for a second year.
(F) Subject to the provisions of subsection (G) below, no person shall be eligible to serve more than one (1) one-year term as President or President-Elect. No other officer, including any additional officer, may serve in the same position for more than two (2) consecutive one-year terms.
(G) In the event that an officer, other than the President, is unable to complete his or her one-year term, a successor shall be appointed by the President to serve for the remainder of the incumbent’s term. An officer, other than the President, who is appointed to complete the term of a predecessor on or before December 1 shall be eligible for re-election to one (1) additional one-year term in the same office. An officer, other than the President, who is elected to complete the term of a predecessor after December 1 shall be eligible for re-election to two (2) additional consecutive one-year terms in the same office.
(H) In the event that the President is unable to complete his or her one-year term, the President-Elect shall assume the position of President. Should the President-Elect be required to complete the term of the incumbent President, he or she shall in addition be eligible to serve the term as President to which he or she would automatically have succeeded pursuant to Section 4.3(D) above. If the President-Elect chooses not to serve the succeeding term as President, there shall be nominations for the election of a new President in accordance with the nominating procedures set forth in Section (D) above.
Section 4.4. Powers and Duties of Officers.
(A) The President is the chief executive officer of the MPA. As such, he/she shall:

  • Serve as chairperson of the Executive Committee and of the MPA Council (See Section 5.1 below);
  • Appoint, with the approval of the Executive Committee, the chairperson(s) of each MPA standing committee, with the exception of the Nominating Committee chairperson, who is appointed pursuant to Section 4.3(B) above;
  • Serve as an ex officio member of each standing committee, with the exception of the Nominating Committee;
  • Preside at all meetings of the Executive Committee, of the MPA Council (if any) and of the general membership;
  • Serve as a non-voting ex officio member of the Maret School Board of Trustees;
  • Meet/communicate with the Head of School on a regular basis;
  • Consult with the President-Elect on all MPA-related matters.

(B) The President-Elect shall:

  • Assist the President in carrying out his or her duties;
  • Carry out any duties delegated by the President;
  • Perform the duties of the President in his or her absence;
  • Assume the position of MPA President in the event of a vacancy occurring in that office;
  • Succeed to the office of President at the expiration of the term of the current President;
  • With the President, meet/communicate with the Head of School on a regular basis.

(C) The Upper, Middle, and Lower School division Vice-Presidents shall, within their respective school divisions:

  • Coordinate the selection of Class Representatives;
  • Ensure that Class Representatives have the appropriate guidelines for facilitating class/grade activities;
  • Call periodic meetings of Class Representatives. Such meetings shall, at the discretion of the Vice-President, include the appropriate division Director.

(D) The Secretary shall:

  • Record and maintain a file of the minutes of all MPA Executive Committee, Council and general membership meetings;
  • Issue notices of meetings as needed;
  • Handle MPA correspondence.

(E) The Treasurer shall:

  • Develop a yearly MPA budget for Executive Committee approval, and present the approved budget to MPA members at the first general MPA membership meeting of the year;
  • Assure that a copy of the current MPA budget is posted to the MPA section of the school web site;
  • Coordinate MPA financial projections, additions and disbursements with the Business Manager and Business Office of the school;
  • With the MPA Vice-Presidents and the Development Office, assume oversight responsibility for the collection and disbursement of funds for the MPA;
  • Periodically review MPA financial statements, class accounts, and class account guidelines;
  • Review end of year expenditures, disbursements and additions to the MPA budget;
  • Settle MPA accounts and reconcile the budget for the year so that the information is available to the incoming Executive Committee for use in preparing the budget for the upcoming year.

ARTICLE V – MPA Council

The MPA Council shall consist of the officers of the Executive Committee, the designated Development Office staff member, the chairperson(s) of each MPA standing committee, and all Class Representatives.

ARTICLE VI – Class Representatives

Section 6.1 Selection. Class Representatives for each of grades K-12 shall be selected each year by the appropriate division Vice-President, in consultation with the MPA President, the President-Elect and the appropriate division Director. Each Class Representative shall be appointed to serve one (1) one-year term and may be reappointed to serve no more than one (1) additional consecutive term as Class Representative for any one class.
Section 6.2 Number. Each of grades 1-12 within the school shall be represented within the MPA by four (4) Class Representatives. The Kindergarten class shall be represented within the MPA by two (2) Class Representatives.
Section 6.3 Responsibilities. Class Representatives for each of grades K-12 shall coordinate the activities of their class. Class Representatives shall divide among themselves the responsibilities listed under subsections (A), (B), (C) and (D) below. All other responsibilities shall be shared in the manner in which the Class Representatives, collectively, choose.
(A) One (1) Class Representative from each grade shall be designated as the class treasurer. The class treasurer shall be responsible for administering the grade’s funds in accordance with the MPA Class Account Guidelines.
(B) One (1) Class Representative from each grade shall be designated as the auction liaison for the grade. The auction liaison shall work with the Scholarship Auction chairperson(s) and committees to achieve the goals set forth by said chairperson(s) and committees.
(C) One (1) Class Representative from each grade shall be designated as the newsletter liaison for the grade. The newsletter liaison shall be responsible for submitting to the editor of the Maret News on atimely basis all class/grade news to be published therein.
(D) One (1) Class Representative from each grade shall be designated as the Fête liaison for the grade. The Fête liaison shall work with the Fête chairperson(s) and committees to achieve the goals set forth by said chairperson(s) and committees.
Section 6.4 Vacancies. If a current Class Representative is unable to serve for the duration of his or her one-year term, a new Class Representative shall be chosen, if so desired, by the same process described above and in consultation with the remaining Class Representatives of that class.

ARTICLE VII – MPA Committees

Section 7.1 Standing Committees. The Executive Committee shall establish such committees as deemed to be necessary to carry out the purposes of the MPA pursuant to Article II above. A list of the current MPA standing committees for a particular year shall be published in the school directory for that year and shall be included in the MPA section of the Maret School website. Committee chairs shall be chosen by the President and President-Elect in consultation with the Executive Committee. Open committee chair positions shall be posted via the MPA newsletter, MPA section of the Maret School web site and/or via the class e-mail lists. Vacancies shall be filled as the need arises. New committees may be established by the Executive Committee as the need arises and the Executive Committee may at any time discontinue committee(s) that it deems obsolete or no longer serving the purposes of the MPA.
Section 7.2 Ad Hoc Committees. The President may establish, dissolve, and appoint any ad hoc committees as may be needed or desirable.

ARTICLE VIII – Meetings

Section 8.1 Executive Committee. The MPA Executive Committee shall meet at least five (5) times per year.
Section 8.2 General Membership. General membership meetings shall be held at least four (4) times per year.
Section 8.3 MPA Council. MPA Council meetings shall be called by the President as needed.
Section 8.4 Class Representatives/Divisions. The Vice-Presidents shall call meetings of the Class Representatives for their respective school divisions as needed.

ARTICLE IX – Fundraising

Pursuant to the Maret School Fundraising Policy Statement, the Maret School Board of Trustees, through its Development Committee, shall have the duty to oversee all fund-raising activities of the MPA to ensure the proper integration of such MPA activities into the School’s overall fundraising programs.

ARTICLE X – Amendments

These by-laws may be amended in whole or in part by the vote of two-thirds of the members present at any regular or special meeting of the MPA. The entire MPA membership shall be provided with a notice of the proposed revision(s) at least fourteen (14) days before the meeting at which the amending resolution is offered.

ARTICLE XI – Rules of Order

All MPA proceedings shall be conducted in accordance with ROBERTS RULES OF ORDER, as revised. In cases in which the abovementioned rules conflict with these by-laws, the by-laws shall govern proceedings.