PTA bylaws are the foundation of the organization. What officers you will elect, when you will have your meetings, how many voting members must be in meetings – even meeting notice requirements and budget adoption requirements – are in the bylaws. Bylaws should be reviewed annually, and must be updated at least every five years, so the beginning of the year is a perfect time to start! As you review the bylaws, you may notice components that need to be updated. Don’t worry – that’s part of the process! 

A bylaws review committee, appointed by the president and chaired by the parliamentarian, is how the process begins. That committee examines the existing bylaws and the current bylaws template, and may recommend changes to the bylaws. When the executive board  approves the changes, a prepared submission will be forwarded to the Council or District that supports you and then they will pass it to us here at California State PTA. We call this the “PTA Channels”.  The California State PTA parliamentarian reviews the changes and signs the bylaws to be returned to the unit through channels. 

But you are not done yet!  The process  is complete only when the bylaws changes have been adopted by a 2/3 vote at a unit association meeting with 30 days’ notice. Plan wisely, because the process does take some time!

Need help with the steps? Council, District, and California State PTA leaders are here to help guide and support you every step of the way. Reach out to parliamentarian@capta.org if you need help getting in touch with the right leaders for help. 

Find out more about reviewing bylaws in the Toolkit: http://toolkit.capta.org/running-your-pta/bylaws/changing-bylaws/  In addition, you’ll find a wealth of information about bylaws on the California State PTA Leaders’ Website.

Stay tuned for more info on Parliamentary Procedures and Bylaws Tips in future issues of PTA Connects!