Halifax District PTA Constitution

Revised November 18, 1994

1. NAME

2. GOALS

a. To gather issues of concern from parents and Parent Teacher Associations.

b. To study issues with a view to defining common concerns.

c. To report back to Parent-Teacher Associations and solicit a response to the position being developed.

d. To convey parent concerns, on which there is agreement, to the Halifax School Board, to City Council or to the Provincial Department of Education through appropriate briefs or presentations.

e. To encourage the formation of Parent-Teacher Associations in all city schools.

3. MEMBERSHIP

a. Membership shall be open to all Halifax city schools.

b. Membership will be opened to educational special interest groups in the city which do not represent a particular school, with the approval of a majority of the members.

c. The representative of a particular school will normally be named by the Parent Teacher Association or Group, but in the absence of such a group, may be named by the student council.

4. MEETINGS

a. There shall be at least two general meetings called annually, and others as required.

b. All Parent Teacher Associations and all other schools without PTA's will be notified and asked to send a representative.

c. The membership shall be asked to present issues for study and action.

d. There shall be one vote per member.

5. STRUCTURE

a. The executive committee shall consist of six officials.

b. The following officials shall be elected by the general membership:

• 2 Co-Chairs
• 1 Vice-Chair
• 1 Treasurer
• 1 Secretary

c. The immediate Past-Chair shall also sit as a member of executive committee.

d. The term of office for all officials shall be two years, except that the Past-Chair shall sit for only one year. The Co-Chairs shall have alternate 2 year terms.

e. Every reasonable effort will be made in the nomination process to ensure a balanced representation throughout the city. The Co-Chairs must not be from the same major area of the city. The major areas are defined as:

• Peninsula South - Wards 1, 2, and 3
• Peninsula North - Wards 4, 5, and 6
• Mainland South - Wards 7, 8, and 11
• Mainland North - Wards 9, 10, and 12

f. Quorum, at any meeting, shall be 30% of members.

6. RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

a. To study issues of concern.

b. To solicit and record responses or reactions from the representatives to these issues of concern.

c. To establish a phoning committee whose responsibility it is to reach all representatives.

d. To act as a resource group, collect and distribute information on issues.

7. FINANCES

a. The fiscal year of the association shall be from August 1 to July 31.

b. Membership fees shall be set at $20 per annum for each member, and due at the beginning of the fiscal year.

c. Additional funds may be raised as needed.

8. CHANGES TO THE CONSTITUTION

The consitution may be amended at any time by a vote of two thirds of the membership, or with three weeks prior written notification of all members, by a two thirds majority of the members present at any meeting.