Mary, Seat of Wisdom

ARTICLE I - NAME The name of this organization shall be the “Mary, Seat of Wisdom Family School Association”, referred to in the following articles as FSA.

ARTICLE II - OBJECTIVES A. The general objectives of this organization are to assist Mary, Seat of Wisdom School in the advancement of its mission to provide Catholic education, develop the complete Christian, and guide each child toward his/her maximum potential for the greater glory of God. B. Specific Objectives: 1) To assist in providing more effective communications between the school, the home, and the parish in order to facilitate parent networking and to promote continuity of the child’s education; 2) To cooperate with the school administration in encouraging the moral, physical, mental, social, and educational growth of the child; 3) To promote the interests of Mary, Seat of Wisdom School and Parish to its many constituents: faculty, students, parents, benefactors, friends, the parish community, and the community at large; 4) To support and enhance the mutual educational responsibilities of parents, teachers, and administration; 5) To offer well-planned programs of particular interest to parents and children including areas of faith, education, and civic affairs in cooperation with the school administration; and 6) To plan and implement financial support programs and projects as deemed necessary by the FSA Board: a. Fund-raising programs involving students must be approved by the Principal. b. Fund-raising programs involving only school parents must be approved by the Principal. c. Fund-raising programs involving the parish community must be approved by the Principal and the Pastor.

ARTICLE III - AUTHORITY The Pastor, Principal, and Board of Specified Jurisdiction have the responsibility for the parish school. This Family School Association shall function only in collaboration and cooperation with them.

ARTICLE IV - MEMBERSHIP Each parent and/or guardian of a student attending Mary, Seat of Wisdom School hold membership in the Mary, Seat of Wisdom Family School Association. Alumni parents and parishioners are invited to support and participate in the activities of FSA.

ARTICLE V - BOARD OF DIRECTORS A. The Board of Directors shall consist of the Executive Committee, the Chairpersons of all Committees, the MSW School Principal, a faculty liaison, and the Pastor. B. The duties of the FSA Board of Directors shall be: 1) To act as an advisory board to the President of FSA 2) To approve the annual budget of the FSA 3) To transact all business referred to it by the FSA C. The Board shall meet at least once annually. Notice of said meetings shall be sent via electronic mail, school mail, or regular mail as directed by the Executive Board.

ARTICLE VI - EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE A. The Executive Committee of FSA shall be: President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer. B. Officers shall be elected for two-year terms. No individual may serve more than two consecutive terms in the same office. C. Nomination for officers shall be made by a Nominating Committee of three members selected by the Executive Committee. Only one member of the Nominating Committee shall be an Executive Committee member. An open invitation shall be issued to all parents soliciting their interest in serving as an Executive Board member. The Nominating Committee shall report by electronic mail to the Board of Directors the names of the candidates for each office to be filled. The consent of all nominees must have been obtained prior to the election. Election of officers shall be coordinated by the Nominating Committee and shall be completed by electronic mail. Installation of officers shall take place at the annual meeting. The election is to be decided by simple majority vote. D. (The Nominating Committee also assists in efforts to recruit Chairs of FSA Committees for the following year, making recommendations to the Executive Committee.) E. A member of the Executive Committee shall be delegated to write a monthly FSA article for inclusion in the VOICE of WISDOM. F. The Principal and the Pastor shall be ex-officio members of the Executive Committee.

ARTICLE VII - DUTY OF OFFICERS A. The President shall preside at all meetings of the FSA and of the Executive Committee. He/she shall perform all duties pertaining to the office: appoint special committees, serve as an ex- officio member of all committees, except the Nominating Committee, and receive notices of all committee meetings. In his/her capacity as President, this officer will simultaneously hold one seat on the school’s Board of Specified Jurisdiction with full voting rights and responsibilities; the President shall attend monthly BSJ meetings, and shall serve as liaison between FSA and BSJ. B. The Vice-President shall perform the duties of President in his/her absence, assume the duties of President if the office of President becomes vacant, and perform such other duties as the President or Executive Committee shall designate. C. The Secretary shall keep written records of all FSA activities (including collecting FSA Committee reports, etc.), shall handle correspondence, maintain all records of the FSA, maintain term records of all officers and Board members, shall arrange for Mass cards or MSW Educational Endowment Fund donations as requested (requesting checks from the FSA Treasurer as needed), and perform such other duties as the President or Executive Committee shall designate. D. The Treasurer shall receive all funds of the FSA, shall keep an accurate record of receipts and expenditures, and shall disburse funds as authorized. All checks must be signed by the President and the Treasurer. The Treasurer shall present quarterly financial reports and an annual Statement, and other interim reports as requested by the President or Board of Directors. E. A vacancy in any office because of death, resignation, removal, disqualification, or otherwise, may be filled by the Board of Directors for the unexpired portion of the term.

ARTICLE VIII - POLICIES A. The FSA shall seek neither to direct the administrative activities of the school, nor to controls its policies. B. Expenditures in support of existing FSA Committee activities that exceed the budget must be approved by the Executive Committee, in consultation with the Principal and Pastor. C. The balance of all funds will be distributed for school projects based on the majority vote of the Board of Directors and approval of the Principal. With approval of the Principal, sufficient funds may be retained by FSA for summer and fall start-up activities. D. FSA may handle funds for particular classes or grade levels (i.e. Nutcracker) to facilitate record- keeping, at the discretion of the Executive Committee and the Principal. E Per Archdiocesan of Chicago Policies, the Pastor is a signatory to FSA accounts. The pastor or his representative must receive copies of all bank statements, FSA financial reports, and copies of any other records upon request.

ARTICLE IX - MEETINGS, PROCEDURES & VOTING RIGHTS A. There shall be a minimum of two annual meetings, one of which shall be the State of the School Meeting held in conjunction with the BSJ and School Administration. Meeting date(s) shall be established by the Executive Committee in consultation with the Principal. B. Special meetings may be called at the discretion of the President or other officers. C. A simple majority of the Board of Directors, including one officer, shall constitute a quorum for a meeting of the Board of Directors. D. Each member is entitled to one vote for all matters coming before the Board of Directors, even if a member holds more than one position on the Board. Each member is bound by any action which has received the required simple majority vote for adoption. If a particular proposal receives a tie vote, then such proposal will not be adopted. E. There shall be no vote by proxy. F. Email voting is the established norm for FSA and will be used at the discretion of the Executive Committee in consultation with the School Principal. Only the FSA President can initiate an email vote. Email votes will be tallied and results will be reported to the entire Board of Directors.

ARTICLE X - COMMITTEES A. The Board of Directors shall form or disband Committees as deemed necessary. B. Committees shall be listed in the annually-produced Family Directory. The listing shall include a description of the Committee’s work and contact information for the Chair/Coordinator. C. Committee Chairs shall continue as such until the annual meeting of the school year.

ARTICLE XI - AMENDMENTS Amendments to the Bylaws shall be proposed to the Board of Directors at least two weeks prior to a requested vote on said Amendment. The text of proposed Amendments may be presented to the FSA Board of Directors by email and may also be voted on by email. Bylaws Revised June 2009 Revision 8-8-09