Our by-laws are reviewed every three years and if any changes are recommended they are presented to the membership and adopted by majority vote. Changes can also be made at any time with prior notice given to the membership. There is no place on the document for signatures. I am not sure any are required because the membership adopts the by-laws not any individual or committee.
I am amazed that your principal wants to appoint his own board. Our by-laws provide for rules as to how the board is elected, when elected and for how long of a term. In reality our principal is not a member of the PTO - being neither a parent nor a teacher.
I have read that the IRS usually asks for 3 officer signatures on the Articles of Association of a non-profit organization(a.k.a. the Constitution) which is not the same document as the Bylaws, but that is good enough guidelines for me. They are also to be dated with the date adopted.
At the end of our Bylaws, we also keep a list of dates when major ammendments were approved. Committee members should be identfied in the minutes of the meeting when the ammendments were approved.
As far as your elections go, lead the effort to update your bylaws with language to create a nominating committee who recruits your candidates. No more appointments by your principal. Good luck.
Our by-laws are not signed. There are copies around and if a change is made, it is voted on and a new copy is made. The date that the change is made is noted on the front page.
The by-laws spell out the election process and it must be followed unless a vote changes it.
We implemented brand new by-laws a year ago and our Executive Board signed them. Not everyone was present, but about 12 or more officers at the meeting signed them.
I'm revising our old by-laws and noted that only the PTO president signed and dated the old set. I would think that somewhere on this document you would have to indicate the names of the committee or other individuals who drafted this document and also have a representative from the school sign this document as well. Our principal wants to hand pick his new board next year (which we disagree with) and not have an annual meeting and election. There is nothing that binds him to this document, which says we has to hold an election in May. Can you tell me who actually signs your by-laws. Thanks for your input.
