I was hoping you'd say that. I'm sure I'D fall asleep before getting through them if they had to be read, just start throwing zzzs mid sentence, LOL. You've been quite helpful today, thanks so much.
Oh lord--no I would suggest posting a copy on your website or emailing them to folks...have them available for reading at the meeting and maybe highlight key points but I wouldn't read them at the meeting. That would be like death from a feather beating. It'll take forever and the eyes will be like glazed donuts at the end.
If you make an earnest effort to have them available for folks to read before the meeting then go through perhaps the sections and say "Okay-does anyone have any issues with the responsibilities section.." You can give them a moment to check them and then move on.
Quick question to all. When you present the bylaws for membership approval, do you give them a copy to read or do you actually read each page out loud at the meeting? TIA
As far as her participation--if she is a member (and you accepted her membership fees etc) then she has the right to participate. The membership requirements (i.e. a child at the school) ought to be in your bylaws as well when you get them written. Why not suggest the woman assist in writing the bylaws and see what changes she's interested in. She may have some good inputs -- you know the saying "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer"...
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I am assuming that you mean just the by-laws for your group and not the charter school iteself (you should have those already in place). As a charter school ourselves - we have 2 by-laws: 1 for the charter school (the board had a lawyer write them and then approved them - no parent vote) and 1 for the parent group (these were just revised and all members in attendance voted on them.)
Your parent group board should do most of the discussion, looking at and decisions on the by-laws. When you get what you want and can agree on then take them to your members as a recommendation to approve. If you have a parent or grandparent (or other relative who is a lawyer and would be willing to donate their help on this do so).
I've helped adopt bylaws for a few organizations and you never want to write them from scratch. My suggestion is to find some samples from organizations with good policies in place, ideally ones operating as 501(c)(3). Then take those copies and see what you like/don't like and edit.
The bylaws should be the rules by which you operate, but it's very important to leave yourselves some room for flexibility. For instance, you don't want to put a dues amount in the bylaws, but more like a statement such as dues will be determined by the executive board at the first meeting each year. When you define who constitutes the Board, you probably want something like "and other positions as added by 2/3 vote {of what? general or board}.
The hardest part about adopting bylaws is: They are BORING. Well intentioned people will (reluctantly) agree to help. But the tendancy is for eyes to glaze over after the first page and start thinking, "That sounds official; looks good."
But you have to really READ them and then be careful when you customize that you don't change one part so as to make it inconsitent with another.
