Bylaws

The name of the organization shall be The Basilica School of St. Mary Home and School Association (hereinafter “Association”). It shall serve The Basilica School of St. Mary (hereinafter “School”), and the The Basilica of St. Mary (hereinafter “Parish”) in the City of Alexandria, the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Operating under the umbrella of the Roman Catholic Church, the Association is tax exempt under the United States Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as revised for tax reporting purposes, the Association uses the School’s federal employer identification number, and the School’s Virginia Certificate of Tax-Exempt Registration Number, #846-37-09.

This Association is a formal organization of parents and school personnel that serves the School under the leadership of the Pastor-Principal team.

The mission of the Association is to provide a structure where parents partner with the administration and faculty to support the spiritual and academic excellence of the School’s children. The Association supports the School through four core activities:
• School community development
• Fundraising to support the school
• Assist with the facilitation ministry outreach to the school community
• Providing parents of students with knowledge about school functions and activities

The objectives of the Association shall be:
• To strengthen the Home and School relationship, and support facilitation of communication to ensure the best interests of the students are the focus.
• To facilitate coordination between parents and teachers to promote school pride and spirit, and support daily classroom needs.
• To build community and to direct and coordinate parental support to the School through social functions, fundraisers, and school volunteering.
• To undertake such other duties and responsibilities consistent with the above that the Principal or Pastor may determine from time to time.

The principal office of the Association shall be at the School, located at 400 Green Street, Alexandria, VA 22314. The Association may have such other offices as the Executive Board from time to time determines or as the business of the Association may require.

Membership in the Association shall consist of the current parents and guardians of the students of the School, and the faculty and administration of the School.

The Association Board shall consist of up to the five Officers of the Association set forth below and any ex-officio and ad-hoc officers. The Board shall conduct the Association’s business affairs; provide general meeting programs of interest; form committees as deemed necessary and appropriate; review all committee recommendations and report on their final disposition; and review and recommend disbursements of money collected from fundraising events and contributions after notification of and discussion with the Association members.

A. The Officers of the Association shall consist of:
1. President
2. Vice President (President-Elect)
3. Secretary
4. Treasurer
5. Immediate Past President

B. The Board of the Association shall consist of the Officers set forth above, as well as the following ex-officio members of the Board: Chairpersons of the Association Committees (as described below), the Principal of the School, the Pastor of the Parish, and at least one faculty representative appointed by the Principal, who shall work to increase communication between the HSA and the School faculty and staff. Additional ex-officio members may be appointed by the President of the Association in conjunction with the Principal and Pastor. All Board members, whether an Officer or an ex-officio member, shall have the same voting rights as any other Board member.

C. Every Officer shall encourage the participation in the Association of all school parents by taking active steps to encourage new and existing parents to participate in, organize, and lead the Association’s activities. The duties of the Officers shall be further defined as follows:

1. The President shall:
a. Preside at and administer all regular and special general membership meetings, as well as all monthly Board meetings.
b. Call special meetings of the Association’s Board.
c. Serve as the official spokesperson for the Association.
d. Review from time to time the bills paid by the treasurer on behalf of the Association, and maintain oversight authority over the financial records of the Association.
e. Serve as an ex-officio member of all committees.
f. Perform such duties as are incumbent of this office.

2. The Vice President (President-Elect) shall:
a. Assume the duties of the president in his/her absence.
b. Perform additional duties designated by the President.
c. Assist in the formation of all Committees and serve as an ex-officio member.
d. Assure that committees meet their goals and report their results and recommendations to the Association.

3. The Secretary shall:
a. Record and ensure that the minutes of all Board and general membership meetings are posted on the School’s website in a timely fashion.
b. Conduct the correspondence of the Association including updates to the school newsletter and website (in accordance with the School’s privacy policy).
c. Maintain the Association’s email account.
d. Coordinate with the School and Parish staff to ensure that all Association information or events are accurately and consistently relayed to the School and/or the Community.
e. Record and correct as amended the Bylaws of the Association.
f. Publicize meetings and functions in the school newsletter.
g. Perform additional duties as designated by the President.

4. The Treasurer shall:
a. Collect and deposit all dues and other monies received through fund raising and contributions, maintain the finance and accounting records of the Association, and manage the Association budget.
b. Maintain records of all receipts and expenditures.
c. Review and pay bills of the Association.
d. Provide periodic written cash accounting of all income and expenditures.
e. Prepare the budget/allocation for the HSA for the upcoming year for review and approval by the Association Board and finalized by the Principal.
f. Assist in the preparation of fundraising reports in coordination with the members of the Fundraising Committee.
g. Perform additional duties designated by the President.

5. The Immediate Past President shall:
a. Provide support for membership and volunteer recruitment.
b. Attend any meetings which the President or the President-Elect is unable to attend.
c. Encourage the participation in the Association of all of the parents by taking active steps to encourage new and existing parents to participate in the Association and its activities, including helping to organize and run Association events.
d. Organize the election of Officers of the Association and aid the President in selecting Committee Chairpersons.

A. All Officers of the Association shall be elected by the general membership at a general meeting to be determined by the President, to be held by the end of April.

B. In January of each school year, the President shall establish a Nominating Committee to solicit candidates for election to the Board. Candidates for the election of the Officers shall be solicited from the general membership, and approved by the Principal and Pastor. Nominees shall be given an opportunity to present their qualifications to the membership in written or verbal form at a regularly scheduled meeting of the general membership.

C. The President-Elect shall serve for a combined term of three years. During the first year, he or she shall serve as the Vice-President (President-Elect). The second year, he or she shall serve as the President. In the third year, he or she shall serve as the Past President.

D. The Secretary and the Treasurer shall each serve for a term of two years. The terms of the Secretary, and Treasurer shall be staggered, so as to provide continuity through overlapping terms. The Secretary and Treasurer terms are limited to two consecutive terms. Elections for Secretary and Treasurer will be held prior to the 2nd year of his or her term to allow time to “shadow” before assuming responsibilities.

E. New Officers and members shall assume their office on July 1. If an Officer or member of the Association Board is unable to complete the term of office, the President shall appoint a replacement; such appointments are subject to the approval of the Board.

A. The Association Board shall meet monthly from September through June. A minimum of two general meetings shall be held each School Year (“School Year”). The meetings shall be held within 60 days of the beginning of the school year (the “Fall Meeting”), and within the last 60 days of the school year (the “Spring Meeting”). The Spring Meeting shall be held for the election of Officers. A special meeting of the Association or of the Association Board may be called at any time by the President, with no less than 48 hours advance notice to the general membership or the Board, respectively.

B. For general or special meetings of the Association Board, a quorum shall consist of two thirds of all Association Board members, including ex-officio members.
C. For general or special meetings of the general membership of the Association, a quorum shall consist of 25 members or 15 percent of the membership, whichever is smaller. Each individual parent or guardian within the general membership shall be allowed one vote and shall be considered a voting member.

D. Tallies of votes taken in general membership meetings and in Board meetings shall be based on the total votes cast, and a majority of those votes cast is needed for approval. For example, in a meeting containing 50 members, in which 40 members vote, a count of 21 is a majority and therefore 21 votes are needed for approval of the matter under consideration.

E. Electronic Voting. Electronic voting, utilizing appropriate tabulation software, may be authorized by a majority vote of the Executive Board to present a specific issue, or issues for consideration by the General Membership. The Secretary, with the assistance of Executive Board members detailed by the President to assist as part of a committee or task force, shall oversee electronic voting balloting and tabulation. Notice of electronic voting shall be sent to the membership not later than two weeks in advance via notice in the School’s weekly electronic newsletter. The period available for voting on any issue or issues shall not be less than ten (10) calendar days.

A. All members of the Association are eligible to be Chairpersons and members of the Committees. The President of the Association shall call for volunteers for the Committees as necessary throughout the school year to ensure that the assigned function of each Committee is accomplished. Throughout the school year, new Committee Chairpersons and members shall be appointed to the Committees by the President; such appointments are subject to the approval of the Board. The term of service for the Committee Chairpersons and for its members shall be generally one calendar year. Each Committee Chairperson shall be responsible for a monthly report to the President and Vice President (President-Elect) at each monthly Board meeting.

B. The Association shall maintain the standing Committees, consisting of a Committee Chairperson who will report monthly to the Board, and other members as deemed necessary by the Committee Chairperson. The duties and obligations of each Committee Chairperson shall be defined in the Families in Service Catalogue. Standing Committees shall include:
1. School Community Ministry Outreach Committee
2. School Community Development Committee
3. The Hospitality Committee
4. The Room Parents Committee.
5. The Fundraising Committee
C. Ad hoc Committees shall be formed for special needs (such as a Nominating Committee) as they arise and will be disbanded when the need has been fulfilled.

A. Amendments to these bylaws may be submitted in writing to the Secretary by any member of the Association, or any member of the Board. The Secretary shall record the proposed amendment and submit it to the President. All Board members shall be notified in writing by the Secretary in advance of the next scheduled meeting of the Board. The proposed amendment shall be considered in accordance with Article VIII of these bylaws, with the exception that a proposed amendment may not be accepted or rejected at the first meeting at which it is presented.

B. At the next general membership meeting following the formal acceptance or rejection of a proposed amendment of the Association bylaws, the Association shall be notified at such meeting of this decision by the Board. Thereafter, amendments to these bylaws can be proposed by a majority vote of the members at any general membership meeting. Within 10 days following the meeting in which the amendment is proposed by a vote of the general membership, the President shall give written notice of the proposed amendment to all the members of the Association. Final approval of the amendment shall be made by a two-thirds majority of the members at the special meeting or at the next regular meeting if one is scheduled.