EMERALD RIDGE PRIDE
(PARENT/COMMUNITY/FACULTY ORGANIZATION)
CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS

CONSTITUTION

ARTICLE I
Name: The name of this organization shall be "Emerald Ridge PRIDE".

ARTICLE II
Objectives: The objective and purpose of this organization shall be to:

Provide support and resources,

Recognize accomplishments,

Inspire involvement,

Develop new programs and possibilities,

Encourage excellence,

..... in all Emerald Ridge High School academics, arts, athletics, and activities.

ARTICLE III

Membership: Adults (parents, school district employees, patrons, alumni, and community members) interested in the stated objectives of the organization are eligible for membership.

There is a membership fee required for membership. Those members who have paid their fee are considered to be in good standing and are eligible to vote at all general meetings. The membership fee will be determined by the Cabinet and voted upon annually during the general meeting in April.

ARTICLE IV

Officers: The elected officers of this organization shall consist of nine (9) members; One (1) President, one (1) Vice President, one (1) Secretary, one (1) Treasurer, and five (5) At Large representatives. Or any combination of officers such as; two (2) CO-Presidents, two (2) CO-Vice Presidents, one (1) Secretary, one (1) Treasurer, and three (3) Representatives, "At Large".

This group of elected officers along with a representative from the Emerald Ridge High School administration will be collectively called the Cabinet.

The officers shall be elected from a list of nominees supplied by the Nomination Committee and from nominations made from the floor. (Refer to By-Laws: Section 6). The nomination and election shall be conducted at the general meeting in April of each year. The election of officers shall be by a simple majority of members present. Newly elected officers will be installed at the first general meeting in June.

In order to qualify for the election or nomination to the office of President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and the At Large Representatives, a nominee must be an active member in good standing.

The person receiving a simple majority of votes for each office from the membership present shall be considered elected (Refer to By-Laws: Section 6).

All officers of the Cabinet shall serve a term, which shall not exceed 2 years per elected office. To allow for smooth transition of elected Cabinet officers the election process shall be staggered such that no more than five offices will be changed in any one year. If the Cabinet is organized with two CO-Presidents, two CO-Vice Presidents, a Secretary, Treasurer and 3 Representatives At Large, then one CO-President, one CO-Vice President, the Secretary and one Representative At Large will be open for transition and election. The following year the other CO-offices, the Treasurer and the other two Representatives At Large will be open for transition and election. If the Cabinet is organized with a single President and Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and five Representatives At Large the President and Vice President will transition during alternate years with the Secretary and Treasurer also transitioning during alternate years and the five Representatives At Large transitioning, two with the President and three with the Vice President.

ARTICLE V

Notwithstanding any other provisions of these articles, the organization shall not participate in any activity not permitted by an organization exempt from Federal income tax under Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

ARTICLE VI

Upon dissolution of this organization after paying or adequately providing for all debts and obligations of the organization, the remaining assets shall be distributed to a non-profit fund, foundation, or association which has established its tax status under section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue code. This non-profit organization shall be the Associated Student Body of Emerald Ridge High School, if it is a valid and functioning organization. (Refer to By-Laws: Section 4).

ARTICLE VII

Any proposed change to the constitution or by-laws will be submitted in writing to the Cabinet. Then after review by the Cabinet and a majority consensus it will be presented and approved by a majority vote of the general membership.

Section 1: The President/CO-Presidents shall facilitate at all general meetings of the organization and Cabinet. They shall share the duties assigned to this office (such as management and fundraising).

Section 2: The Vice-President/CO-Vice-Presidents shall facilitate in the absence of the President(s) and share duties assigned to this office (such as Membership and Publicity).

Section 3: The Secretary shall keep an accurate record of all minutes of the Cabinet meetings and the general membership meetings. Copies of the minutes shall be distributed to the Cabinet. Minutes will be available to the general membership upon request. The Secretary shall maintain the attendance record and shall perform such other duties as required.

Section 4: The Treasurer shall receive all funds, keep a true account thereof and pay out funds as stated in Section 7 of the By-Laws; shall submit a written report of receipts and disbursements showing the balance of funds in the bank account to the Cabinet members; and shall give the same report verbally to all in attendance at the general meeting. The Treasurer is responsible for all IRS accountability and the insurance policy. The Treasurer is responsible for maintaining a Non-profit status. Two signatures are required for endorsing checks issued from the organization. At least three of the elected officers shall be approved by the bank to endorse checks.

Section 5: The Cabinet shall be responsible for approving chairpersons of committees and/or individual members to duties of the organization as needed.

Section 6: A nominating committee of three (3) or more members shall be appointed by the Cabinet prior to the March meeting. This committee shall select and submit the names of one or more members for nomination to each of the nine (9) elective positions at the general meeting in April.

Section 7: No committee or member of this organization shall directly or indirectly obligate the organization for any responsibility without authorization by a vote of the Cabinet, then only for such funds that are available in the treasury. Funding of events shall follow the guidelines and procedures established by the Emerald Ridge Pride Organization. The Cabinet shall be the management council of the organization, having general charge of its affairs.

Section 8: The order of business of the general meeting shall be: call to order; reading of previous minutes; treasurer's report; officer's reports; committee reports; faculty reports; guest speaker (if any); old business; new business; adjournment. The organization will hold monthly general membership meetings.

Section 9: (A) The Cabinet shall submit a budget for the year at the September general membership meeting. The Cabinet shall have the authority to give priority to disbursement of budgeted expenditures throughout the year if actual receipts are less than those estimated. The fiscal year of this organization shall be September 1st through August 31st.

(B) An auditing committee (three PRIDE members, independent of the Cabinet) shall be appointed by the Cabinet to audit all financial accounts of this organization with the Treasurer. This committee shall be appointed prior to the May meeting and shall report its findings to the Cabinet in June and the membership at the general meeting in September.

Section 10: If any elected office becomes vacant during a term the position will be filled by a special election of the general membership.

Section 11: A quorum for any action of the organization is a simple majority of members present at any general membership meeting. A quorum for any action of the Cabinet is seven (7) members.

Section 12: FUNDING PROCEDURES

PURPOSE: The purpose of fundraising will be to support and promote academics, arts, activities, and athletics by engaging in activities that generate funds or resources for items and support for the acquisition, maintenance, and/or operation of any student program. The Emerald Ridge PRIDE will give fair and equitable consideration to all ERHS sanctioned clubs, sports, activities and programs in terms of raising and distribution of funds.

1. RAISING OF FUNDS:

A. All Emerald Ridge PRIDE activities and projects must be approved by the cabinet as well as comply with the guidelines and procedures established by the ERHS PRIDE By-Laws.

B. Fund-raisers can be designated as for General or Specific projects.

1. General: The General Fund would involve the entire membership actively raising resources throughout the year in major events that will be used to provide funds for scholarships, grants, and general use by teams, clubs, programs, and individuals. The General Fund can be used for but not limited to, supporting the following; transportation, athletic or event expenses, meals, registration fees, hotel accommodations, etc.

2. Specific: A Specific Fund would involve a smaller group of members that are raising resources for a project that may be limited to a specific need, dollar amount, or time of year. A Specific Fund can be used for, but not limited to, supporting the following examples; video or lab equipment, cheer platforms, computer software, etc.

3. Fund-raising activities designated as Specific will allocate a share of profits not to exceed 10% of proceeds to the General Fund for each project or event conducted. The Committee's may petition the Cabinet for relief from this requirement to contribute to the General Fund when unique circumstances exist. The Cabinet will act by majority vote. These petitions will be presented at the regularly scheduled monthly cabinet meetings.

2. ALLOCATION OF FUNDS:

A. The Emerald Ridge PRIDE will accept requests for funds in support of any ERHS sanctioned club, sport, activity or program

B. Requests for funds will be read by the President at the first general meeting after the request is received. At this reading, the organization and/or individuals requesting support must be represented to provide additional discussion and clarification as needed by the general membership. On receiving a motion and a seconding, the request shall be acted upon by majority vote of the general membership.

C. Special Consideration will be given to requests requiring partial funding thus promoting self-sufficiency. Example: matching funds, group earns half and the ERHS PRIDE donates other half.

D. Special Cabinet Requests. The Cabinet may grant a special request for funds, to a maximum of $500.00, without presenting the request to the general membership at a general meeting. This can only be done upon a verbal approval of the quorum of the cabinet members. The intent of this section is to allow the Cabinet to act on short notice or unanticipated requirements. The President will provide a summary and justification for these actions at the next scheduled general membership meeting.

E. The Cabinet is authorized to allocate/disperse funds for the management and administration of the ERHS PRIDE organization.

3. FUNDRAISING GUIDELINES:

A. All fundraising guidelines and procedures will be in compliance with the section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue guidelines and applicable Washington State Revenue Codes. Check with current Treasurer guidance on these codes and guidelines.

B. Specific guidelines and/or procedures for fundraising will be established and modified as required by the Cabinet.