PTSA Board Positions

President/Co-Presidents

The president or co-president(s) is the presiding officer and representative of the association. As such, a president will be called upon to set the agenda and lead all board meetings. The president should attempt to be impartial and understand basic parliamentary procedure. The president must understand the mission of the PTA within the school, and on a more general level, to be able to utilize and reallocate resources from the national, state and local associations.

The president is responsible for making appointments to positions and committees, with the approval of the executive committee, and to ensure that all of the contact information for officers is entered into the WSPTA database when new officers are elected in the spring
and to update records when necessary. The president must ensure that all officers, chairs, and committee members are current PTA members. The president ensures that new members have access to the necessary resources, attend an orientation to their position on the board of
directors, and direct and encourage them to enroll in the required classes.

The president must oversee the administration and communication of the board and its activities to members, staff and the school community. This oversight includes an awareness of required payment and registration deadlines for various activities, such as the review of the monthly bank statements, membership service fees, workshops and conferences, award applications, annual corporation report, insurance renewal, and federal tax filings. It is the responsibility of the president to attend general council meetings.

The president should be skilled at delegating responsibility by empowering others and giving sincere appreciation for their efforts. The president should communicate regularly and cultivate a positive report with the entire school community and encourage members to do the same. At Meridian Park Elementary the president and/or co-presidents have the responsibility to oversee the ad hoc committees which include, volunteer coordination, classroom representation/teacher appreciation, family services through ‘The Works’ and coordination with the family advocate, school photos, Read-A-Thon and the ‘Box Tops’ program. Please note that this does not
mean that the president is required to provide all of these services, but to coordinate volunteers to take on the various tasks and provide direction and oversight. Much of the administration, programs and events are run with the help and support of the board, the staff and many capable volunteer members.

Vice President (General)

The vice president shall perform the duties of the president in the absence or inability of that officer to serve, and shall assist the president when called upon. Because a vice president should be ready to assume leadership, they should attend state training and events, and be familiar with PTA programs and resources.  In the case of a vacancy in the office of president, the first vice president or vice presidents shall temporarily assume the duties of the president until that position is filled. See above President/Co-President. The role of the vice president can be adapted to the needs of each individual PTA. In the case of Meridian Park Elementary, we have designated one vice president to oversee the Meridian Park PTSA sponsored enrichment programs and one to oversee events. Many of the events are run with the help and support of the board, staff and many capable volunteer members.

Vice President of Programs

Explores options for enrichment opportunities for students, coordinates with paid or volunteer staff of various programs to advertise and register students and solicits help from volunteers (usually parents with a child in the class) to ensure that one PTA member is present to assist the staff person with attendance, signed PTA registration forms, behavior, and drop-off/pick-up times. Programs that are currently sponsored by the PTSA are Math Club, Chess Club, Drama Club, Robotics, Spanish, French, Yearbook Club, Writing Club, the Art Docent Program, Landscaping, and coordination of the Email Blast. Please note that this does not mean that the vice-president is required to physically run all of these programs, but just to
coordinate volunteers to take on the various programs and provide direction and oversight. Many of the programs are run with the help and support of the board and many capable volunteer members.

Vice President of Events

Assist the event leaders to coordinate several school events during the year. This assistance may take the form of advertising the event, soliciting volunteers (with the help of the volunteer coordinator), procuring food and entertainment, and event management. Some events that we are currently organizing are the Back to School BBQ, Staff Appreciation Luncheons, Welcome Coffees / Tea and Tissues, Fall Festival, Variety Show, Skating Parties, Mariners / Storm Night, and Spring Family Fun Night. Please note that this does not mean that the vice-president of events is required to personally coordinate these events, but just to direct members, volunteers, and staff to take on the various tasks and provide direction and oversight.

Treasurer/Co-Treasurer

The treasurer(s) is responsible for overseeing the management of the Meridian Park PSTA funds and to provide financial information to support decision making. The treasurer will need to collaborate with the board to generate the annual PTSA budget, prepare the annual audit and tax return, pay bills, reimbursements, and financial obligations to the PTA as required, assure that appropriate liability insurance is purchased, make and record deposits, prepare and file the appropriate tax forms, provide ongoing oversight of the finances and check for adherence to the approved budget in a detailed account, archive receipts, invoices, bank statement s, canceled checks and any other necessary financial records, and prepare and present a budget report for each PTA meeting. The treasurer is required to submit a final annual report at the end of the fiscal year (June 30) and send the current year’s records to a financial review committee.

The treasurer position does require attention to detail, good organizational skills, an affinity for finances, and a familiarity with the PTA’s bylaws and the WSPTA treasurer’s handbook. The Meridian Park PTSA has historically split this job up between two people, with one taking on the daily deposits and payments and one keeping records in the finance software, delivering reports and creating and maintaining the budget.

Secretary

The secretary is responsible for keeping an accurate record of the proceedings of the association meetings, both board and general, and prepare the minutes for approval at the next meeting. All the minutes are kept in a notebook for reference. At the meetings, the secretary
takes attendance by attendance sheet, checks for quorum, takes minutes and counts votes. After each meeting, the secretary sends out the draft of the minutes by email to the board and ensures that they are included in the permanent record, the notebook.

The secretary should be available to attend most, if not all, meetings or designate a surrogate. The secretary should arrive at meetings with the following items: the minutes of the previous meeting and any pertinent attached reports, a list of unfinished business, the agenda, the current bylaws and standing rules of the association, a current membership list, a list of committee chairs, and materials for minute taking. If both the president and vice-president are absent, the secretary calls the meeting to order and asks for nominations for a temporary chair.

The secretary may be called upon to issue notices of meetings and other correspondence and record keeping that the board may require, including, keeping up to date records of all committees, board members, and contact information. It is important that the secretary attend a WSPTA secretary’s workshop to learn in greater detail how to perform this job better. At the end of the fiscal year (June 30), the secretary should ensure that all copies of the legal documents notebooks and permanent record files are in order and ready to transfer to new officers.