West Milford Township High School

Band Parents Association

Constitution

January 2022

ARTICLE 1 Name of Organization

The name of this organization is: WEST MILFORD TOWNSHIP HIGH SCHOOL BAND PARENTS ASSOCIATION, “WMBPA” hereinafter, Association.

 

ARTICLE 2 Goals and Definition

The goal of the Association is to build and maintain an organization that promotes the activities of the West Milford Township High School Band, hereinafter, “Band.”

 

The Band is composed of two required music classes, Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble. A variety of ensembles have been created from these two classes. These ensembles include but are not limited to Marching Band, Indoor Percussion, Jazz Ensemble, Pipes & Drums, and Color Guard which are depicted on an Organizational Chart included herein. (see Attachment A).

The Association shall provide moral and financial support to the Band. The Association shall support the Band and an instrumental music education program of quality in order to promote and maintain a tradition of excellence.

The Association shall seek this goal in cooperation with the Band Director, the School Administration and the School Board.

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ARTICLE 3 Membership

All parents and guardians of current members of the Band are considered voting members of the Association. All parents and guardians of past Band members are considered honorary members of the Association.

 

The Band consists of any high school students that are taking Band as a class, any member of the Marching Band or any of the other ensembles (Color Guard, Indoor Guard, Indoor Percussion, Jazz Ensemble, or Pipes & Drums)

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ARTICLE 4 Officers

The Officers of this Association that comprise the Board of Trustees are: President, Vice President, Recording Secretary, Corresponding Secretary, Treasurer, Assistant Treasurer and the past President who will be a non-voting member of the Board.

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ARTICLE 5 Eligibility of Officers

Officers of this Association are elected from the parents and guardians of present members of the Band. Each officer must be from a different family/household.

ARTICLE 6 Term of Office

The members of the Association shall elect officers to the Executive Board of this Association for a one-year term. Officers may only be elected to the same office for a second consecutive year, with the exception of the Office of Treasurer. The Office of Treasurer may be elected for a maximum of four one-year terms if they meet the Officer eligibility criteria above. The Office of Treasurer may be elected for additional terms if a majority of the Executive Board recommends the extension of the term limit, and the voting members of the Association elect the Treasurer.

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Transfer of Officers shall take place at the Executive Board Meeting in June.

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West Milford Township High School

Band Parents Association

Bylaws

January 2022

ARTICLE 1 Duty of Officers

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Section 1 President: Presides at all meetings of the Association. Appoints all Committee Chairs and is, by right, a member of all committees. The President along with the Vice President will communicate with the other groups, organized or not. The President along with the Vice President is responsible for Committee organization.

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Section 2 Vice President: Assumes all the duties of President in their absence. The Vice President will assist the President with communication between the Association and other groups, organized or not.  The Vice President along with the President is responsible for Committee organization.

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Section 3 Recording Secretary: Keeps records, minutes of meetings, and is responsible for secretarial duties other than correspondence. They keep a copy of the approved bylaws available at every meeting. The Recording Secretary may act as Assistant Treasurer upon agreement of a majority of the Executive Board.

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Section 4 Corresponding Secretary: Handles the correspondence of the Association, as directed by the President, Board (Article 2 of these Bylaws), or the Association. Assist with information dissemination to the members and provide information to the newsletter chairperson in a timely fashion. The Corresponding Secretary may act as Assistant Treasurer upon agreement of a majority of the executive board.

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Section 5 Treasurer: Has custody of all the funds of the Association. They keep accurate records of all receipts and expenditures and pay out funds as approved by the Board (Article 2 of these Bylaws). They will present a statement of accounts at every meeting of the Association and at other times, when requested by the Board (Article 2 of these Bylaws). They will be custodian of the post office box key and retrieve mail on a regular basis and perform other duties as the office may require. They must work with the Assistant Treasurer to ensure that the Assistant Treasurer understands the Association’s recordkeeping methods and the current financial status of the Association. The Treasurer will coordinate with the Assistant Treasurer to determine the duties and responsibilities of the Assistant Treasurer. Upon election to the Treasurer position, the individual shall become bonded, which shall be maintained for the duration of the Treasurer’s term. Costs of bonding will be paid for by the Association.

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Section 6 Assistant Treasurer: This is not an elected position. The duties will be executed by either the Corresponding Secretary, the Recording Secretary, or another member of the Association as determined by the majority of the Executive Board. There is no requirement to fill this position. The Assistant Treasurer’s primary responsibility is to help reduce the workload of the Treasurer. This may be accomplished by handling certain financial matters, writing checks, making bank deposits, managing trip accounts or student accounts, or other duties as agreed to with the Treasurer. The Assistant Treasurer is required to have knowledge of the current financial status of the Association and the recordkeeping method that the Treasurer uses to manage the Association’s finances. Upon appointment to the Assistant Treasurer position, the individual shall become bonded, which shall be maintained for the duration of the Assistant Treasurer’s term. Costs of bonding will be paid for by the Association.

 

ARTICLE 2 Executive Board

The Executive Board (hereinafter, Board) consists of the Officers of the Association (Article 4 of the Constitution), specifically: President, Vice President, Recording Secretary, Corresponding Secretary, Treasurer, and Past President.

 

The Board has general supervision of the affairs of the Association.

If an officer resigns, it is the duty of the Board to fill the unexpired term from among the parents or guardians of present members of the Association.

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The Board may meet prior to each meeting of the Association to transact the business of the Association. The Board may meet as often as necessary.

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A quorum of the Board consists of a majority of the Board: three (3) members.

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In order to serve on the Executive Board, a parent or guardian must be a member of the Association for one year. They must attend a minimum of three meetings during the year of the election. They must serve on a minimum of two Association committees during the year of the election or be a member of the Executive Board.

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ARTICLE 3 Meetings

The meetings of the Association are held on dates determined by the Board, beginning in August, and ending in June. The annual meeting is the August meeting of the Association. Special meetings of the Association may be called by the President. The Band Director serves as a professional advisor and may be present at all meetings of the Board and Association.

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ARTICLE 4 Committees

The President may form committees as needed by the Association. The Chairs of Standing Committees will be appointed from the parents and guardians of the present members of the Band.

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ARTICLE 5 Indemnification

The Association will indemnify the members of its Board from and against any and all expenses, including Attorney’s fee, actually and reasonably incurred by those members of the Board in connection with the defense of any action, suit or proceeding in which they may be made a party because they are or has been a member of the Board.

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The indemnification of a member of the Board will not apply in those cases in which that particular member is adjudged liable for negligence or misconduct in the performance of their duties to the Association.

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ARTICLE 6 Rules

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Section 1 Financial Review:

The Treasurer’s accounts will be reviewed every third year and the most current school years’ books will be reviewed by a review committee consisting of no less than two (2) and no more than four (4) Association members and all members of the board. The President and Vice President will select the members of the review committee.

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Section 2 Nominations:

The President will appoint the Nominating Committee annually. The Nominating Committee will announce its nominations at the March meeting of the Association. The slate of officers will also be announced in the March newsletter. Nominations may be made from the floor at the April meeting of the Association. In the event there is a double slate, a Candidate’s Night will be held before the elections in May.

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Section 3 Elections:

Officers are elected at the May meeting of the Association. An affirmative majority vote of the members present shall constitute an election.

 

Section 4 Procedure at Meetings:

The rules contained in Robert’s Rules of Order govern this Association in all cases where they do not conflict with the rules of the Association.

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Section 5 Amendments:

Amendments to the Constitution or Bylaws may be presented at any regular meeting of the Association. The vote on such Amendments may not occur until the next regular meeting of the Association. An affirmative majority vote of the Association members, present at such subsequent regular meetings, is sufficient to amend the Constitution or Bylaws.

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The Bylaws will be reviewed by the Executive Board and reaffirmed every 4 years, beginning with the date these Bylaws are adopted.

 

Section 6 Association Dissolves:

In the event that the Association is dissolved, any monies held in accounts in the name of the Association will be transferred to the West Milford High School Account held through the Main Office for the use of the High School Band Department and Program.

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Section 7 Band Student Fundraising Accounts:

The Association provides students with fundraising opportunities to help offset expenses that fall outside the school budget for personal band trip expenses, i.e., Scotland trip, Disney trip, Six Flags, and any other items the Executive Board deems appropriate.

 

The Association will keep 1% of all money earned through student fundraising which will be applied to the Association’s general account to help offset the Association’s expenses such as equipment, truck rental, scholarships, costumes, hospitality functions, Beast insurance and maintenance, show props and other items used by the Band that fall outside the School Board budget.

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Graduating seniors with a remaining balance in their student band accounts can leave the money in their account if they have a sibling entering the Band program within two school years of the senior's graduation date. If an entering sibling does not meet these criteria, the money will be forfeited and moved into the Alumni Band Fund Account.

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It is confirmed that the chorus is not considered an ensemble of the band and any money raised cannot be used toward chorus expenses.

The Association will allow 8th grade students (not currently in the Band or color guard program) that will be entering the high school Band program in September to participate in all band fundraisers during their 8th grade year.

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The Association will allow 7th and 8th grade students that participate in the Band program during middle school (marching or color guard) to fundraise while they are in middle school.

 

Section 8 Band Program Fundraising (Jazz, Indoor Percussion, Color Guard, Pipes & Drums):

The Association will collect 10% of total proceeds earned when the event is run for the other Band programs that the Association is asked to participate in through donations and/or volunteering members. This applies to Jazz, Indoor Percussion, and Pipe and Drums, etc. The 10% collected will be placed into the Association’s general account and used as the Executive Board deems appropriate for the benefit of the program.

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The Association will collect 10% of only the concession stand proceeds earned when the Association is asked to participate through donations and/or volunteering members for the Color Guard Show.

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The Association will retain all proceeds earned from the Macopin Jazz festival. Proceeds will be placed into the Association’s general account and used as the Executive Board deems appropriate for the  benefit of the program.

 

Attachment A

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(Updated 5/10/22)

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