Welcome our new Ninth District PTA Parliamentarian Bruce Bergman
Bruce joins the Ninth District Executive committee and is ready to help with bylaws, standing rules, parliamentary questions, issues and procedures.
Bruce has more than 30 years of parliamentary experience, starting in high school with a “Parli Pro” debate team, and continuing with a variety of organizations, boards and companies over the years. He is a member of the National Association of Parliamentarians (NAP), and a past Southern Area Director for the California State Association of Parliamentarians (CSAP). He has held many roles in PTA and on other boards.
Bruce has created a help desk for Ninth District PTA members: helpdesk.ParliamentaryPro.com
California State PTA Dues Increase
At the May 2014 California State PTA convention, delegates adopted a motion to increase the state portion
of PTA dues by 75¢ to a total of $2.00 per member. The increase was effective July 1, 2015 – below are links (English and Spanish) to a handy guide for units to use in implementing the increase at their level (click to open)
Dues_Increase_Implementation
or
Dues_Increase_Implementation_SPANISH
Parliamentarian’s Duties
The parliamentarian for the PTA is an appointed officer on the PTA executive board/committee and assists the president in preparing for meetings when requested.
The parliamentarian works conscientiously to understand parliamentary procedure in general and the PTA’s bylaws in particular. Since meetings operate smoother when the fairness and consideration of basic parliamentary procedure are followed, it is important the parliamentarian attend all meetings. If the parliamentarian is absent, the president appoints a parliamentarian “pro tem” – for this time only.
To assist the president during the meeting, the parliamentarian may:
- Provide advice on a question of parliamentary order. Parliamentarians do not rule. Only the chair has the power to rule
- Keep track of motions, amendments, voting, etc.
- Keep track of members who wish to speak concerning a proposed action and the order in which they requested the floor
In addition, the parliamentarian may:
- Make certain each member of the PTA board has a current copy of the bylaws and standing rules.
- Review the bylaws and standing rules – at least every three years – and request the appointment of a review committee if it appears changes are required
- Submit proposed bylaw amendments through council (if in council) and PTA district for forwarding to the California State PTA Parliamentarian for approval before adoption
- Call the first meeting of the nominating committee and giving instructions on procedure.
- Give instructions on voting procedure at the PTA annual meeting
- Contact council (if in council) or PTA district parliamentarian with questions concerning parliamentary procedure
- Attend workshops presented by council or PTA district parliamentarian
As an appointed officer, the parliamentarian does not have the authority to be listed as a signatory on the PTA’s financial accounts or to sign contracts.
Here are some handy resources for Parliamentarians
Parliamentary Authority
In addition to the association bylaws, Robert’s Rules also provide authority for our PTA work. Every PTA should have a copy of one or both versions of these books. The expense is a legitimate PTA expenditure.
“***ARTICLE XV – PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY
“The rules contained in the current edition of ROBERT’S RULES OF ORDER NEWLY REVISED shall govern the National PTA and this association in all cases in which they are applicable and in which they are not in conflict with these bylaws, those of the California State PTA, the National PTA, the articles of incorporation and the California Nonprofit Corporation Law.”
California State PTA-E-BylawsProgram – fun, fast, easy, free (click to open)
Bylaws sent for review
This form must accompany all bylaws sent to Ninth District PTA for review (click to download .docx file). BylawsCoverReportForm 16-17
Ninth District Easy Steps for Bylaw Review checklist (click to open)
Nominating Committee
The nominating committee is one of the most important PTA committees. This group of people must recognize and seek qualified nominees for the elected leadership of your PTA.
Here is a description of the committee, and their duties and expectations (Web-NomComm – click to download doc file) of the committee and their duties and expectations; and a FAQ sheet(Web-FAQ-NomComm – click to download doc file).
California State PTA Resources
http://toolkit.capta.org/job-descriptions/parliamentarian/
http://capta.org/pta-leaders/run-your-pta/parliamentary-procedure/