Article I -- Name

The name of the organization shall be known as the CSYO Parents Association, Inc., hereinafter called the “association”.

Article II -- Purpose

Section I: This association is organized and shall be operated for the purpose of creating interest in and giving moral and financial support to the Charlotte Symphony Youth Orchestras Program in addition to provisions made by the Charlotte Symphony and the Symphony Guild of Charlotte, Inc.

The Parents Association:

1. Will provide assistance and support that will help the Youth Orchestras to provide a music program for students that is educational, enjoyable, and rewarding.
2. Will aid in the development of community and student interest.
3. Will raise funds, in cooperation with the Symphony Guild of Charlotte and the Charlotte Symphony, for the Charlotte Symphony Youth Orchestras.

Section 2: All funds raised by the association shall be used exclusively for the above stated purposes. No member, officer or member of a committee, or person connected with the organization shall receive any personal gain from the operations of the organization.

Article III -- Membership

1. All parents and guardians are members of the Parents Association. The Executive Committee will recommend an amount for the dues in the spring before the acceptance letters are sent to the members of the Youth Orchestra and Junior Youth Orchestra. The amount of the dues are to be voted on by the parent body. Dues are to cover expenses deemed necessary by the Executive Board. The payment of dues is not required for membership or voting privileges.
2. Each family shall have one vote on any matter under consideration by the membership of the Organization at a meeting of the membership.

Article IV -- Officers

The officers of this association shall consist of a President, a Vice President, a Secretary and a Treasurer. These officers shall perform duties prescribed by these Bylaws and by the parliamentary authority adopted. The officers of this association shall serve without compensation.

Article V -- Duties of Officers

Section 1: President
The President shall be the leader of the organization and shall preside at all meetings of the association; he/she shall actively direct the affairs of the association and provide the day to day liaison between the association, the Youth Orchestras Manager and Conductor. The President shall be Chairperson of the Executive Committee and shall inform all Board members of meeting(s); and shall serve on the Youth Orchestra Committee of the Symphony Guild of Charlotte. The President shall make an annual report to the general membership at the last parents meeting of the season. After his/her term of office has expired, shall remain on the Executive Committee as an ex-officio member for a period of one year or until succeeded.

Section 2: Vice President
The Vice President shall perform all the duties of the President in his/her absence. He/she shall serve on the Long Range Planning Committee, shall serve on the Youth Orchestra Committee of the Symphony Guild of Charlotte and shall perform all duties as may be delegated by the President or the Executive Committee.

Section 3: Secretary
The Secretary shall keep an accurate record of the proceedings of all meetings of the membership and the Executive Committee; shall have charge of and conduct all correspondence as directed by the association, shall keep the President and Executive Committee informed and up-to-date of same, and shall be custodian of and maintain the associations permanent files, except all financial records which shall be kept by the Treasurer.

Section 4: Treasurer
The Treasurer shall receive, account for and be custodian of all fundraising and trip fee monies. The treasurer shall open and maintain an account with a bank as approved by the Executive Committee.

Article VI -- Executive Committee

Section 1: It shall be the duty of the Executive Committee to direct the general activities of the association. The Executive Committee shall be made up of a minimum of four and a maximum of eight people representing both JYO and CSYO, the immediate past President, chairperson of each Standing Committee, the Manager and Conductor of the Youth Orchestras and the Symphony Guild of Charlotte Youth Orchestra Committee Chairperson. New members shall be elected to the Executive Committee to fill open positions as required due to term expiration, resignations or any other situation which leaves the Executive Committee without a sufficient number of members to successfully carry out its duties and responsibilities. Newly elected members shall begin serving on the Executive Committee immediately upon their election and shall be confirmed by the general membership at the next general meeting following their election. All members of the Executive Committee shall be qualified to vote at all meetings of the Executive Committee. The Manager must be present at either Executive Committee meetings or general membership meetings in order for business to be conducted. The Executive Committee shall have the authority to make decisions concerning the association between general membership meetings in order to expedite the business of the association.

Section 2: All voting, unless otherwise specified, shall be by a show of hands and a two-thirds (2/3) majority of those present and qualified to vote shall be required, except for proposed amendments or changes to these Bylaws, which shall require the conditions be met in Article X of these Bylaws.

Section 3: Executive Committee meetings shall be scheduled at the discretion of the President, Manager, or a majority of the Board members and all Board members must be notified of any scheduled meeting.

Section 4: Six (6) members of the Executive Committee shall constitute a quorum for Executive Committee meetings.

Section 5: All members of the association are invited to attend Executive Committee meetings at any time; however, the Executive Committee may retire into closed session as deemed necessary. No official business may be transacted in any closed session.

Article VII -- Election of Officers

Section 1: Officers will be elected by the Executive Committee by majority vote.

Section 2:The term of office shall begin on July 1 and shall be for one (1) year.

Section 3: No officer shall be eligible for the same office for longer than four(4) consecutive years. After an interval of one (1) year, he/she shall again be eligible for re-election.

Section 4:Vacancies occurring in an elected office shall be filled by appointment by the Executive Committee for the unexpired term.

Article VIII -- Committees and Duties

Section 1: Two (2) types of committees shall be formed to enable the President to carry out his/her duties. These are Standing Committees and Special Committees.

Section 2: Standing Committees
There shall be four (4) Standing Committees. Standing Committee chairs shall be selected by the Officers, Manager and Conductor from a list of volunteer names submitted at the time of acceptance and shall serve as members of the Executive Committee.

1. Ways and Means Committee: Individual chairperson(s) for projects adopted by the Organization shall be selected from the membership by the Vice President. This committee shall establish the ways and means and prepare proposals of how to help finance the planned programs of the Organization.
2. Trip Coordination/Chaperone Committee: This committee shall assist the Manager with trip planning, transportation arrangements, lodging, meals, itinerary, health information and other administrative details for all activities approved by the Manager, Conductor, and the association. It shall also be the duty of this committee to develop and maintain a list of chaperones, to assist in conducting the orientation and training of chaperones and to provide chaperones for orchestra activities when requested. Individual chairpersons to assist in carrying out the above duties shall be selected from the membership by the committee chairperson.
3. Communication/Publicity Committee: It shall be the duty of this committee to establish a system to notify the members of meetings and/or special events. This committee shall also establish a parent’s newsletter to be mailed out quarterly with information pertaining to Youth Orchestra and organization news and events. This committee shall also obtain appropriate publicity for the Youth Orchestras and association activities. The Manager, Conductor and President must approve all publicity.
4. Long Range Planning Committee: The Vice President shall serve on this committee. It shall be the duty of this committee to research and establish ways to improve upon the experiences and programs offered by the Charlotte Symphony Youth Orchestras program.

Section 3: Special Committees
The President shall appoint special committees and chairperson(s) as he/she sees fit, to carry out the operations and objectives of the association.

Section 4: All committees shall perform all duties as delegated to them by the President or Executive Committee in accordance with the Executive Committees intentions.

Article IX -- General Meetings

Section 1: At least two (2) general membership meetings, scheduled by the Executive Committee, will be held each semester.

Section 2: A minimum of 20 members of the organization are required to be in attendance in order to conduct business and/or vote.

Section 3: Special membership meetings may be called by the Executive Committee. The President shall be required to call a special membership meeting on presentation of a petition of ten (10) members.

Article X -- Amendments

The Bylaws may be amended, altered, or rescinded at any general membership meeting by a two-thirds majority vote of the members present and qualified to vote, providing the amendment(s) has been submitted in writing at the previous general membership meeting or mailed to the general membership.

Article XI -- Parliamentary Authority

Robert’s Parliamentary Rules of Order (latest edition) shall be the standard parliamentary authority of the association.

Article XII -- Effective Date

This constitution or any amendment(s) thereof shall be effective upon approval by the general membership of the CSYO Parents Association, Inc. [Bylaws originally adopted on May 9, 2000; Amended in July 2005 and most recently, May 2006 as approved by the general membership]

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