Parent Teacher Association Constitution

This Constitution was adopted at an EGM on 26th January 2000.

The Associations Name
  • The association shall be called ‘St Patrick's National School Parent Teacher Association’
The Aims and Objectives of the Association
  1. To promote and encourage co-operation between parents, teachers and the board of management.
  2. To provide a forum for discussion of issues, relevant to association members.
  3. To exchange ideas and promote understanding between of parents and teachers.
  4. To inform parents of developments in education.
  5. To assist in extra-curricular and leisure / sporting activities of pupils.
  6. To provide financial support for the school.
  7. To aid and encourage pupils in their individual quest for learning and personal development.
  8. To elect annually a PTA committee to administer and run the association.
Membership of the Association
  1. All parents and guardians (hereafter referred to as parents) of children currently attending St Patrick's National School together with all teaching staff and the Chairperson are members of the association.
  2. In the event of parent/s having no child registered as attending St Patrick's National School, the parent/s shall cease to be a member of the association forthwith.
  3. In the event of a teacher leaving St Patrick's National School, the teacher shall cease to be a member of the association forthwith.
  4. No membership fee will be charged.
The Structure of the Association

1. The Composition of the PTA Committee:

  1. The PTA committee will comprise of twelve people, subject to they're being a right to co-opt an Honorary Treasurer and / or an Honorary Secretary in accordance with 4.8(b).
  2. The PTA committee shall be comprised of at least eight parents, two teachers, the principal, and the chairperson.

2. Chairperson:

  1. The chairperson to the association shall be the rector or curate of St Patrick's Parish, Greystones.
  2. In the event of the Chairperson being unable to attend a meeting, the committee members present shall appoint the replacement, chosen from among the existing PTA committee membership.

3. The Annual General Meeting:

  1. An AGM of the PTA association shall be held in September or October of each year.
  2. Association members shall receive at least fourteen days notice of such a meeting, by posting such information on the school notice board.
  3. The quorum for the AGM shall be a number equal to 10% of the number of children enrolled at the school.
  4. Each member of the association shall have equal voting rights.
  5. If in the event of a PTA member resigning from the committee, leaving the association, or ceasing to be a member of the association, he/she may be requested by the PTA committee to present his/her report to the next AGM.

4. Parent Elections:

  1. Parents shall elect eight representatives to the PTA committee at the AGM.
  2. All candidates must be proposed and seconded by a parent member of the association.
  3. In order to promote gender equality, preferably four men and four women should be elected to these posts.
  4. If more than four women are proposed then a separate ballot will take place to fill the vacant positions. The four candidates receiving the most votes will be elected.
  5. If more than four men are proposed then a separate ballot will take place to fill the vacant positions. The four candidates receiving the most votes will be elected.
  6. In the event of an insufficient number of one gender being elected, their positions shall be filled by the other gender.

5. Teachers elections:

  1. The teachers shall elect two representatives to the PTA committee.
  2. The teachers' election will take place prior to the AGM.

6. Notice of PTA Commitee Meetings:

  1. The secretary of the association shall give notice of all committee meetings.
  2. The committee shall meet each month during term time.

7. PTA Committee Quorum & Voting:

  1. The quorum for a committee meeting shall be any seven members.
  2. Co-opted members of the committee shall have full voting rights.
  3. Each member of the committee shall have one vote.
  4. In the event of a tied vote, the chairperson shall have an extra casting vote.
  5. The number of votes on the committee will be equal to the total number of committee members plus one.

8. Honorary Treasurer and Honorary Secretary Elections and Removals:

  1. The committee shall, at its first meeting after the AGM, elect two of its members to act as Honorary Secretary and Honorary Treasurer.
  2. If no member of the committee is available to serve in either of the positions, the PTA committee shall co-opt any member of the association to fill the position/s (Reference PTA Committee Composition 4.1(a) & PTA committee Quorum & Voting 4.7(b)).
  3. The Honorary Treasurer and / or the Honorary Secretary may be removed from their position following a motion for removal being passed by nine or more votes of the PTA committee. If removed they will remain an ordinary member of the PTA committee.

9. Term of Office for the PTA Committee:

  1. The term of office of the elected and co-opted committee members shall be one year.
  2. Any parent representative may serve on the PTA committee for a maximum of three consecutive years. After an interim period of one year the person is then eligible for re-election.
  3. The elected teachers' representative may serve on the PTA committee for any number of years, providing they are reselected annually by the teachers to represent them.

10. Parent Resignation from PTA:

  1. In the event of a parent representative's resignation from the committee the vacant position shall be filled from the general parent membership.
  2. The committee shall be authorised to co-opt a replacement.
  3. If possible, gender balance should be maintained.

11. Teacher Resignation from PTA:

  1. In the event of a teacher representative's resignation from the committee another teacher shall fill the vacant position.
  2. The committee shall be authorised to co-opt a replacement.

12. PTA Sub-Committees:

  1. The PTA committee shall be entitled to appoint sub-committees, to deal with specific issues.
  2. Such sub-committees shall be responsible and accountable to the main PTA committee.
  3. The PTA committee shall be entitled to co-opt members of the association to serve on the sub-committee/s.
  4. Voting rights of sub-committee members shall not extend beyond the specific remit of that sub-committee.
General Matters of the Association

1. Constitutional Amendments:

  1. Fourteen days written notice must be given to members of the association.
  2. The wording of the amendment must be published and freely available for a period of 14 days prior to the motion being considered and voted on.
  3. In order to amend the constitution a two-thirds majority of those in attendance at the Annual General Meeting or at an Extraordinary General Meeting is required.
  4. Motions to amend the constitution may only be voted on at an EGM or AGM.

2. Association Affiliations:

  1. The association shall be affiliated to the National Parents Council (Primary).
  2. An election will be held at the AGM to select delegate/s to the National Parents Council (Primary) for County Wicklow.
  3. The selected delegate/s will report to the PTA committee.

3. Rules Governing an Extraordinary General Meeting:

  1. The quorum for an EGM shall be a number equal to 10% of the number of children enrolled at the school.
  2. The PTA committee may summon an EGM of the association,
  3. Or an EGM shall be called upon the written requisition addressed to the Honorary Secretary of the PTA with supporting signatures of not less than twenty ordinary members of the association, stating the object and purpose of the proposed meeting.
  4. Association members shall receive at least fourteen days written notice of such a meeting.
  5. Each member of the association shall have equal voting rights.

4. Removal of an Elected Member of the PTA Committee:

  1. Any ordinary member of the association may seek the removal of an elected representative but must use the mechanisms of an EGM to pursue such a matter.

5. PTA Association Dissolution:

  1. The association may be dissolved by an EGM duly convened for the purpose, provided that a resolution to dissolve the association shall be carried by a majority of four fifths of those in attendance at such a Special Meeting. (Reference Financial Practice PTA / Dissolution 5.4).