opinions on immediate past president on board AND voting on by law changes individually

[Guest ASH]

OK, 2 final questions:

 

1) Our organization (high school parent teacher organization) is entertaining a change to the by laws to include the immediate past president to as a voting member of the executive board.  It is possible that the IPP would not be able to serve, as our by laws require members of the organization to have a student in the school.  If the IPPs last child has graduated, they would no longer be a member.  Someone on my last thread commented extensively about the issues with having the IPP on the board.  Does anyone else have any opinions that might help.  I can see pros and cons.

 

2.  I've read that its possible to vote on by laws changes individually.  Do we just introduce each change separately?  Can some be done together?

 

Thanks you!

[Chris Harrison]

1) I heartily agree with the response discouraging making the IPP an ex officio member of any body so I have nothing further to say on that.  However, unless your bylaws require the IPP be a member of the organization he or she would still be the IPP even if he or she is no longer a member (RONR p. 447 ll. 16-19).

2) Are the bylaws being submitted as a revision (where the whole document is open to amendment) or will there be piece-meal amendments with nothing else being subject to amendment?  See RONR pp. 592-599 (with a focus on page 593 if they are being offered as a revision).

[Gary Novosielski]

OK, 2 final questions:

 

It is possible that the IPP would not be able to serve, as our by laws require members of the organization to have a student in the school.  If the IPPs last child has graduated, they would no longer be a member.

Your bylaws may require that members must have a student in the school, but do they also require that officers must be members? RONR does not require it.

[g40]

Just don't do it! [Put the IPP in any automatic position] . Think of the most difficult, obnoxious, PITA person you have ever encountered in a PTA or PTO - and that is the possible person you might have on your executive committee - automatically. It seems to me that it would be ok if your bylaws allowed, by a vote of members or a vote of officers, the IPP to be named to the committee - but not an automatic position. Let's say, for example, you have a President that is so terrible you remove him/her from office - then that person is the IPP and goes onto the executive committee (if you adopt the change you are discussing).

[Transpower]

Bylaw changes should be considered together if they form a coherent group (i.e., dividing them would make no sense); otherwise, they should be considered separately.

[Guest Edgar]

I can see pros and cons.

 

And the "pros" are . . . ???

[Guest Guest]

I actually can't see any pro to having the IPP being a voting member of the exec board, but I can see it providing some continuity to the organization to have the person around. If everyone gets along, it could be good for the organization. But if not....then I see problems! Some presidents have informally consulted with the IPP over the years--I gather at one time it was fairly common for that person to actually come to board meetings if they were still involved with the organization.

The cons do seem to outweight the pros from what I can see, but I wanted to make sure I haven't missed anything.

I do believe that exec board members need to be members in good standing, I guess that would also mean if the IPP was on the board, they would have to join the PTO, if they were still able to.

 

Thanks for answers so far.

[jstackpo]

If you want the ipp (note lower case indicating a person, not a position) around and helpful, appoint him/her to a committee.

 

All the gain, none of the (potential) pain.