BY-LAWS
I. NAME
We shall be an incorporated institution known as the Rutherford Cooperative Day Nursery. Our date of founding was March 28, 1968. Hereinafter, this institution shall be referred to as RCDN.
II. OBJECT
Our object shall be to provide pre-school education. We shall be a non-profit, non-sectarian, cooperative institution in which all members shall participate. We shall follow an open, non- discriminatory policy of enrollment. Our aims shall be:
A. to promote learning through the use of materials which stimulate the five senses.
B. to encourage thought and physical activity.
C. to create in the child a receptiveness to learning in a group environment.
D. to give an awareness of the child's environment as it extends from home and family to the larger world.
E. to develop emotional and physical independence in the child.
III. MEMBERSHIP
Section 1: Participating members are those parents or guardians of children currently enrolled in the RCDN. A participating family is entitled to one vote per child enrolled.
Section 2: Parents or guardians of children who have been admitted to RCDN for a term to commence at a future date shall be permitted to attend all Membership meetings, but shall not be entitled to vote.
IV. APPLICATIONS AND ELIGIBILITY OF CHILD FOR SCHOOL
Section 1: To qualify for enrollment in the 3-year old class or the 4-year old class, a child shall be at least three years of age or four years of age, respectively as of the school enrollment cut-off date in their town of residence in the year of enrollment.
Section 2: A Notice of Intention for currently enrolled three-year-old children shall be distributed to all parents by the first day of school in January, after winter break, and must be returned before the open house date, which is to be determined by the Executive Board. Registration days shall be set-aside for prospective pupils.
Acceptance of applicants shall be in this order at the discretion of the Executive Board:
A. children who are currently enrolled.
B. children whose siblings/parents are alumni of the school.
C. children on the waiting list in the order in which they were placed on the list.
Section 3: All forms and payments must be handed in at the time of registration for the child to be considered registered for the school year. If all forms and payments are not turned in, the child will not be considered as enrolled at RCDN.
Section 4: Membership may be denied to a returning member if they previously refused to complete their responsibility regarding tuition, committee work and attendance at meetings.
Section 5: A health certificate given by the school with the application for enrollment shall be returned to the Director by the Orientation meeting. No child shall be allowed to start school in September without a health certificate.
V. TERMINATION OF MEMBERSHIP
Section 1: The enrollment is for one full year. No credit is allowed by absences.
Section 2: Thirty days written notice of intention of withdrawal of a child is mandatory. This notice is to be sent to the Director.
Section 3: No credit will be given for early withdrawal unless withdrawal application has been approved. On approval, all prepaid tuition will be refunded.
Section 4: The school will release the member from the responsibility of paying tuition if a child is withdrawn only if the vacancy thus created can be filled.
VI. TUITION AND FEES
Section 1: There shall be a registration fee, which shall be paid by the parents of a prospective enrollee in the school. All registration fees are non-refundable.
Section 2: Tuition for RCDN shall be set by the Executive Board .
Section 3: A deposit of one-tenth of the annual tuition is required before the child starts school. This will constitute one month’s tuition and shall be paid at registration.
Section 4: Tuition is charged annually, but may be paid semi-annually or monthly. The final tuition payment for the year is due by June 1.
Section 5: All registration and tuition payments must be made by check, money order, cash or online banking. There will be a service charge for any check that is returned. The amount of this charge will be determined by current bank fees. A member who has two personal checks returned in one year will be required to pay by money order or cash.
Section 6: If tuition is not received by the 5th of the month for which it is due, a $1.00 per day fine will be levied. If tuition and fines are not paid by the 15th of the month, the child will be suspended from RCDN. Membership in RCDN will be terminated if tuition and fines are not paid by the last day of the same month.
Section 7: Any member delinquent in payment of tuition (later than the 5th of the month) for a third time in the year shall forfeit membership in RCDN.
Section 8: At the request of a participating member, the Executive Board may approve special temporary tuition arrangements.
VII. FISCAL POLICIES
Section 1: Each fiscal year of the Institution shall commence in July 1 and end June 30.
VIII. SCHOOL PROGRAM AND STAFF
Section 1: Holidays, vacation and emergency closings will follow the Rutherford Public School calendar. Additional school closings, early dismissals or delayed openings not listed on the original calendar may be determined by the discretion of the Executive Board and / or Director.
Section 2: RCDN curriculum is the responsibility of the Professional Staff, based on guidelines from the Office of Family and Children.
Section 3: The Professional Staff shall be selected by the Director and voted on by the Executive Board.
Section 4: The Professional Staff is responsible to the Executive Board.
Section 5: Children’s records shall be private and confidential. They must be shared with the child’s parent(s) or guardian on request, but no records shall be made available to parties without parental consent.
IX. MEETINGS, QUORUMS AND VOTING
Section 1: There shall be a minimum of two (2) mandatory General Meetings a year. One meeting shall be held prior to the opening of the school in September and shall be for the purpose of initial orientation of families to the philosophy and functioning of the school. Another meeting shall be held in May for the purpose of electing officers. Attendance by one or both parents, guardian, or family representative at all two (2) meetings shall be mandatory. If a member does not attend a meeting, Section X Part 3 of Participation will be enforced.
Section 2: Twenty five percent (25%) of the membership shall constitute a quorum at a general meeting.
Section 3: All members shall be entitled to one vote per child at any general meeting. Any amendment to the By-Laws shall require a two-thirds vote of the membership in attendance at a regularly called general meeting, provided written notice said amendment is given to all members two weeks in advance. All other matters called to a vote need only majority approval to become effective.
Section 4: “Robert’s Rules of Order” shall be our guide to Parliamentary Procedure.
X. PARTICIPATION
Section 1: A non-exempt classroom member must:
A. Pay tuition promptly.
B. Serve on one or more committees and attend committee meetings.
C. Attend all two (2) General Meetings.
D. Participate on scheduled class days. Either parent, guardian, or authorized family representative may work on a scheduled day as long as the proper forms required by the state are on file at the school for each person 18 years and older who will be working in the classroom with the children.
E. Exchange only with another parent from the same class for his day that same month.
F. Notify class scheduling parent at least two days in advance of any change.
G. Be permitted two parent substitutes a year. The parent substitute in the 3-year-old class will be paid $30.00 and in the 4-year-old class $60.00. The fee must be paid directly to the parent substitute by the member.
Section 2: A classroom exempt member must:
A. Pay tuition promptly with a monthly surcharge of $100.00 for the 4-year olds (the current rate) and $50.00 for the 3-year olds (the current rate).
B. Serve on one or more committees.
C. Attend all two (2) General Meetings.
D. There will be no more than two (2) classroom exempt members permitted for each class. The parent will be given exempt status at time of registration, using the “first come, first served” method. The Executive Board will determine the availability of substitute parent helpers.
Section 3: Failure to fulfill co-op obligations:
A. Failure to fulfill your co-op obligations as stated in Section 1 and Section 2 will result in a $100 per offense
B. The Executive Board shall meet to discuss any member not fulfilling their obligations as stated in Section1 and Section 2 of X Participation. If the board determines that there is no improvement in participation, the contract may be terminated.
XI. GOVERNING BODY
Section 1: The Governing Board of RCDN shall consist of the Executive Board and the Professional Staff. The President, Executive Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer of RCDN constitute the Executive Board. Committees necessary for the school year will be determined by the Executive Board. Also, there shall be a church liaison member for the governing board, who is entitled to vote only if he/she is a member of RCDN. The Director, Head Teacher, and the Teacher (s) are also members of the Governing Board entitled to vote.
Section 2: At least 50% of the Board Members shall be present to constitute a quorum for a Board Meeting.
XII. COMMITTEE CHAIRPERSON
Section 1: Committee Chairs will be determined as applicable by the Executive Board prior to the beginning of the new school year.
Section 2: A Committee Chair shall call and conduct meetings of their committees when necessary.
Section 3: Each committee will be assigned an Executive Board member liaison who will help to guide the committee in completing said responsibilities. Any issues at the committee level should be escalated to the Board Member for resolution. The Board Member will seek advice of the Executive Board as needed.
XIII. ELECTIONS
Section 1: A written notice seeking members interested in serving on the Executive Board will be distributed to all families registering for the following school year before the date of Registration.
Section 2: Any member interested in serving on the Executive Board must submit their form consenting to the position they are interested in before or on the date of Registration. No forms will be accepted after the scheduled Registration date unless a board position remains open or becomes open after that scheduled date.
Section 3: Officers shall be mutually agreed upon from returning Executive Board Members and Director. In the event that a mutually agreed upon solution is not attainable, officers shall be elected by ballot, distributed at last General Meeting of the year.
Either the Director or Executive Board members are able and encouraged to hold informational in order to determine the best qualified candidate for the role.
XIV. DUTIES OF THE OFFICERS
Section 1: President
The President shall:
A. Preside at all General Meetings and Executive Board Meetings.
B. Co-sign checks.
C. Appoint special committees as may be required.
D. Appoint members to fill any vacancy on the Executive Board.
E. Be responsible for the distribution of the agenda to board members before each meeting.
F. Coordinate the philosophy, policies and functioning of the school.
G. Act as presidential advisor for a minimum of four months after expiration of a term of office and for as long as the new President deems necessary. The duties of a presidential advisor shall be to advise and assist the new President in all the responsibilities of the office.
H. Negotiates staffs’ contracts.
Section 2: Executive Vice President
The Executive Vice President shall:
A. Call and conduct meetings in the absence of the President
C. Organize Open House for new students.
D. At the request of the President, assist the President by acting as an Executive Board liaison of specified committees and coordinating the activities of such committees.
Section 3: Secretary
The Secretary shall:
A. Take minutes of all meetings of the Executive Board and of all General meetings.
B. Read minutes of the previous general meeting at all General meetings.
C. Distribute the minutes of all meetings to the President, Executive Vice President, Treasurer, Teachers and Director within one week after the meeting. One copy shall be kept for the Secretary’s file.
D. Receive and maintain a file of all correspondence pertaining to RCDN. These records are open to any member at reasonable times. Write all thank you notes and other necessary letters.
E. Prepare the school' s monthly calendar and distribute to staff and general membership.
F. At the request of the President, assist the President by acting as an Executive Board liaison of specified committees and coordinating the activities of such committees.
G. Supervise the scheduling parents and be responsible for coordinating paid parent helpers.
Section 5: Treasurer
The Treasurer shall:
A. Receive all funds and shall disburse them with the co-signature of the President or Director.
B. Have any disbursement exceeding $500.00 dollars, but not over $1500.00, approved by the Executive Board. All expenditures over $1500.00 will be voted upon by the membership, except where expediency prohibits such a vote.
C. Report the current balance on hand as well as receipts and disbursements since the last general meeting, at all general meetings.
D. At the request of the President, assist the President by acting as an Executive Board liaison of specified committees and coordinating the activities of such committees.
XV. COMMITTEES
The Director / Operations Coordinator will determine the committee and their responsibilities necessary for the effective management of their school. Each member shall be notified of his or her specific duties.
XVI. HANDBOOK
The Executive Board shall adopt guidelines and policies of the institute. They are subject to amendment by the general membership.
XVII. AMENDMENTS
Any amendments to the by-laws shall require a two-thirds vote of the membership in attendance at the regularly called general meeting, provided written notice of said amendment is given to all other members two weeks in advance.
XVIII. DISSOLUTION OF ORGANIZATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF ASSETS
Section 1: This organization may be dissolved by a two-thirds vote of the entire membership at a special meeting called by the President for this specific purpose, upon two-thirds affirmative vote of the Executive Board. Notice of such a meeting must be given in writing to all members of the Organization at least 14 days prior to the meeting date.
Section 2: In the event of the dissolution of this Organization, all assets and property shall be paid over to or distributed among one or more non-profit corporations, organized under the laws of the State of New Jersey, having purposes and objectives similar to this corporation. Where a specific situation is not covered by these by-laws, “Robert’s Rules of Order” shall apply.