Bylaws and Policies
Successful, well-run PTAs and councils are vital to fulfilling PTA’s purpose and mission. Effective governance is the engine that converts our mission from a statement on paper into real-world impact.
Governance is the system of rules, practices, and processes that direct an organization, centering on mission alignment and legal stewardship. An organization’s governing documents provide the structural framework that defines its purposes, who makes decisions and how, the rights and responsibilities of members, and measures to ensure accountability.
PTAs have four levels of governing documents they must follow. The National PTA Bylaws create a foundation for all PTAs. The WSPTA Uniform Bylaws are the shared “rulebook” that keeps our entire statewide network of PTAs united in our values and rules, powerful in our advocacy, fair in our decision-making, and legally sound.
Because our organization grows and changes, our bylaws include an annual process for members and PTAs to suggest updates. Proposed amendments to the WSPTA Uniform Bylaws must be submitted on this submission form, by noon on October 15.
The WSPTA Policies complement the bylaws and give further details on how to accomplish the things required in the bylaws. Policies may be adopted and revised by the WSPTA Board of Directors. The WSPTA Standards of Affiliation (SOA) Agreement requirements are a useful checklist to ensure local PTAs and councils comply with applicable federal and state laws, maintain good business practices, and align with the bylaws, ethics, policies, and principles of PTA. A local PTA or council in good standing is one which meets the criteria in the SOA agreement.
Finally, the members of every local PTA and council must adopt a set of standing rules. While the WSPTA Uniform Bylaws define a local PTA or council’s relationship with WSPTA, standing rules give identity to and define each local PTA or council and its relationship with its members. Standing rules may not conflict with the WSPTA Uniform Bylaws. See Leadership Guides > Board Resources > Policies and Rules for standing rules templates and the Standing Rules Guide.
WSPTA Uniform Bylaws
The WSPTA Uniform Bylaws are the rules adopted by PTA members to provide a framework for the operation and management of WSPTA and all local PTAs and councils in the state. They outline our basic purposes, a structure for the governance of the association, and a description of the rights and responsibilities of membership. By their affiliation with National PTA and Washington State PTA, all local PTAs/PTSAs and councils are required to abide by and conform to those bylaws.
Policies
WSPTA policies govern and guide the WSPTA Board of Directors, local PTA and council leaders, and the WSPTA membership. The WSPTA Board of Directors is charged with revising and updating the WSPTA Policy Manual to reflect current business practices. The policies address how business is done but allow for some flexibility and nimbleness to address opportunities that may arise. The process to submit requests for board consideration is found in WSPTA Policy section 3.19.
WSPTA Policy Manual Section Three: Local PTAs and Councils should be used as a resource by all PTAs in developing their own policies and procedures that align with the requirements to run an effective PTA. This section explains the standards of affiliation requirements, defines information regarding local PTA membership, considerations on membership dues, function of councils, information about electronic financial transactions, details for elections, procedures for financial reviews, board duties and meetings, explanation about WSPTA resources available, and volunteer recognition options, and more.
(Note: download the WSPTA Policy Manual for best results in fully rendering the document.)
During the year, the WSPTA Board of Directors considers amendments to WSPTA policy at its meetings. To find the latest policy updates and revisions, please refer to the amendments document in conjunction with the full WSPTA policy document. The goal is to refresh the full WSPTA Policy Manual only once during the year.