BYLAWS OF CLEVELAND PIANO TEACHERS’ ORGANIZATION Revised in 2011 - 2012 and approved April 20, 2012 ARTICLE I (Name and Purpose) Section 1. The name of this group shall be CLEVELAND PIANO TEACHERS’ ORGANIZATION. Section 2. The purpose of this organization is to stimulate the interest of piano teachers to reach the highest standards oftheir profession by providing an educational and social network whereby teachers can share professional knowledge and ideas.
ARTICLE II (Membership)
Section 1. The membership of this organization shall be Active, Associate, Lifetime and Honorary.
Section 2. Applicants for Active membership must be actively engaged in keyboard teaching. Applicants for Associate membership may include retired teachers, those not currently teaching or individuals actively interested in music and keyboard education. Lifetime membership may be awarded to a past or current member for various reasons, including retirement from teaching due to age or illness, or for many years of service to the organization. A Lifetime member is a full voting member, but is exempt from futher dues.
An Honorary membership may be conferred on a person who has contributed in a significant way to the field of piano pedagogy and who has some connection with our organiation, such as being a speaker, giving a recital or master class, etc. Honorary members are not voting members.
Section 3. Application information for Active and Associate membership is to include: reason for joining, schools attended, type of musical education, number of years teaching experience, and special accomplishments. For Lifetime and Honorary membership, candidates may be suggested by any member.
Section 4. The CPTO Board shall be given full authority regarding membership eligibility.For Honorary membership, a two-thirds vote by members present is required, following approval of nominee by the CPTO Board.Dues are waived.
Section 5. Active, Associate and Lifetime members have voting privileges.
ARTICLE III (Officers and Duties) Section 1. The officers of this organization shall be President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer.No member shall hold any one office for more than three years in succession.
Section 2. The President shall preside at all meetings, have general supervision, and be member ex-officio of all standing and special committees with the exception of the Nominating Committee.
Section 3. The Vice-President shall, in the absence of the President, perform the President’s duties, and shall assume responsibility for one other task or Coordinator's position.
Section 4. The Secretary shall keep a record of proceedings of Board and CPTO meetings as well as all events, and shall have a record of the membership in attendance.The Secretary shall also be responsible for correspondence and cards appropriate to the occasion.
Section 5. The Treasurer will maintain and render public all financial records including membership dues, expenses and income.The fiscal year of this organization will be July 1 to June 30.A year-end report will be due July 15.Two individuals appointed by the Board will conduct an annual review of the financial records in late July or early August; and/or must be done when a new Treasurer has taken office.One of two may be a qualified non-member. To facilitate good financial record keeping, members must fill out an Expense Submission Form and provide receipts for reimbursement of expenses. ARTICLE IV (Election of Officers) Section 1. All officers shall be elected by the membership.
Section 2. The Board may appoint a Nominating Committee of three members or nominations can be handled by the Vice-President at the April meeting.
Section 3. The Nominating Committee or Vice-President will prepare a slate containing the names of candidates for each office to be presented and voted upon at the May meeting.
Section 4. The newly elected officers shall be installed and assume duties at the conclusion of the May business meeting.
ARTICLE V (Board)
Section 1. The elected Board shall consist of the President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer.
Section 2. The immediate past President shall automatically become a member of the Board to act as an Advisor.
Section 3. Additional Board members shall be the Program and Membership Coordinators.
Section 4. The President shall be empowered to fill any vacancies that may occur.
ARTICLE VI (Meetings)
Section 1. The regular organization meetings shall be held on the second Fridays of the month.The Board must approve changes in the schedule and the scheduling of extra meetings; email and website notice must be sent to the membership at least two weeks in advance, except in emergency situations.
Section 2. The President or at least three members of the Board may call special meetings for the transaction of business.
ARTICLE VII (Coordinators and Committees)
Section 1. Standing Coordinators for Membership, Program, Hospitality, Website, Student Showcase Recital, Piano Olympics, and Historian/Photographer shall be volunteer positions approved by the Board. The Membership Coordinator shall search out and register new members as provided under ARTICLE II. The Program Coordinator shall be responsible for the annual planning meeting to determine monthly topics and special events, and to carry out necessary details for implementation. The Hospitality Coordinator shall be responsible for finding volunteers to host and/or provide refreshments for scheduled meetings and to inform hosts of any other related details. The Website Coordinator shall be responsible for keeping the website accurate and up to date.It is recommended but not required that the President be the Website Coordinator.
StudentShowcase Recital and Piano Olympics Coordinators will be responsible for organizing respective committees and arranging and implementing details for these events.
The Historian/Photographer shall be responsible for compiling a notebook or folder of the year's events and activities.
Section 2. The number and type of Coordinators and Committees may vary according to the needs and activities of the organization in any given year. ARTICLE VIII (Dues) Section 1. Annual dues for calendar year June 1 to May 31 shall be payable beginning in May for the upcoming year.
Section 2. The amount will be determined by a majority vote of general membership present at a regularly scheduled business meeting.
Section 3. To facilitate timely payment, dues will be discounted for continuing members if paid annually by or at the first meeting in September.
Section 4. New members joining between May and September are also eligible for this discount if paid by or at the first September meeting. ARTICLE IX (Amendments)
Section 1. The BYLAWS may be amended at any regular meeting by two-thirds vote of members present provided the amendment has been submitted in writing and discussed at a previous Board meeting. ARTICLE X (Rules)
Section 1. Robert’s Rules of Order (the most recent edition) shall be the Parliamentary authority on all matters not covered by the BYLAWS of the organization.