The TALONS BYLAWS

Article 1. NAME

This Booster Organization shall be known as the TALONS, “The Helping Hands” to Centennial High School Marching Hawks and Golden Pageantry Corps. (Hereafter “The TALONS”).

Article 2. MISSION
The purpose of The Talons is to encourage and assist students of Centennial High School in all band and color guard endeavors and promote the general welfare of the students. To aid and assist the Centennial High staff and faculty in any way possible in their efforts to aid Centennial High students involved in all band and color guard endeavors and in promoting the general welfare of the students.

Article 3. GOALS

3.1 Membership. The TALONS will meet the booster needs of the CHS Marching Hawks & Golden Pageantry Corps through a diverse member base, which includes parents, student alumni, and other interested supporters with a genuine desire to support the students participating as members of the CHS Marching Hawks & Golden Pageantry Corps.

3.2 Organization Management. The TALONS will be a well managed, member responsive, fiscally sound, appropriately governed organization.
3.3 Resources. The TALONS will be both a recognized source of information for its Members and a provider of resources (financial, material and labor) to the CHS Marching Hawks and Golden Pageantry Corps.
3.4 Sponsorships. The TALONS will provide support by actively pursuing and attaining sponsors for the CHS Marching Hawks and Golden Pageantry Corps.

Article 4. MEMBERSHIP

4.1 General Member. Any individual who has the desire to support the students of the CHS Marching Hawks and Golden Pageantry Corps is eligible for membership.

4.2 Limitations. General members shall not be entitled to vote for officers, or be eligible for elective office until completion of nine months as a member of The TALONS.

4.3 Establishment of Membership. Any individual may become a general member of the TALONS and those with an established relationship as described in 4.1 above. Establishment of membership is accomplished by filling out an information form and returning it to any Board Member.

4.4 Termination of Membership.

4.4.1 Resignation. A General Member may resign at any time from The TALONS, verbally, in writing or via email. An Executive Board Member should provide as much notice as possible and present their resignation to the President or Vice-President as applicable.

4.4.2 Suspension/Expulsion. The Executive Board by majority vote may suspend or expel any member for “just cause” after giving such member the opportunity for a hearing before a Special Executive Board Meeting. The hearing will be informal in nature, providing the Member an opportunity to provide information on their behalf.

Any member suspended or expelled by this method may be reinstated by an affirmative vote of a majority of the Executive Board upon written request by the suspended/expelled member.

4.4.1 For the purpose of this subparagraph, the term “for just cause” shall include but not be limited to, any of the follow:

4.4.1.1.1 Any violation of these bylaws.
4.4.1.1.2 Any conduct on the part of said member that is detrimental to the interests and welfare of The TALONS and its members.
4.4.1.1.3 Any intentional or grossly negligent action(s) by a member, particularly a member of the Executive Board or any Committee Chairperson.

Article 5. MEETINGS

5.1 Regular Meetings. There shall be regular standing meetings of The TALONS on the First Monday of each month. Meetings commence at 7:00 PM in the CHS Band Room. If the First Monday of the Month is recognized as a Holiday by the State of California, the meeting shall be held on the Tuesday immediately following the Holiday.

5.2 Special Meetings. Special meetings may be called by the President of the TALONS or by special request by General Members of the TALONS.

5.3 Meeting Notification. The TALONS membership will be made aware of Regular or Special Meetings at least two (2) days prior to meeting. The Notification may be accomplished by any of the following methods: Email, Newsletter and/or telephone. The notification will provide the Time, Date and Location of the meeting.

5.4 Order of Meetings. Meetings will use Robert’s Rules of Order as a guide. Any motion must be initiated and seconded, allowing time for discussion if necessary. Motions must be approved or disapproved by a majority of General Members in attendance. The recommended order of meetings shall be (the order may or may not include all of the following components):

5.4.1 Called to order by the President (or other Board Member Designee).

5.4.2 Reading of the Mission Statement

5.4.3 Review, discussion, changes and acceptance of previous Meeting Minutes.

5.4.4 Review and discussion of Financial Statements, including Scrip &

E-scrip.

5.4.5 Old Business

5.4.6 New Business

5.4.7 Report from Band Director, Color Guard Instructor or other designee.

5.4.7 Conclusion.

5.5 Time Limits of Meetings. Meetings shall generally be limited to 90 minutes, but never more than 180 minutes.

Article 6. EXECUTIVE BOARD.

6.1 Officers. The Executive Board of The TALONS shall include at a minimum the following officers: President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer.

6.2 Eligibility of Officers. The requirements for eligibility to be an Officer of The TALONS Executive Board are as follows; individuals must have been actively involved as a member of The TALONS, and must be a parent or legal guardian of a current Centennial High School Band or Color Guard student. To be eligible for President, in addition to the above, the member must have been actively involved as a TALON for an entire school year.

6.3 Term of Office. The Term of Office for all Officers shall be one (1) year, beginning on January 1 and running through December 31 of the same year.

6.4 Vacancies of Office. In the event that one or more Executive Board members are unable to serve out their full term, the following will apply:

6.4.1 The Vice-President will assume the duties of the Executive Board Member who is unable to fulfill their term.

6.4.2 In the event more than one Executive Board Member is unable to fulfill their term, a special election at a regular scheduled General Membership meeting. A minimum of ten (10) days advance notice must be provided to the General Membership.

6.4.3 If a special election is required, nominations will come from the floor at the General Membership meeting and an election will be conducted immediately after nominations close.

6.5 Duties of the Executive Board. The Executive Board with a quorum of a minimum of three (3) persons present and the members-at-large shall act upon all matters and their determination shall be by majority vote. They shall meet at least once monthly at a time of their selection. The duties of the Executive Board shall be:

6.5.1 To manage the affairs of the organization between general meetings of The TALONS.

6.5.2 To adopt such policies and procedures for the operation of the organization as shall be conducive to achieve the objectives and purposes of The TALONS in accordance with the Mission.

6.5.3 To assist the President in selecting and appointing committees and chairpersons.

6.5.4 To supervise and assist all committee chairpersons and committees in executing committee functions.

6.5.5 Should any member of the Executive Board miss two (2) consecutive meetings without a valid excuse, they will automatically relinquish their office. They will be required to notify the President in advance of any scheduled absence.

6.5.6 To review a Budget Proposal for support of the CHS Marching Hawks & Golden Pageantry Corps presented by the CHS Band Director in May. After review and modification, the board shall present it to the general membership at the TALON’s June General Membership meeting for approval by a majority of the General Members present. If the majority of General Members present at the meeting do not approve the budget, it will be reviewed, modified, and presented at the TALON’s July General Membership meeting. In no case will The TALONS operate without an approved budget after July 31. If necessary, the President will call Special Meetings of the Executive Board and/or General Membership to have a completed and approved Budget by the end of July.

6.5.7 To approve the expenditures of funds by the Treasurer of The TALONS. Whenever disbursement of funds occurs, payment will always be made by check to ensure fiduciary accountability by the Executive Board. Additionally, all checks issued by the Treasurer or designee, must be counter-signed by a member of the Executive Board.

6.5.8 The Executive Board will ensure that The TALONS Financials are maintained using Generally Accepted Accounting Principles and those financial records are maintained audit ready at all times.

6.5.9 The Executive Board will ensure that The TALONS Financials are audited minimally twice per year. These audits will occur prior to the transition from the previous year’s Executive Board to the Newly Elected Board (during the month of June) and during the Month of January.

6.5.10 The Executive Board will ensure that a member of the General Membership will be appointed to participate in the audit and provide a report to the General Membership following the audit.

6.5.11 Make discretionary decisions in new expenditures up to $500.00.

6.5.12 Review, comment and make recommendation to the General Membership concerning expenditures of New Expenditures that exceed $500.00.

6.5.13 In emergencies, provide approval for the expenditure of funds exceeding the parameters established in 6.4.11 above. However, a report must be made to the General Membership at the first General Membership meeting following the disbursement of funds. This report will outline the reasons why disbursement of funds greater than $500.00 was authorized and identify the criticality of the situation.

Article 7. DUTIES OF OFFICER.

7.1 President. The President shall preside at all meetings of The TALONS. The President shall call for committees and appoint Chairpersons to lead the committee, call special meetings of The TALONS, and The TALONS Executive Board whenever in the President’s judgment, it is deemed necessary to have a special meeting.

7.2 Vice-President. The Vice-President will assume the responsibilities of the President, when the President is absent or permanently in the unfortunate circumstances that the President is unable to continue. The Vice-President shall perform duties necessary to carry out the functions of the office.

7.3 Secretary. The Secretary shall keep accurate records of all proceedings of The TALONS. The Secretary shall present the minutes of meetings as required, and conduct and maintain all correspondence of the Executive Board. Additionally, the Secretary will act as the official historian for The TALONS.

7.4 Treasurer. The Treasurer shall be charged with tracking and reporting the financials of The TALONS. This includes the safekeeping of all monies, tracking income and expenditures. The Treasurer shall provide a monthly report of the financial state of The TALONS at the General Membership meeting. The report will be in an easy to follow format, using “generally accepted accounting principles and practices”. Additionally, the Scrip Program Chairperson will report to the Treasurer on all matters relating to Scrip Program.

Article 8. NOMINATION AND ELECTION OF OFFICERS.

8.1 Nominating Committee. In October of each year, the President will appoint a nominating committee composed of a cross-section from the General Members of The TALONS. This committee is charged with canvassing General Members who may have suggestions or are interested in serving as an Executive Board member. Nominees must serve the best interests and goals of The TALONS. The Nominating Committee will present their list of prospective nominees at the November General Meeting. Additionally, nominations from the floor may also be made at the November General Meeting. Validation of nominees will be made by motion and seconded. The validated nominees will be presented on a ballot at the December General Meeting.

8.2 Election. During the Election of the Executive Board at the May General Meeting:

8.2.1. Ballots will be provided to all General Members of The TALONS.

8.2.2 Ballots will be counted during the General Meeting, by the Treasurer and verified by a General Member who is not a nominee.

8.2.3 In the event that the Treasurer is a nominee for Executive Office, the Vice-President, Secretary, or President may act in the Treasurer’s place.

8.2.4 In the event that all Executive Board members are nominees, a Chairperson from a committee will act as the primary vote counter.

8.2.5 In the event that there is only one nominee for any or all Executive Board

Office(s) the nominee(s) may be confirmed by a motion that is seconded,

and affirmed by a majority of the General Members that are in attendance

at the General Meeting.

Article 9. ADMENDMENTS

9.1 These bylaws may be amended by satisfying all of the following requirements:

9.1.1 Amendment Proposals: Amendments can be proposed for approval by: a written petition to the President of the Executive Board signed by either at least 1/3 of the General Members or by a majority of the Executive Board.
9.1.2 Voting on Amendments: The proposed amendment(s) shall be made available to all General Members for review through the provision of hard copies at a General Membership meeting and placement on The TALONS Website and ListServe. Members will have a minimum of thirty (30) days to review any amendments prior to a vote of ratification.
9.1.3 An Affirmative vote from a majority of the General Members who are present at the General Meeting will be required for any restatement, amendment, or material change to the bylaws.

Approved by a majority vote of the membership at The TALONS meeting on October 4, 2004.

Attested to by the 2004-05 Executive Board:

__________________________ __________________________

Randy Melzer, President Rebecca Stokes, Vice-President

__________________________ __________________________

Cary Nikkel, Treasurer Nancy Glenn, Secretary