The Kearney High Band Parents Association Articles of Association

Approved May 5, 2003

Amended March 6, 2006, May 1, 2007, May 1, 2011, April 3, 2012, January 6, 2015, & March 3, 2020

Article I – Duties of Officers

Section 1. The duties of the President shall include:

Conduct all meetings.
Act as contact person for the Band Director(s) and distribute information to the right persons and/or committees.
Help and advise committee chairpersons on fundraising, band sponsored events and record keeping.
Teach the President-Elect the duties of the office.
Keep committees running smoothly.
Ensure that the Band Parents Handbook be reviewed and updated in conjunction with the constitution review
Approve expenditures as designated in Article II – Financial
Ensure the Constitution and Articles of Association are followed.

Section 2. The duties of the President-Elect shall include:

Assume the responsibility of the President in the absence of the President.
Help the President whenever needed.
Oversee the Band Camp Committee.
Work to ensure that parents are contacted and encouraged to serve as officers on the executive board for the upcoming year. Ensure that a chairman is in place for all committees for the upcoming year
Send monthly meeting reminders.
Ensure the Constitution and Articles of Association are followed.

Section 3. The duties of the Secretary shall include:

Keep all executive meeting and general meeting minutes.
Take care of all correspondence.
Help the President whenever needed.
Ensure the Constitution and Articles of Association are followed.

Section 4. The duties of the Treasurer shall include:

Pay bills for the Association.
Pay taxes and file IRS required documents as necessary.
Make deposits and reconcile all accounts for the Association. Provide a financial report for each executive and general meeting. Present financial reports to Kearney Public Schools as required.
Maintain the P.O. Box key and periodically check for correspondence and bills.
Develop an operational budget for the upcoming year to be presented at the annual Executive Board transition meeting.
Close out accounts by June 30th and submit to selected auditor/reviewer.
Ensure that the Treasurer’s surety bond is renewed each year.
Ensure the Constitution and Articles of Association are followed.

Section 5. The duties of the Treasurer-Elect shall include:

Learn the duties of the Treasurer and assist when needed.
Assume the Treasurer’s duties after one year of apprenticeship.
Manage student accounts for student account fundraisers and monies.
Together with fundraising chairpersons, track time students and their representatives (typically parents) have worked.
In conjunction with the Treasurer, send letter to Seniors at the end of the school year with close out options for any remaining balances.
Ensure the Constitution and Articles of Association are followed

Section 6. The Executive Board shall be responsible for updating the duties and responsibilities of their respective offices and attend the transition meeting to assist incoming officers

Section 7. Additional financial responsibilities shall be limited to the President, President-Elect and Treasurer.

Open any deposit account(s) in the name of the Association.
Endorse checks and orders for the payment of money or otherwise withdraw or transfer funds on deposit with the Association’s financial institution.
Provide corporate resolution and/or documents to the Association’s financial institution.

Section 8. Committee chairs are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Executive Board.

Article II – Financial

Section 1. The Treasurer of the Association shall have a surety bond, in an amount to be approved by the Executive Board. The association will pay the cost of the surety bond.

Section 2. The records of the Treasurer of the Association shall be reviewed and/or audited on an annual basis. An additional review/and or audit shall be conducted whenever there is a mid-term change of Treasurer. The Executive Board, in accordance with Kearney Public Schools policies will determine the reviewer and / or auditor. The cost of the review/and or audit, if any, is to be paid by the Association and will be arranged by the Treasurer and approved by the Executive Board. The review and / or audit should be completed by November or an extended date with Executive Board approval.

Section 3. Expenditures need to be approved as follows:

Budgeted items: Items under $500 can be paid by the Treasurer without any additional approvals. Items above $500 should be approved by the President.
Trip receipts and payments should be budgeted
Unbudgeted items: Any unbudgeted items require Executive Committee approval. Unbudgeted expenditures over $2,500 should be taken to the full board for approval.

Section 4. Receipts: Receipts are required for all expenditures. If a receipt is not available, the executive board will need to approve before payment can be made.

Section 5. Cash: When cash is needed for an event, the cash should remain under dual control at all times. When the event is completed, two individuals should count the cash and sign off validating the amount to be returned to the treasurer. The Treasurer should confirm the cash counted under dual control.

Article III – Scholarship

Each school year the Association may award up to two (2) graduating student band members with a $250.00 scholarship each, to be used at the university, college or technical school of their choice. Two alternates will also be selected. These two scholarships are financed per the budget. The scholarship will be given to the student upon proof of registration and once the semester or term has commenced. If the recipient of the scholarship has not provided the proof of enrollment by September 30^th, the scholarship will be awarded to an alternate recipient. If the original recipient does not fulfill the requirements of their scholarship, the award will be presented to the first alternate who will then have until November 30^th to provide proof of enrollment. Should an award need to be presented to the second alternate, he or she will have until January 30^th to provide proof of enrollment.

The recipient must have been in the KHS band for five (5) semesters. Transfer students will be given credit for previous high school band participation. Candidates shall have shown good leadership abilities, music skills and school spirit. A committee of six shall be assembled consisting of members of the executive committee and general membership, excluding parents/guardians of seniors. Candidates will remain anonymous to the selected committee to avoid conflicts of interest. The Scholarship Committee will determine the method for selection. Any Scholarship unclaimed after February 1^st will revert back to the association.

Article IV – Hardship Fund

The Association administers a hardship fund to assist active Kearney High School Band students with costs incurred as part of the student’s participation in the band program. By regulation, the Association is prohibited from assisting students with personal music expenses such as, but not limited to, personal instrument maintenance and private lessons.

The Association’s hardship fund is maintained through donations and approved fund transfers. Therefore, amounts available for distribution fluctuate and are not guaranteed until after specific Executive Board approval.

The Association may approve funds contingent upon specific performance by the student such as assisting the Directors with clerical duties for a set number of hours or similar, allowing the student to actively participate in their funding.

To be considered for assistance, the student must meet the fund’s eligibility criteria, complete the application and submit his/her application to the Band Directors or to the Association’s Executive Board. The Executive Board will act on all submitted applications at the first Executive Board meeting following receipt of the application. Students will be notified of the Executive Board’s action by the best available method within two weeks of their decision. Specific student information will be held confidential by the Board.

Hardship Fund eligibility criteria and application form is located on the Association website. It may also be obtained from the band directors.

Article V – Fund Raising

Chairpersons of all fund raisers will be established as provided by the Constitution. The Association will take ten percent (10%) of the net proceeds of all fund-raisers, unless otherwise specified and voted upon by the Executive Board and/or the general membership, to be deposited in the Association’s general fund. The exception to this 10% assessment is the sale of K Cards. The full amount of money generated by the aforementioned fund raiser(s) will go into the student’s account. Students and/or their representatives working fund raisers will have the student’s account credited with a sum determined by prorating total (net) dollars earned divided by total time worked. Fund raisers are open to all band and auxiliary members. If a person outside of the Kearney High Band wishes to participate in a fundraiser, they may do so with the permission of the Executive Board. All fund raisers will comply with KPS fund raising policies.

Articles VI – Band Trips

Each trip participant shall have the full package cost of the trip, paid in full, thirty (30) days prior to departure (or as required by the travel company). Each student attending, and their parent(s)/guardian(s) will be required to sign a school contract, regarding rules and consequences, prior to participating in the trip.

Article VII – Individual Student Credit

Section 1. Students and their parents/guardians have the opportunity to raise funds for their student’s account. Funds raised are not for the student to use for personal benefit. It will stay in the Association’s account for benefit of the student.

Section 2. Student account funds may be requested for KHS Band activities as approved by the Executive Board and Band Director(s). Contracts may be required. Examples of eligible expenses are:

Off-campus camp fees , or a portion thereof.
KHS Band fees (i.e. shoes, gloves, rental of KHS owned instruments, etc).
Upon request, the student may withdraw meal allowances for band trips based on the current IRS per diem rate for the corresponding destination city.
Funds in the individual student accounts may be used to pay for the packaged trip expenses of the students’ parent(s) or guardian(s) who serve as a band trip sponsor.

Section 3. All graduating students who have a positive balance in their for benefit of the student account will be given a letter in May of each year (which must be signed by a parent/guardian) to choose from the following options:

The remaining money in the student’s account may be transferred into the account for a younger sibling, who is active in the KHS band.
Graduating Students may choose to have their remaining money go into a designated KHS Band Fund (i.e.: instrument, scholarship, hardship, etc).
If the student does not choose an option by the date designated in the letter, all remaining funds will be transferred to the Association’s general fund or directed to a specified KHS Band Fund at the discretion of the Executive Board.

Section 4. If a student permanently drops out of band or transfers to another school, all money in their account remains the property of the Association or may be transferred to a sibling’s account.

Article VIII – Technology / Contract Related Items

Section 1 All documents (electronic/paper, etc.) created for the Association are the property of the Association. These documents shall be made available to the Executive Board upon completion or upon request. Documents should be provided to the Executive Board for storage pursuant to IRS and nonprofit guidelines (paper or electronic).

Section 2 Any online account created for Association use will be made in the Association’s name.

Section 3 Only the President, President Elect, and Treasurer have the authority to bind the Association in a contract. Contracts should be approved by the Executive Board prior to their execution.

Article IX – Review of Constitution and Articles of Association

The Constitution and Articles of Association will be reviewed by the Executive Board every two years. Last review completed school year 2019-2020.

Article X – Amendments

Section 1. The Articles of Association shall be amended at a general meeting by two-thirds written vote of the members present. The following procedure will be followed:

Any member with a proposed amendment must contact the President of the Association.
The proposed amendment will be presented to the Executive Board for review and recommendation.
If recommended by the Executive Board, the amendment will be read at the next general meeting for discussion and review as illustrated in the example below.
The amendment will be reread and voted upon at the next general meeting as illustrated in the example below.

Example: Review by Executive Board in October, read at November general meeting and reread and voted upon at the December meeting.

Section 2. Proposed amendments dealing with the same general issue can be presented only once per school year.

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When I hear people asking how do we fix the education system, I tell them we need to do the opposite of what is happening, cutting budgets by cutting music programs… Nothing could be stupider than removing the ability for the left and right brains to function. Ask a CEO what they are looking for in an employee and they say they need people who understand teamwork, people who are disciplined, people who understand the big picture. You know what they need? They need musicians.

Mike Huckabee

Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.

Albert Einstein

It is in Apple’s DNA that technology alone is not enough – it’s technology married with liberal arts, married with the humanities, that yields us the results that make our hearts sing.

Steve Jobs

In my own philanthropy and business endeavors, I have seen the critical role that the arts play in stimulating creativity and in developing vital communities… the arts have a crucial impact on our economy and are an important catalyst for learning, discovery, and achievement in our country.

Paul G. Allen

The life of the arts, far from being an interruption, a distraction, in the life of the nation, is close to the center of a nation’s purpose – and is a test to the quality of a nation’s civilization.

President John F. Kennedy

In every successful business…there is one budget line that never gets cut. It’s called ‘Product Development’ – and it’s the key to any company’s future growth. Music education is critical to the product development of this nation’s most important resource – our children.

John Sykes

During the Gulf War, the few opportunities I had for relaxation I always listened to music, and it brought me great peace of mind. I have shared my love of music with people throughout this world, while listening to the drums and special instruments of the Far East, Middle East, Africa, the Caribbean, and the Far North, and all of this started with the music appreciation course that I was taught in a third-grade elementary class in Princeton, New Jersey. What a tragedy it would be if we lived in a world where music was not taught to children.

General H. Norman Schwarzkopf

Music is exciting. It is thrilling to be sitting in a group of musicians playing the same piece of music. You are part of a great, powerful, vibrant entity. And nothing beats the feeling you get when you’ve practiced a difficult section over and over and finally get it right. Music is important. It says things your heart can’t say any other way, and in a language everyone speaks. Music crosses borders, turns smiles into frowns, and vice versa. These observations are shared with a hope: that, when schools cut back on music classes, they really think about what they’re doing – and don’t take music for granted.

Dan Rather

The things I learned from my experience in music in school are discipline, perseverance, dependability, composure, courage and pride in results… Not a bad preparation for the workforce!

Gregory Anrig

Music is an essential part of everything we do. Like puppetry, music has an abstract quality which speaks to a worldwide audience in a wonderful way that nourishes the soul.

Jim Henson

Should we not be putting all our emphasis on reading, writing and math? The ‘back-to-basics curricula,’ while it has merit, ignores the most urgent void in our present system – absence of self-discipline. The arts, inspiring – indeed requiring – self-discipline, may be more ‘basic’ to our nation’s survival than traditional credit courses. Presently, we are spending 29 times more on science than on the arts, and the result so far is worldwide intellectual embarrassment.

Paul Harvey

It [music education] is terribly important, extremely important — because when you are a child, you are in a receptive age… In high schools, public schools — that’s where they must have the best influence, the first influence, which will go through their whole life.

Eugene Ormandy

It is our job, as parents, educators, and friends, to see that our young people have the opportunity to attain the thorough education that will prepare them for the future. Much of that education takes place in the classroom. We must encourage our youngsters in such pursuits as music education. In addition to learning the valuable lesson that it takes hard work to achieve success, no matter what the arena, music education can provide students with a strong sense of determination, improved communication skills, and a host of other qualities essential for successful living.

Edward H. Rensi

A grounding in the arts will help our children to see; to bring a uniquely human perspective to science and technology. In short, it will help them as they grow smarter to also grow wiser.

Robert E. Allen

Some people think music education is a privilege, but I think it’s essential to being human.

Jewel

Arts Education aids students in skills needed in the workplace: flexibility, the ability to solve problems and communicate; the ability to learn new skills, to be creative and innovative, and to strive for excellence.

Joseph M. Calahan