Parliamentarian
Parliamentarian’s Key Role
- Assists the president to manage meetings and advises on parliamentary procedure
- Chairs Bylaws committee to review unit Bylaws each year and revise Bylaws every three years
- Arranges nominating committee’s first meeting, providing information on nomination and election process
Getting Started
To know more about your new position, review files from last term including your unit Bylaws and Standing Rules. It’s also worthwhile to talk to the outgoing parliamentarian for advice and tips about your new role.
Meet with the incoming president to identify ways to work together to make board and association meetings even more effective. At the first board meeting, hand out copies of the Bylaws and go through them together. This helps everyone learn more about PTA. To make board meetings run smoothly, provide information on parliamentary basics such as how to make a motion.
How Tos
Parliamentarians act as facilitators of bylaws, consultants for meeting management, and mentors for members on parliamentary procedure.
Here are some quick tips to get you started:
Facilitator
As a facilitator, be prepared to know more about how Bylaws shape your unit and how it operates as a nonprofit organization. A good first step is to create a quick Bylaws reference guide to use throughout the term.
Go Online – capta.org
Download the resource, Running Your PTA Made Easy. Here, you will find the Unit Bylaws Information Summary sheet: a one-pager to print and fill in with details on your PTA. During the year, you also take the lead in reviewing the Bylaws. If changes are needed, ask the president to appoint a Bylaws committee to prepare revised Bylaws and send them to your PTA council/district parliamentarian. In turn, they will submit your Bylaws to California State PTA for approval.
Consultant
Assisting the president to manage meetings well is another aspect of your new position. For instance, if a question on parliamentary procedure comes up, the president might ask for your advice before making a ruling. That’s why knowing more about Robert’s Rules of Order for parliamentary basics will prove useful.
Start the year right by working with the board to set ground rules for meetings. This might include agreement on how many can speak in favor and against a motion and how much time is allowed for each speaker. If these agreed norms work well, consider adding them to your unit’s Standing Rules. To make meetings run smoothly, encourage participants to focus discussion on the agenda item at hand. You can also help everyone stay on task by acting as a timekeeper so meetings start and end on time. Also, remember to keep a speakers’ list for the president to use when people raise their hands to be recognized. That way, everyone has an equal chance to be heard.
Mentor
Members often rely on the parliamentarian to clarify how meetings are conducted and how to participate to achieve your PTA’s main goals and objectives. Be proactive in raising awareness of how parliamentary procedure is a reliable way to run meetings. This includes understanding the five basic ‘rules of the game’:
Right of Majority – To decideway, everyone has an equal chance to be heard.
Order – One business item at a time
Equal Opportunity – Chance to participate
Justice – Fairness | Everyone understands
Right of Minority – To be heard
To explain the basics, provide how-tos at meetings with mini-training or handouts on motions, voting, and the rules of debate. For wider outreach, post these tips on your PTA website, e-news, or social media. You also mentor the nominating committee. This includes setting up its first meeting and conducting an election for the chairman. To help it get started, supply information from your Bylaws on nominating and election procedures. Take time to explain what positions to fill and who is eligible to serve on the board for the upcoming term.
Elections
The elections process is a vital aspect of running your PTA. Attached are forms and resources to help get you started. Please refer to your bylaws (Article VI for councils/Article V for units – Officers and their Election) for information pertaining your nominating committee and election process.