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Plainwell Robotics Club

BYLAWS

 

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1.0  Organization Name

 

The name of the Organization is the Plainwell Robotics Club.

 

The principal office and mailing address of the Organization is: 600 School Drive, Plainwell, Michigan 49080.

 

 

2.0  Organization Purpose

 

The purpose of the Organization is to provide the necessary human and financial resources to support of the creation of competition VEX Robotics teams in the Plainwell Community Schools District (hereafter, PCS District).  

 

[VEX Robotics partners with the Robotics Education & Competition (REC) Foundation, a non-profit organization, which manages the VEX IQ Challenge (for elementary students) and the VEX Robotics Competition (for middle school and high school students).]

 

 

3.0  Membership

 

The Organization shall have two classes of members – Student Members and General Members.  Student Members shall be students enrolled in the 4th through 12th grade in a PCS District school interested in studying robotics and participating on a competitive robotics team.  General Members shall be robotics team coaches and mentors, parents or legal guardians of Student Members, and any person, including students, interested in furthering the purpose of the Organization. 

 

 

4.0  Funding

 

Funding for the Organization will be provided primarily by private and corporate grants, private and public donations, government grants, and monies received from charitable foundations.

 

All such funds shall be maintained by the PCS District in an account designated for the exclusive use of the Organization.  Procedures for accounting for income and expenditures for this account shall be established by the PCS District’s Director of Finance and Human Resources.

 

 

5.0  Management Team

 

The Organization shall be managed by a Management Team, which shall be responsible  for:

  • The overall operation of the Organization;

  • Establishing Rules and Policies for the Organization, including Codes of Conduct for students, coaches, and parents;

  • Maintaining a mutually effective working relationship with the PCS District administration;

  • Developing, and then executing, the Annual Work Plan;

  • Communicating the Annual Work Plan to the general membership of the Organization and PCS District administrators associated with the Organization;

  • Approving all expenditures required for the operation of the Organization;

  • Identifying at least one coach for each robotics team;

  • Creating subcommittees of the general membership to address special needs, such as fundraising; and,

  • Deciding the appropriate dispositions of subcommittee recommendations.

5.1  Positions and Responsibilities

The Management Team shall consist of a President, Treasurer, Technology Director, Communications Coordinator, High School Director, Middle School Director, Elementary School Director, Engineering Notebook Coach, Event Partner, Volunteer Coordinator, and Fundraising Director.  The Volunteer Coordinator shall report to the Event Partner, and the Fundraising Director shall report to the Treasurer.  The other eight positions shall report to the President.

 

Management Team members shall serve without compensation (see below for the exception for the Treasurer), shall sign the Plainwell Robotics Club Contribution of Grant Funds Form, and shall agree to a PCS District Volunteer Background Check.

5.1.1  President

The President shall have overall management and functional responsibility for the Organization.  The President shall preside over all Management Team and General Membership meetings of the Organization.

 

5.1.2  Treasurer

The Treasurer shall be responsible for managing all financial transactions of the Organization.  This includes, but is not limited to, responsibility for all income and expense items, and maintaining auditable records of all such transactions.

 

The Treasurer shall maintain possession of the necessary credit or debit cards to conduct the business of the Organization.  The Treasurer shall, in turn, complete and submit all forms and reports specified by the PCS District’s Director of Finance and Human Resources for approvals and accounting in a timely manner.

 

The Treasurer shall manage access to all PCS District buildings and rooms used by the Organization to store equipment and hold practices.

 

At the discretion of the PCS District administration, the Treasurer may be considered a part time employee of the District.  Any stipends paid to the Treasurer by the PCS District shall be donated to the Organization for its exclusive use.

 

The Treasurer shall act as President in the absence of the sitting President.  

 

5.1.3  Technology Director

The Technology Director shall be responsible for identifying for purchase and maintaining all non-robotic electronic equipment owned by the Organization.  This includes laptop computers, tablet computers, video monitors, and associated equipment such as cables and stands.

 

5.1.4  Elementary, Middle, and High School Directors

The Elementary, Middle, and High School Directors shall be responsible for creating a common and synergistic approach to coaching robotics at each school level.  The Directors will require substantial freedom as they work with their team coaches to achieve this objective.

 

5.1.5  Event Partner

The Event Partner shall be responsible for a Planning Team that organizes and executes all of the Organization’s robotic events, such as tournaments, leagues, scrimmages, and workshops.  The Event Partner is also the liaison between the REC Foundation and the Organization.

 

5.1.6  Volunteer Coordinator

The Volunteer Coordinator shall be responsible for identifying and directing individuals to perform pre-identified tasks for events sponsored by the Organization.  The most notable example of this is assembling groups of volunteers to assist with setting up and running a robotics tournament.

 

5.1.7  Communications Director

The Communications Director shall be responsible for disseminating information about the Organization’s activities and achievements to the appropriate audiences.  This includes contacts with parents, sponsors, the news media, and other friends of the Organization.  The Communications Director also has ultimate responsibility for the content of the Organization’s web site.

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5.1.8  Fundraising Director

The Fundraising Director shall be responsible for ensuring that adequate funds are available to execute the Organization’s Annual Work Plan.  This includes identifying potential sources of funding, and then preparing and submitting any required application documents.

 

5.1.9  Engineering Notebook Coach

The Engineering Notebook Coach shall be responsible for working with all of the Organization’s robotics team members to ensure (as much as possible) that they follow all REC Foundation Rules and Requirements for maintaining an engineering notebook.

5.2  Term of Office

Management Team members shall serve for a period of one year, beginning May 1 and ending on April 30 of the following year.  Management Team members' Term of Office will be renewed automatically for another year on May 1 of each year, unless the member has submitted their resignation in writing prior to that time.

 

5.3  Selecting Management Team Members

Active Management Team members will select and invite candidates to fill open Management Team positions.  The method used to select an appropriate candidate is left to the discretion of the active Management Team members. 

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5.4  Removal of A Management Team Member

A Management Team member who has violated PCS District or Organization Rules or Policies, has demonstrated inappropriate behavior, or has acted in such a way as to discredit the PCS District or Organization, may be removed from office by a simple majority vote of the remaining Management Team members.  The effective date of such termination shall be set by the President, or by the Treasurer in the absence of the President.

6.0  Meetings

 

The Management Team may call for a meeting of Student and/or General Members at any time.  Meeting announcements, together with a meeting agenda, shall be sent electronically to all invited attendees at least one week before the meeting date.  A simple majority of those present and voting shall be sufficient to carry a motion.

 

 

7.0  Subcommittees

 

Subcommittees established by the Management Team for specific assignments shall be led by a chairperson appointed by the President.  Any Organization Student or General Member is eligible to serve.  The Chairperson shall have general supervision of the subcommittee, shall hold meetings and conduct business when necessary, and shall submit periodic written reports to the Management Team.

 

 

8.0  Coaches

 

Robotics team coaches shall be responsible for working with a group of (typically) two to four students with the objective of creating a team capable of designing, building, programming, testing, operating, and documenting a robot for use in competitions throughout the state of Michigan.  

 

Coaches shall serve without compensation, shall sign the Plainwell Robotics Club Contribution of Grant Funds Form, and shall agree to a PCS District Volunteer Background Check.

 

Elementary, middle, and high school coaches shall report to the Elementary, Middle, and High School Directors, respectively.

8.1  Removal of a Coach

A Coach who has violated PCS District or Organization Rules or Policies, has demonstrated inappropriate behavior, or has acted in such a way as to discredit the PCS District or Organization, may be removed from office by a simple majority vote of the Management Team members.  The effective date of such termination shall be set by the President, or by the Treasurer in the absence of the President.

​9.0  Annual Work Plan

 

The Management Team shall develop and publish the Annual Work Plan during the first quarter of each calendar year.  The Annual Work Plan shall define and describe all anticipated activities of the Organization during the Planning Period, or January 1st of the current year through June 30th of the following year.

 

The Annual Work Plan shall specify the number of teams in each VEX Robotics competitive category (e.g., elementary school VEX IQ, middle school VEX VRC, high school VEX VRC, etc.), team coaches, and team expense budgets for the specified planning period.

 

The Annual Work Plan also shall identify sources of funding for the specified planning period.

 

 

10.0  Standing Rules

 

All matters pertaining to the activities, events, and projects of the organization must be in keeping with the policies of the PCS District.

 

Equipment of the Organization is not to be lent to any persons or Organizations for any use without the permission of the Management Team.

 

Should any grievance arise among the Organization’s membership, the grievance shall be resolved by the Management Team.

 

 

11.0  Modifications to these Operating Guidelines

 

Recognizing that situations may arise that are not adequately addressed in these Operating Guidelines as currently written, both parties (the PCS District Administration and the Plainwell Robotics Club Management Team) agree to mutually resolve such issues that may be identified by either party.

 

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12.0  Dissolution

 

Upon dissolution or disbandment of this Organization, any and all unspent cash funds shall be turned over to the PCS District for exclusive use in the study of robotics.

 

 

13.0  Approval and Acceptance

 

The signatories below have approved and accepted these Bylaws, which are in effect as of November 4, 2022:

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James Mallory

President

Plainwell Robotics Club

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Matthew Montange

Superintendent

Plainwell Community Schools                                 

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