POLICY COUNCIL BYLAWS FINAL .PDF

Maricopa County
Head Start Zero-Five Program
Policy Council
Bylaws
2014-2015
Approved by the Policy Council – December 5, 2014
Approved by the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors – February 18, 2015

MARICOPA COUNTY HEAD START ZERO-FIVE PROGRAM
POLICY COUNCIL BYLAWS
Table of Contents
ARTICLE 1 – NAME ............................................................................................................... 1
ARTICLE 2 – PURPOSE AND FUNCTION .......................................................................... 1
Section 2.1 Purpose ....................................................................................................... 1
Section 2.2 Function ..................................................................................................... 1
ARTICLE 3 – MEMBERSHIP AND DUTIES
Section 3.1 Membership ............................................................................................... 2
Section 3.2 Duties ......................................................................................................... 4
Section 3.3 Term of Service ......................................................................................... 4
Section 3.4 Vacancies ................................................................................................... 5
ARTICLE 4 – OFFICERS
Section 4.1 Officers ...................................................................................................... 5
Section 4.2 Election of Officers.................................................................................... 5
Section 4.3 Duties of Officers ...................................................................................... 5
Section 4.4 Vacancies ................................................................................................... 7
ARTICLE 5 – MEETINGS
Section 5.1 Types of Meetings ..................................................................................... 7
Section 5.2 Meeting Notices ......................................................................................... 7
Section 5.3 Quorum and Voting ................................................................................... 7
Section 5.4 Attendance ................................................................................................. 8
Section 5.5 Reimbursement of Policy Council Members ............................................ 8
ARTICLE 6 – EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE ........................................................................... 8
ARTICLE 7 – COMMITTEES
Section 7.1 General Provisions ..................................................................................... 8
Section 7.2 Standing Committees ................................................................................ 9
Section 7.3 Program Design and Management Standing Committee .......................... 9
Section 7.4 Child Development and Health Services Standing Committee ............. 10
Section 7.5 Family and Community Partnerships Standing Committee .................. 10
Section 7.6 Parent Participation in Hiring ................................................................. 11
ARTICLE 8 – DISCIPLINARY ACTION ............................................................................ 11
ARTICLE 9 – BYLAWS AMENDMENTS .......................................................................... 13
ARTICLE 10 – PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY ........................................................... 13

MARICOPA COUNTY HEAD START ZERO-FIVE PROGRAM
POLICY COUNCIL BYLAWS
ARTICLE 1
NAME
The name of this organization is the MARICOPA COUNTY HEAD START ZERO-FIVE
POLICY COUNCIL, herein after referred to as Policy Council or Council.
ARTICLE 2
PURPOSE AND FUNCTION
SECTION 2.1 PURPOSE
The purpose of the Policy Council is to provide program parents and other community
representatives with the authority and opportunity to participate in shared decision-making
with the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors and with key management staff concerning
the design and implementation of the Maricopa County Head Start Zero-Five program, as
provided for in the Head Start Performance Standards.
SECTION 2.2 FUNCTION
A. The Policy Council works in partnership with key management staff of the Maricopa
County Head Start Zero-Five Program and the Board of Supervisors to develop,
review, and approve or disapprove the following:
1. All funding applications and amendments to funding applications for Head Start
and Early Head Start, including administrative services, prior to submitting the
applications to the United States Department of Health and Human Services.
2. Procedures for program planning, including the program’s philosophy and long-
and short-range goals and objectives.
3. The selection of delegate agencies and their service areas.
4. The composition of the Policy Council and the procedures by which Policy
Council members are chosen.
5. Criteria for defining recruitment, selection, and enrollment priorities, in
accordance with the requirements of 45 CFR part 1305.
6. The annual self-assessment of Maricopa County’s progress in carrying out the
programmatic and fiscal intent of its grant application, including planning or
other actions that may result from the review of the annual audit and findings
from the Federal monitoring review.
1

7. Program personnel policies and subsequent changes to those policies, in
accordance with 45 CFR 1301.31, including standards of conduct for program
staff, consultants and volunteers.
8. Decisions to approve or disapprove the hiring or termination of the Head Start
Zero-Five Director, or any person who works primarily for the Head Start Zero-
Five Program.
9. Procedures describing how the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors and the
Policy Council will implement shared decision-making and how internal
disputes between the Policy Council and the Board, including impasse
procedures, will be resolved.
10. Procedures and rates of reimbursement for reasonable expenses incurred by the
members of the Policy Council and Parent Committees when they participate in
program activities in order to enable low-income members to participate fully in
their responsibilities.
B. The Policy Council directly performs the following program functions:
1. Serves as a link to the Parent Committees, the Maricopa County Board of
Supervisors, public and private organizations, and the communities they serve.
2. Assists Parent Committees in communicating with parents enrolled in Head
Start Zero-Five to ensure they understand their rights, responsibilities, and
opportunities in Head Start and Early Head Start, and to encourage their
participation in the program.
3. Assists Parent Committees in planning, coordinating, and organizing program
activities for parents, with the assistance of program staff, and ensures funds set
aside from program budgets are used to support parent activities.
4. Assists in recruiting volunteer services from parents, community residents, and
community organizations, and assists in the mobilization of community
resources to meet identified needs.
5. Provides input to procedures for working with Maricopa County Head Start
Zero-Five to resolve community complaints about the program.
ARTICLE 3
MEMBERSHIP AND DUTIES
SECTION 3.1 MEMBERSHIP
Categories of membership are Parents and Community Representatives.
A. Parents must be a parent of a child currently enrolled in Maricopa County’s Head
Start Zero-Five Program [parent is defined in accordance with Head Start
Performance Standard 1306.3(h)]. Parents are elected to the Policy Council to
represent clusters of program sites or program options, as outlined below, by the
2

Parent Committees, in accordance with the Policy Council Parent Representative
Election Procedures. The number of representatives per cluster is based on the
number of children served within each cluster of sites or program options. Clusters
with fewer than 150 children will have two (2) representatives; clusters with 150
children to 250 children will have three (3) representatives and clusters with 251 or
more will have four (4) representatives.
 Head Start Center Based
 Head Start Home Based
 Early Head Start Center
 Early Head Start Home Based
B. A maximum of nine (9) Community Representatives are drawn from the local
community, such as businesses; public or private community, civic and professional
organizations; or others who are familiar with resources and services for low-
income children and families; or have a skill, talent or other asset that can benefit
the Head Start Zero-Five Program. Community Representatives include:
1. Two (2) Delegate Agency members, who must be members of the Delegate
Agency’s Policy Committee and elected to the Council by the Delegate
Agency’s Policy Committee.
2. One (1) Board of Supervisors (BOS) representative, who is appointed by the
BOS from among its members, or a representative from the community to serve
on its behalf or a non-voting liaison to the board as a Designee to the Policy
Council. If a non-voting liaison is selected in lieu of appointing a Board
representative, this person would not count for or against meeting a quorum to
conduct business and would not serve as a voting member on any committee.
3. Six (6) Community Partners, who are nominated by the Executive Committee,
elected by the Parent Representatives of the Policy Council on behalf of the
program parents, and in accordance with the Policy Council’s Community
Representative Election Procedure.
a. A maximum of two (2) persons may be formerly enrolled parents.
b. The remaining persons must be community partners or individuals in the
community.
C. In accordance with Head Start Performance Standard 1304.50(b)(6), no staff of the
Head Start Zero-Five program or any member of their immediate family (wife,
husband, brother, sister, son, daughter, mother, father or any of these like
relationships created by marriage) may serve on the Policy Council except parents
who occasionally substitute for regular Head Start Zero–Five Program staff.
D. No person who was formerly employed by the Maricopa County Head Start Zero-
Five Program within the last 12 months is eligible to serve as a Policy Council
community representative, except persons who occasionally substitute for regular
Head Start Zero-Five Program staff.
3

SECTION 3.2 DUTIES
A. All Policy Council members are expected to:
1. Read the agenda and review materials prior to the meeting.
2. Attend meetings regularly and arrive on time.
3. Actively participate in the meetings.
4. Respect the rights of other members to express their opinions.
5. Consider all information and arguments before voting.
6. Debate the issues and not persons.
7. Accept and support any final decisions of the majority of the Policy Council.
B. Parent Representatives are expected to participate in shared-decision making
between the Policy Council and their Parent Committee(s) by:
1. Reporting to Parent Committee(s) actions proposed or taken by the Policy
Council.
2. Reporting to the Policy Council regarding any information, issues, or concerns
as requested by the Parent Committee(s).
C. Community Representatives
1. Community Partners are expected to:
a. Keep the organizations they represent and the general community
informed regarding the Head Start/Early Head Start programs.
b. Mentor and guide new Parent Representatives on the Council.
2. Delegate Agency Representatives are expected to participate in shared-
decision making between the Policy Council and their Policy Committee by:
a. Reporting to their Policy Committee actions proposed or taken by the
Policy Council.
b. Reporting to the Policy Council regarding any information, issues, or
concerns as requested by their Policy Committee.
SECTION 3.3 TERM OF SERVICE
The term of service of each Policy Council member is one year, from September through
September. All members’ terms end at the September meeting when the new members are
seated. Policy Council members cannot serve more than three (3) one-year terms, regardless
of the category of membership and whether such terms are served consecutively. Any
member serving six (6) or more months on the Council will be considered to have served
one full year.
4

SECTION 3.4 VACANCIES
A. A vacancy of a Parent Representative is filled in accordance with the Policy Council
Parent Representative Election Procedure and this individual serves the balance of the
unexpired term.
B. When a Delegate Agency Representative vacancy occurs, the Delegate Agency Policy
Committee elects a representative to serve the balance of the unexpired term.
C. When a community representative vacancy occurs, the Policy Council attempts to
fill the vacancy for the unexpired term, in accordance with the Policy Council’s
Community Representative Election Procedure, provided the vacancy is other than
the Board of Supervisors Designee. If the vacancy is with the Board of Supervisors
Designee, the Board of Supervisors fills the vacancy for the unexpired term.
D. Seats on the Policy Council that remain or become vacant after the February Policy
Council meeting are not filled.
ARTICLE 4
OFFICERS
SECTION 4.1 OFFICERS
The Policy Council Officers consist of a Chairperson, a Vice-Chairperson, a Secretary,
and a Treasurer.
SECTION 4.2 ELECTION OF OFFICERS
A. All Policy Council members are eligible to run for an office except Delegate Agency
Representatives.
B. Officers are elected at the October meeting of the Policy Council and serve a term of
one year or until their successor has been designated.
C. Officers are elected by ballot. If no candidate receives a majority vote on the first
ballot, subsequent ballots will be taken including the top two (2) candidates (or more
in case of ties) until one (1) candidate has received a majority vote.
D. No two relatives can hold executive offices simultaneously.
SECTION 4.3 DUTIES OF OFFICERS
A. The Chairperson’s duties are:
 Prepare an agenda with the Head Start Director or designated staff for each
meeting.
5

 Call the meeting to order and establish a quorum to conduct scheduled business.
 Sign all documents as required for Policy Council operations.
 Appoint committees with the concurrence of the Policy Council.
 Serve as a non-voting member of all committees except the Executive Committee,
of which the Chairperson serves as a voting member.
 Serve as a voting member of the Health Services Advisory Committee (HSAC).
 Conduct meetings in fairness, with courtesy, and under meeting rules.
 Work closely with the Council members and Head Start Zero-Five staff in
carrying out the functions of the Council.
 Perform such other duties as the Policy Council may assign.
B. The Vice-Chairperson’s duties are:
 Preside at meetings in the absence of the Chairperson.
 Prepare a meeting agenda with the Head Start Director, in the absence of the
Chairperson.
 Assist the Chairperson, as requested.
 Work closely with the Council members and Head Start Zero-Five Program staff.
 Perform such other duties as the Policy Council may assign.
C. The Secretary’s duties are:
 Preside at meetings in the absence of the Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson.
 Conduct roll call.
 Assist staff in the preparation of meeting minutes.
 Work closely with Council members and Head Start Zero-Five Program staff.
D. The Treasurer’s duties are:
 Preside at meetings in the absence of the Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, and
Secretary.
 Serve on the Program Design and Management Committee.
 Review all parent expense financial records.
 Present monthly finance reports to the Policy Council.
 Work closely with the Council members and Head Start Zero-Five staff.
6

SECTION 4.4 VACANCIES
If an officer’s position becomes vacant, an election is held to fill the vacancy and the person
elected completes the balance of the unexpired term.
ARTICLE 5
MEETINGS
SECTION 5.1 TYPES OF MEETINGS
A. Regular meetings of the Policy Council are held on the last Friday of every month
unless the Council approves an alternate date.
B. Special meetings may be called by the Chairperson upon request of 25% of the
members and notification is provided to the Head Start Director or upon the request of
the Head Start Director with approval of the Chairperson. Special meetings of the
Policy Council are convened only to consider individual action items specified in
the call of the meeting.
C. Meetings are held at the Eastside Operations Facility unless the Council approves
an alternate location.
SECTION 5.2 MEETING NOTICES
The Head Start Director or his designee sends all notices for Policy Council meetings.
Official notices of regular meetings are mailed to each member at least five (5) calendar
days prior to the date of each meeting. Notices include the agenda for the meeting and
information about major items on the agenda.
Notice of a special meeting include the purpose, agenda, and related information, and are
given to each Policy Council member a minimum of forty-eight (48) hours prior to the date
of the meeting.
A public notice stating time and place of all meetings is posted at the Maricopa County
Human Services Department office. All meetings are conducted in compliance with the
Open Meeting Law (ARS § 38-431 et seq.).
SECTION 5.3 QUORUM AND VOTING
A. The quorum for a meeting of the Policy Council is 51% of the seated membership.
B. A majority vote of those representatives present and voting decides any matter, except
when these Bylaws require otherwise.
C. Each representative has one (1) vote.
7

D. Voting may be done via conference call/speaker phone. All Council members must
have access to the conference call and be able to hear the vote(s). Voting by proxy is
prohibited.
SECTION 5.4 ATTENDANCE
All Council members are expected to attend monthly Policy Council meetings or participate
by conference call. If a Community Representative is unable to attend a meeting s/he may
send a representative of the agency to the Policy Council meeting as a voting alternate. All
Policy Council members are expected to contact the Head Start Director, or their designee,
and report their absence. Members who have two consecutive absences may be removed by
the Policy Council.
SECTION 5.5 REIMBURSEMENT OF POLICY COUNCIL MEMBERS
Reimbursement of reasonable parent expenses will be provided in accordance with the
Policy Council’s Reimbursement Policy.
ARTICLE 6
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
The Executive Committee consists of the Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, Secretary,
Treasurer, and one Member-at-Large elected from the Policy Council. The Chairperson may
appoint any other support position necessary with the Policy Council’s approval.
The purpose of the Executive Committee is to:
 Review and develop recommendations to the Policy Council on staff
terminations.
 Nominate Community Representatives to the Policy Council in accordance with
the Community Representative Election Procedure.
 Perform other functions as the Policy Council may assign.
ARTICLE 7
COMMITTEES
SECTION 7.1 GENERAL PROVISIONS
A. Meetings of Policy Council Standing Committees are held in accordance with the
approved Policy Council Meeting Schedule, unless a Standing Committee approves an
alternate date.
B. No Standing Committee shall conduct any business unless a quorum is present. A
quorum consists of three (3) standing committee members who are Policy Council
Representatives.
8

C. The Chairperson, with Policy Council approval, appoints such committees as are
necessary for assisting the Policy Council in carrying out its responsibilities.
D. The Head Start Director or designee(s) assists all committees.
E. No committee meetings will be scheduled at the same time as Policy Council. Any
committee scheduled at the same time as Policy Council will be considered an
illegal meeting with all actions void.
F. The term of appointment for all committees expires at the end of every Policy Council
term.
SECTION 7.2 STANDING COMMITTEES
A. The Standing Committees are:
 Program Design and Management Committee,
 Child Development and Health Services Committee, and
 Family and Community Partnerships Committee.
B. Standing Committee members are elected during the October Policy Council meeting.
C. Each Standing Committee consists of five (5) voting Policy Council members. While
they are not voting members, parents of enrolled children who have not been
appointed to the council may nonetheless participate in the standing committee and
have a full and fair opportunity to comment on any matter in each standing committee.
Only seated members count towards the required quorum. Each Standing Committee
elects its own Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson, both of whom must be a member of
the Policy Council.
D. Standing Committees discuss, review, and develop recommendations that are
presented to the Policy Council for approval.
E. The committee Chairperson reports to the Policy Council. In the absence of the
Chairperson, the Vice Chairperson or staff liaison may make the report
SECTION 7.3 PROGRAM DESIGN AND MANAGEMENT STANDING
COMMITTEE
The purpose of the Program Design and Management (PDM) Committee is to review the
financial operations of the program and work with program planning, communication,
record-keeping, reporting, and program self-assessment to assure that Maricopa County
Head Start effectively integrates the various functions of Head Start and provides high
quality services to children and families. This committee reviews and develops
recommendations for approval to the Policy Council on the following items:
9

 Finance and Budget, including a review of monthly financial reports for the
program.
 Grant Planning and Evaluation.
 Self-Assessment Plans.
 Human Resources Policies.
 Bylaws and Policy Council procedures.
 Program Design and Management Service Plans.
 Training and Technical Assistance Plans.
SECTION 7.4 CHILD DEVELOPMENT AND HEALTH SERVICES
STANDING COMMITTEE
The Child Development and Health (CDH) Services Committee oversees child
development and health, education, nutrition, mental health, and disabilities. The purpose
of the committee is to:
 Review the status of service delivery.
 Provide input to staff regarding service delivery.
 Provide recommendations for Policy Council approval regarding policies and
plans.
 Review grant/program plans.
 Review information from the Health Services Advisory Committee.
SECTION 7.5 FAMILY AND COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS STANDING
COMMITTEE
The Family and Community Partnerships (FCP) Committee oversees recruitment and
enrollment, the creation of family and community partnerships, parent involvement
(volunteers), and program sites and options. The purpose of the committee is to:
 Review the status of service delivery.
 Provide input to staff regarding service delivery.
 Provide recommendations for Policy Council approval regarding policies and
plans.
 Review grant/program plans.
10

SECTION 7.6 PARENT PARTICIPATION IN HIRING
A. Policy Council representatives and parents of enrolled children are responsible for
participating in interviews of candidates for hire and making recommendations to
the Policy Council on approving new staff hires.
B. All Policy Council representatives and parents of enrolled children who are
interested in participating in interviews will receive required training on
interviewing candidates for hire.
C. Parents of enrolled children who are interested in participating as part of interview
panels for new hires will advise their Family Support Specialist, Home Base
Visitor, or Early Head Start teacher of their interest.
D. The Family Support Specialist, Home Baser Visitor or Early Head Start teacher will
provide the names and contact information to the Family Community Partnerships
Coordinator
E. The roster of parents of enrolled children will be maintained and up-dated
throughout the program year and parents may be contacted on one or more
occasions to participate on interview panels.
ARTICLE 8
DISCIPLINARY ACTION
A. Policy Council members may be disciplined by the Policy Council for inappropriate
actions. Inappropriate actions include, but are not limited to, the following:
1. Personal misconduct at Policy Council meetings or when representing the
Policy Council, such as use of vulgar language, abusive and confrontational
behavior, or other discourteous behavior.
2. Presenting false information verbally or in writing.
3. Physical altercations, display of firearms or other dangerous weapons such as
knives or chains.
4. Lewd and/or illegal behavior.
5. Violations of confidentiality.
6. Inciting conflict or hostilities.
7. Bringing false accusations to the Policy Council or any of its committees.
8. Slanderous or libelous remarks against Policy Council members, Maricopa
County, the Board of Supervisors, or Head Start Zero-Five Program staff.
9. Written correspondence sent without Policy Council approval.
11

10. A member who claims to speak on behalf of the Council to the media, funding
sources, or other entities without Policy Council approval.
11. Conduct reflecting negatively on the Policy Council or the Head Start Zero-Five
Program.
B. Any Policy Council member or the Head Start Director may file a complaint about
another Policy Council member by submitting a written statement to the Policy
Council Chairperson within 30 calendar days of the occurrence of alleged
inappropriate action. This statement must describe in detail the alleged inappropriate
action. If the statement is submitted by a Policy Council member, a copy of the written
statement is also provided to the Head Start Director, in which case the Head Start
Director submits written acknowledgement of the complaint within seven calendar
days.
C. The Policy Council Chairperson provides written notice of the complaint to the
Council member in question within seven calendar days and provides the member
with two weeks to discuss the complaint with the Policy Council Chairperson and
Head Start Director before a recommended resolution is made.
D. The Policy Council Chairperson and Head Start Director conduct an investigation of
the complaint, which must be completed within thirty days of the receipt of the
complaint.
E. The Chairperson and Head Start Director announce the outcome of their investigation
and recommendation of disciplinary action, if so warranted, at the next Policy Council
meeting after the conclusion of the investigation. The options may include:
1. The allegation(s) is found to be invalid.
2. There is no need for corrective action.
3. Recommend that the parties involved discuss the issues and work toward a
resolution.
4. Provide a written recommendation leading to improvement or resolution of the
problem identified in the written statement.
5. Suspend the Council member's voting rights for up to sixty (60) days.
6. Terminate membership on the Council.
7. The Policy Council member may speak to the Council regarding the recommended
action.
8. The Policy Council must approve action to suspend a member’s voting rights or
terminate membership on the Council.
9. If the complaint is about the Policy Council Chairperson, the Chairperson must
excuse himself from the investigation and the Vice-Chairperson handles the
investigation with the Head Start Director.
ARTICLE 9
12

BYLAWS AMENDMENTS
These Bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds (2/3) vote at any meeting of the Policy
Council upon the condition that written notice of the proposed changes are given to the
membership postmarked at least seven (7) days prior to any meeting at which an
amendment of these Bylaws is to be considered.
ARTICLE 10
PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY
Arizona’s Open Meeting Law (ARS § 38-431 et seq.) is the statutory Parliamentary
Authority for the Policy Council. Where the Law is silent, the rules contained in the current
edition of Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised shall be the Parliamentary Authority for
all matters of procedure not specifically covered by these Bylaws or any special rules of
order this organization may adopt.
13