VBAA By-Laws
Article I. Name and Purpose
Section 1. Name. The name of the organization shall be the Vandalia-Butler High School
Alumni Association, hereinafter referred to as the “Association.”
Section 2. Purpose. The Association shall have for its purposes:
1. To connect the past with the present and the future
2. To assist in the Mission of Butler High School
3. To promote the spirit of alumni unity through communications and reunions, to locate
alumni, and to acquire and maintain school and Association memorabilia
4. To provide Members’ time and talents for programs to benefit current and future students
5. To contribute funds, individually and collectively, to support and promote Butler High
School and the Vandalia-Butler City School District
6. To support, strengthen, and promote, individually and collectively, the Vandalia-Butler
community by building and maintaining relationship between its alumni and students
7. To instill in alumni a long-term loyalty and dedication to Butler High School and its
programs
8. To create activities, social events and reunions for members
Section 3. General.
(a) The Association shall have as its fiscal year the period from July 1 to June 30.
(b) All moneys of the Association shall be deposited in a fund within The Vandalia-Butler
Foundation which is a component of The Dayton Foundation.
Section 4. Nondiscrimination. The Association shall not discriminate against any member
because of: race; color; creed; sex; sexual orientation; age; physical or mental disability; national
origin; alienage or citizenship status; gender (including gender identity and sexual harassment);
marital status and partnership status; or any other status where discrimination is prohibited under
city, state or federal nondiscrimination laws then in effect.
Article II. Membership
Section 1. Membership. Members shall include the following:
Graduates of Butler High School
Non-graduates who attended Butler High School
Staff Members (current and former) of Vandalia-Butler City School District
Honorary Members: There shall be honorary members consisting of persons, selected
by the Board from time to time at a regularly scheduled meeting, who have made
significant contributions to the School or the Association but did not attend Butler High
School. Honorary Members shall have no right to vote, to hold office in, or to serve on
the Board of the Association. Honorary Members may serve on committees (but may not
chair a committee).
Section 2. Dues. There shall be no dues for Members to participate in the Association.
Section 3. Revocation and Suspension. The rights and privileges of any Member of the
Association may be revoked or suspended for cause adversely impacting the Association, Butler
High School or the Vandalia-Butler City School District at any duly noticed Board meeting, after
two-week written notice of intent to take such action, by a majority vote of the Board then in
office.
Article III. Meetings
Section 1. Annual General Meeting. An Annual General Meeting of the Members of the
Association shall be held during the month of August at such date, time and place as the Board
shall determine. Notice of such meeting shall be given at least one month in advance via the
Alumni website and through social media. The purpose of the meeting shall be to review the past
fiscal year, to establish future goals, to provide Members an opportunity to hear about Alumni
activities and plans, and to provide a means for all Members to share their thoughts on the
direction of the Association.
Section 2. Board Meetings. Board Meetings shall be held bi-monthly unless pending events
dictate a need to meet in between. The Board Meetings will be held in August, October,
December, February, and April. Executive Council members shall be present for Board
Meetings.
Section 3. Executive Council Meetings. Executive Council Meetings shall be held monthly.
Section 4. Quorum. For Board Meetings, there must be more than a minimum of 50% of the
Board present, physically or via technology, for any votes. For the Executive Council, at least
three of the six Executive Council Members, must be present, physically or via technology,
for any votes.
Article IV. Board Members
Section 1. General. Board Members shall consist of individuals from each graduating decade of
Association Members (maximum 5-7 per decade), plus the current Student Body President,
Senior Class President, and Junior Class President.
Section 2. Duties of Board Members. The duties of the Board Members will be
to encourage and promote, first and foremost, communication and participation of alumni
within their specific decade in their respective class activities, e.g., reunions.
to assist in locating alumni and promoting the involvement of their decade of alumni in
Association activities, events, and promotions, e.g., Homecoming, Association initiatives
to assist Butler High School and/or Vandalia-Butler City School District, and providing
support for one another.
to review requests and approve all expenditures of the Association.
Section 3. Term of Office. Except for the current Student Body President, Senior Class
President, and Junior Class President – all of whom serve during the term of their office, Board
Members serve at will and are not elected positions.
Section 4. Nomination and Selection Procedure to Fill Vacancies. When a Board Member
vacancy occurs, the Board shall inform Members of that decade, recruit candidates, and select a
decade representative to fill that opening on the Board.
Section 5. Action Without a Meeting. Any action required or permitted to be taken by the
Board or any committee thereof may be taken without a meeting if all members of the Board or
such committee consent in writing to the adoption of a resolution authorizing the action. Such
resolution and the written consents thereto by the members of the Board or committee shall be
filed with the minutes of the proceedings of the Board or committee.
Section 6. Participation by Telecommunications Equipment. Any one or more members of
the Board or any committee thereof may, where practical, participate in a meeting of the Board
or such committee by means of a conference telephone or similar communications equipment
allowing all persons participating in the meeting to hear one another at the same time.
Participation by such means shall constitute presence in person at a meeting.
Section 7. Removal. Any Board Member may be removed or suspended for cause adversely
impacting the Association, Butler High School or the Vandalia-Butler City School District after a
motion made and carried by a simple majority vote at a duly noticed Board meeting, followed by
two-week written notice of intent to take such action, and a vote carried at a subsequent Board
meeting by a two-thirds majority of the Board and Executive Council then in office. If a Board
Member is absent without notice for three of the five Board meetings they are to attend
(August, October, December, February, and April), they will be subject to removal.
Regular attendance and participation are critical to the success of the organization.
Article V. Executive Council of Officers
Section 1. General. The Officers of the Association shall be President, First Vice President,
Second Vice President, Recording Secretary, Treasurer, and Technical Director.
The Principal of Butler High School shall serve as a non-voting member of the Executive
Council.
The Executive Council shall be responsible for periodically reviewing the Association’s
governance, including these Bylaws, to ensure that they reflect current law and best practices.
(a) The Executive Council shall review all requests for Association funds from Butler High
School, plus student groups, departments, teams, staff members, and other groups associated
with the Vandalia-Butler City School District – then submit to Board for approval.
Section 2. Duties of Officers. The duties of the officers shall be those usually incident to their
respective offices.
(a) President. The President shall preside over all meetings and business of the Association, be
the primary spokesperson for the Association, exercise general supervision over the
Association’s officers and membership. The President shall serve as an Ex-Officio member of
each committee.
(b) First and Second Vice Presidents. The Vice Presidents shall act as assistants to the President
and shall perform the duties of the President in his or her absence, including presiding at
meetings of the Board and the annual General Meeting. They shall also serve as secondary
spokespersons of the Association and be assigned specific duties as determined by the Executive
Council.
(c) Recording Secretary. The Recording Secretary shall be responsible for the keeping of
accurate and complete records of the Association, including the proceedings of the Board and the
annual General Meeting.
(d) Treasurer. The Treasurer shall be responsible for the financial operations of the Association,
including providing financial updates at Board meetings and the annual General Meeting, as well
as depositing/withdrawing funds on account with the Vandalia-Butler Foundation.
(e) Technical Director. The Technical Director shall be responsible for regular Association
communications, including, but not limited to, the publication of the quarterly Association
newsletter, present on social media, and maintenance of the Vandalia-Butler Alumni Association
website.
Section 3. Term of Office. Officers shall serve for a term of two years, renewable indefinitely.
At the conclusion of an Officer’s term of office, the Board and Executive Council at its first
meeting (October) immediately after the annual General Meeting (August) shall vote if an
Officer remains in that office or select an individual to fill the vacant position. Candidates for
Officer positions must be Members of the Association in good standing. All Officers will take
office immediately upon election.
Section 4. Removal. Any Officer of the Association may be removed or suspended for cause
adversely impacting the Association, Butler High School or the Vandalia-Butler City School
District after a motion made and carried by a simple majority vote at a duly noticed Board
meeting, followed by two-week written notice of intent to take such action, and a vote carried at
a subsequent Board meeting by a two-thirds majority of the Board and Executive Council then in
office. If an Officer is absent without notice for four of the twelve meetings they are to
attend, they will be subject to removal. Regular attendance and participation are critical to
the success of the organization.
Section 5. Vacancies
(a) In the event that the Office of the President becomes vacant as a result of retirement,
resignation, removal, death, or any other reason, the Office shall be succeeded for the unexpired
portion of the term by the First Vice President, then Second Vice President, then Recording
Secretary, then Treasurer, then Technical Director.
(b) In the event of a vacancy in any office other than the President, a successor to fill the
unexpired portion of the term shall be elected by the Board and Executive Council then in office,
preferably a member of the Board.
Article VI. Standing Committees
Section 1. General.
(a) Standing committees shall be created by the Executive Council in collaboration with the
Board. They shall have the power to perform the functions specified below, any functions
incident thereto, and any other functions that may be assigned to them by the Executive Council
and Board from time to time. All committee activities shall be subject to review by the Board.
Except as otherwise stated, standing committees shall report regularly to the Board.
(b) Each committee shall have no fewer than three (3) members.
Section 2. Nominations. The committee shall be responsible for nominating members of the
Board. The Nominations Committee shall consist of the 2 nd Vice President, as Chair, and two
Board members.
Section 3. Diversity & Inclusion. The committee shall be responsible for discussing,
communicating and creating opportunities to (a) identify inclusion and diversity strengths,
issues, and opportunities within all aspects of the Association; (b) develop strategies and plans to
examine ways in which to include all Members; (c) systematically examine aspects of the
Association to enhance its effectiveness and ability to meet the needs of its diverse membership;
and (d) respectfully celebrate and document the successes of inclusivity approaches.
Section 4. Special. The Executive Council and Board may, from time to time, create such
special committees as may be deemed desirable. The members of any such committee shall be
appointed by the President with the advice of the Board. Special committees shall have only such
powers as are specifically delegated to them by the Executive Council and Board.
Article VII. At-Risk Service
Section 1. At-Risk Service. Members, Board Members and Officers serve the Association at
will. The Association shall not be held responsible for any actions brought against them.
Article VIII. Chapters
Section 1. Affiliated Chapters. The Board may, from time to time authorize, charter, license,
and dissolve chapters of the Association throughout the United States and other countries.
Article IX. Amendments
Section 1. Amendments to the Bylaws. These Bylaws may be amended by a motion made and
carried by a simple majority vote at a duly noticed Board meeting, followed by two-week
published written notice of intent to take such action, and a vote carried out at a subsequent
Board meeting by a two-thirds majority of the Board and Executive Council then in office.
Article X. Dissolution of the Association
Section 1. Dissolution of Association. In the event of the dissolution or liquidation of the
Association, the Board shall donate any assets then owned by the Association to Vandalia-Butler
City School District.
Article XI. Effective Date
These Bylaws shall be effective October 17, 2022.