Academy of Collaborative Education
Minutes
Board Meeting
Date and Time
Wednesday May 21, 2025 at 3:30 PM
Location
The Center for Children and Families, Inc.
622 Riverside Dr.
Monroe, LA 71201
Amy Marcus is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: ACE Board Meeting
Time: This is a recurring meeting. Meet anytime
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86737566368
Meeting ID: 867 3756 6368
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Meeting ID: 867 3756 6368
Find your local number: https://us06web.zoom.us/u/ksFZV05P9
Pursuant to the Louisiana Open Meetings Law - La. R.S. 42:19, notice is hereby given to the members of the Board of Directors of Academy of Collaborative Education and to the general public that the Board will hold a regular, special, or rescheduled meeting open to the public as specified below. To ensure compliance with the Open Meeting Law, recipients of this message should not forward it to other Board members, and Board members should not reply to this message.
In accordance with La. R.S. 42:17.2, this board meeting will be held virtually. Members of the public can access it through the link on the website. The anchor location for the meeting will be The Center for Children and Families, Inc., located at 622 Riverside Dr., Monroe, LA 71201.
Any individual who wishes to make a public comment on one or more items on the agenda, but cannot attend the meeting in person, must submit their comment to boardchair@aceforasd.org no less than 24 hours before the board meeting. The comment should include the individual’s full name and the name of the agenda item on which they are commenting.
Once the Board President/Chair calls for public comment on a specific agenda item and recognizes the speaker, the individual wishing to make an in-person public comment on an agenda item should be prepared to speak for no longer than 3 minutes. Before commencing with their public comment, the individual must state their full name.
The names of all individuals submitting public comments shall be recorded in the meeting minutes.
Directors Present
Amy Marcus, Anna Grimmett, Davy Mize, Holly Allen (remote), Kara Maggiore (remote), Latner McDonald, Richard Cannon
Directors Absent
None
Ex Officio Members Present
Joellen Freeman
Non Voting Members Present
Joellen Freeman
Guests Present
Diamond Melton (remote), Madison Bachhofer (remote)
I. Opening Items
A.
Record Attendance
B.
Call the Meeting to Order
C.
Approve Minutes
D.
Approval of May Meeting Agenda
II. Reports
A.
Executive Director Report
B.
Committee Reports
"Governance Committee" reported by Kara Maggiore and May Meeting discussion re:
- Board Retreat on June 14, 2025;
- Board Retreat draft agenda to be presented, discussed, approved later in the meeting;
- Discussion of Nepotism Policy and reasons for the same; and
- ED Evaluation process; use of Executive Session.
"Finance Committee" reported by Latner McDonald and May Meeting discussion re:
- Current and Future Budget;
- Deficit for current year less than anticipated;
- Working to finalize future budget;
- High cost services, i.e., Medicaid, continue to work with accounting of same;
- Consider increased line of credit with bank; and
- Presented with Physical Therapy contract.
"Facilities Committee" reported by Davy Mize and May Meeting discussion re:
- Expansion/addition of 6th grade classrooms; and
- Inspection by HVAC, electrical, etc. to identify potential issues and opportunities to address during renovation.
"Academic Excellence" reported by Amy Marcus and May Meeting discussion re:
- Working 2 provide parenting workshops.
III. Action Items
A.
Approval of ED Support and Evaluation Process
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| Latner McDonald |
Aye
|
| Amy Marcus |
Aye
|
| Richard Cannon |
Aye
|
| Davy Mize |
Aye
|
| Anna Grimmett |
Aye
|
| Kara Maggiore |
Aye
|
| Holly Allen |
Aye
|
B.
Annual Board Retreat Agenda
Approved
C.
BCBA and OT contracts for the upcoming SY
Finance Committee voted to fund BCBA and OT contracts for upcoming school year. Board discussed the need for the Agreements. The proposed agreements will be presented in Governance Committee, then to Board for final approval of Agreements.
D.
Nepotism Policy
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| Latner McDonald |
Aye
|
| Anna Grimmett |
Aye
|
| Kara Maggiore |
Aye
|
| Richard Cannon |
Aye
|
| Davy Mize |
Aye
|
| Holly Allen |
Aye
|
| Amy Marcus |
Aye
|
E.
Retroactive approval of the modification of the students' last day of required attendance
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| Holly Allen |
Aye
|
| Anna Grimmett |
Aye
|
| Kara Maggiore |
Aye
|
| Davy Mize |
Aye
|
| Amy Marcus |
Aye
|
| Latner McDonald |
Aye
|
| Richard Cannon |
Aye
|
IV. Other/Old Business
A.
Upcoming: June Board Meeting/Annual Retreat
Board Retreat on June 14, 2025
- Budget will be presented during retreat
Board Meeting on June 18, 2025
- Budget will be voted on during this meeting
Presented by Joellen Freeman:
First Kindergarten Graduation. 16 students.
Awards Day Grades 3-5 on May 22, 2025.
Enrollment 2025-2026 - 120 students enrolled with 6 openings.
Need to hire 4 teachers for next school year.
2024-2025 Events:
2025-2026 Events:
ACE working on "cyber security." Governor's Office offers "crowd strike" that is a free program to shore up security in this area. ACE will implement.