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Academy of Collaborative Education

Minutes

Finance Committee Meeting

Date and Time

Wednesday October 8, 2025 at 2:00 PM

Pursuant to 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 re-scheduled 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.

Committee Members Present

Allison Dickens, Amy Marcus (remote), Anna Grimmett (remote), Joellen Freeman, Katie Kahmann, Latner McDonald (remote), Seth Hall (remote), Sherah LeBoeuf (remote)

Committee Members Absent

None

Committee Members who arrived after the meeting opened

Latner McDonald

I. Opening Items

A.

Record Attendance

B.

Call the Meeting to Order

Anna Grimmett called a meeting of the Finance Committee of Academy of Collaborative Education to order on Wednesday Oct 8, 2025 at 2:05 PM.

C.

Approve Minutes

Katie Kahmann made a motion to approve the minutes from Finance Committee Meeting on 09-10-25.
Joellen Freeman seconded the motion.
The committee VOTED to approve the motion.

D.

Approval of Agenda

Joellen made motion to amend agenda to include Wood Electronics quote and asked that the quote be emailed to the committee members. 

Anna Grimmett made a motion to approve amendment to agenda to include quote from Wood Electronics.
Latner McDonald seconded the motion.
The committee VOTED to approve the motion.

A motion to amend agenda to include the updated SPED Strategies contract.

Joellen Freeman made a motion to amend agenda to update SPED Strategies contract.
Latner McDonald seconded the motion.
The committee VOTED to approve the motion.

II. Finance

A.

Lease for Middle School with Grace

Latner McDonald arrived.

Joellen stated the wait on the lease was due to the fire marshal. Joellen stated Holly had a conflict with what happens if the school went insolvent or was not able to pay the rent. No revisions have been received to this provision. The amount of money for the three year term stays the same. Smoke detectors will have to go in every room and there has to be a change from strobe horns to strobe voice. Anna stated the school is good from a fiscal standpoint and once voted on by finance it becomes a governance topic for the changes Holly requested. 

B.

SPED Strategies contract

SPED Strategies contract was amended to show a decrease in price from $80,000 to $59,000. The scope of services includes professional development for teachers, paraprofessionals, and IEP compliance. This contract is funded by CSP. The agenda was amended to include the updated contract.

Joellen Freeman made a motion to approve the SPED contract as written from financial perspective.
Anna Grimmett seconded the motion.
The committee VOTED to approve the motion.

C.

EDOPS

D.

CSP Funding

E.

Stipend Updates

F.

New contract for APE

Joellen stated ACE has a new APE Coach and this contract will not need to be voted on. This contract will be less than $10,000. 

 

Agenda amended to include quote for Wood Electronics to include more smoke detectors on first and second floors and a new fire panel in the church office. Original bid under $10,00 but the bid has increased to $65,395, due to the need for more smoke detectors and new panel. CSP funds can be used for enhancements. 

Seth Hall made a motion to approve Wood Electronic proposal.
Latner McDonald seconded the motion.
The committee VOTED to approve the motion.

G.

Demonstration Model with Medicaid

H.

Medicaid/ABA

Joellen stated ABA billing is expected to start on the Monday following fall break.

I.

Foward funding

Approved for 16 students after amendment.

III. Progress-Toward-Goals:

A.

Finance SMART Goals

Anna discussed the progress of SMART Goals. Goal #1 is reported to be behind target but still on track. Goal #2 is on-target with Sherah working to clean it up. Goal #3 is reported as on-target. Goal #5 is on-target and will be revisited in 6 months. 

IV. Unfinished Business (Previously visited from an earlier agenda)

A.

Moving Finance Committee to every other month

A recommendation to move finance committee meetings to every other month was made to allow time for more accurate financial reporting. The motion to move the meeting to every other month was made by Latner and second by Anna. 

Latner McDonald made a motion to move finance committee meeting to every other month.
Anna Grimmett seconded the motion.
The committee VOTED to approve the motion.

V. Closing Items

A.

Adjourn Meeting

Anna Grimmett made motion adjourn meeting. Motion was second by Joellen Freeman. Meeting adjourned at 3:57 PM.

There being no further business to be transacted, and upon motion duly made, seconded and approved, the meeting was adjourned at 3:57 PM.

Respectfully Submitted,
Allison Dickens
Documents used during the meeting
  • Provision.pdf
  • ACE - Monthly Presentation - August 2025(3).pptx
  • ACE - Supplemental Report - August 2025(1).xlsx
  • Certificated&SupportStaffAllocation.FY25&FY26.Board Resolution.pdf

In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need special assistance at a public meeting of Academy of Collaborative Education, please contact Joellen Freeman at jcfreeman@aceforasd.orgdescribing the assistance that is necessary.