Academy of Collaborative Education
Minutes
Governance Committee Meeting
Date and Time
Wednesday October 22, 2025 at 3:30 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), Holly Allen (remote), Joellen Freeman
Committee Members Absent
None
I. Opening Items
A.
Record Attendance
B.
Call the Meeting to Order
C.
Approval of Committee Meeting Minutes
D.
Approval of agenda
II. Governance
A.
Report: Executive Director Update
B.
Stipend
Joellen requested that the agenda be amended to correct the FY 26 Differentiated Compensation payout date. The only change in this resolution is updating the distribution date in section 3 from January 5, 2026, to January 30, 2026.
She also requested that the amendment include the Certificated and Support Staff Compensation Plan to correct the dates on the attached copy. The correct dates are Oct. 27 and Nov. 24.
C.
Grace Lease
Deferred to the next Governance Committee meeting or special meeting if called.
D.
Resolution to Close Cross Keys Account
Joellen presented the bank resolution allowing Latner McDonald and herself to sign all necessary papers to withdraw all funds and close the Cross Keys Bank account.
The resolution was discussed, and the decision was made to present it to the board for approval.
E.
Resolution to Remove and Assign Progressive Bank Signatories
Joellen submits the bank resolution to remove Amy Marcus as a signatory and to add new signatories, Anna Grimmett and Latner McDonald, for the Progressive Bank accounts.
The resolution is discussed, and the decision is made to present it to the board for approval.
F.
Website Complaint Update
Deferred
G.
State Police Policy for Background Checks
Joellen presents the state police policy for background checks, explaining the extensive training and procedures required.
Holly Allen asks about the policy's origin, and Joellen confirms it came directly from the state police.
The policy is discussed, and the decision is made to present it to the board for review and approval.
III. Progress Toward SMART Goals:
A.
Governance SMART Goals for SY25-26
Deferred
B.
Board and Governance Committee Meeting Scheduling
The next Governance Committee meeting will be held on November 26th at 3:30.
*The subject of the Board and Governance Committee Schedule was deferred to the next Governance Committee meeting.
The proposed amendments to the schedule are as follows:
Academic Excellence will meet quarterly on Dec. 3, March 2, and May 6. The AE committee has already approved this.
The Facilities Committee will meet every other month. The committee has already approved a November meeting and will hold meetings every other month thereafter.
The Finance Committee will meet every other month. The committee has already approved a November meeting and will hold meetings every other month thereafter.
The Governance Committee will discuss meeting quarterly at its November meeting.
The Governance Committee will also discuss the prudence of the full Board meeting every other month at its next meeting.
IV. Progress Toward Dashboard Goals:
A.
Review of Board Composition
Deferred
B.
One-Hour Training with the Board of Ethics
Deferred
C.
Review and Revision of board job descriptions and bylaws
Deferred
D.
Board Member Recruitment Documents
Deferred
E.
EDSaE (Subcommittee of Governance)
Deferred
V. Action Items
A.
D.O.N.
The Governance Committee will hold a special meeting to review the updated Grace Episcopal lease agreement before presenting it to the full board.
Joellen will call Brittany at Sped Strategies to discuss adding clarifying language about how services will be itemized and valued if the contract is terminated early.
Joellen will update the distribution date in the differentiated compensation distribution plan to January 30, 2026, and present it to the board for approval.
Joellen will update the dates on the Certificated and Support Staff Compensation Plan to October 27, 2025, and November 24, 2025, and then present it to the board for approval.
Joellen will review the Grace Episcopal lease agreement thoroughly with Sarah and provide an updated version to the Governance Committee for further review.
Joellen will present to the full board for approval the bank account signatory changes for Progressive Bank and the closure of the Cross Keys Bank account.
Joellen will present the fingerprint and background check policy provided by the Louisiana State Police to the full board for approval.
Regarding the Grace Lease agreement, Joellen will ensure that the language is changed to state that if we cancel with 90 days' notice, it will be without penalty and there will be no requirement to payout the remaining terms of the lease.
Joellen provided an update on the SPED Strategies contract. The venue and jurisdiction were changed to the 4th Judicial Court, Ouachita Parish, Louisiana.
Holly still had concerns about the contract not including a detailed list of costs. Page 15 of the scope of services did not specify the price of each item or the services being provided. Holly suggested adding a sentence to the scope stating "each service provided is 1/7 of the total value of $20,000."
She would like a similar sentence to be included in the innovative professionals and strategic consultation sections as well, for presentation at the October 29th Board meeting. "Each workshop is valued at a fraction of the total charge."
Joellen said she would request the revisions, but the contract was a standard agreement from the company and the state. If the revisions cannot be made, Holly does not want this to delay the approval process at the upcoming board meeting.