Board Meeting Information (prior to 2015)

Board packets for SY 2015-16 and before are housed below. Please click the “download” button below to download a ZIP file of all records from the corresponding school year.

Standing Committees

• Academic Excellence Committee
• Budget & Finance Committee
• Governance Committee

Ad-Hoc Committees

• Human Resources Committee

Administrative Committees

• Curriculum Committee
• Health & Wellness Committee (Minutes)

Board Committee Minutes

Board Packets (2015-present) including agenda/minutes are available here!

MN Finance Award

The Minnesota Department of Education’s Finance Award recognizes schools that exhibit sound fiscal health and financial management policies and procedures.  The criteria for earning a School Finance Award is based on compliance with  state statute on a number of financial related issues and other means of demonstrating fiscal health. Nova has received this award for the following years: 2018, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010.

Annual Reports

In accordance with Minnesota Statute 124D.10 subd. 14, a charter school must report to its authorizer the information required by the authorizer.

District Expenses and Revenues Form

Board Health Insurance Documents

The 2023 election to fill five seats on Nova Classical’s Board of Directors will begin soon.

The nominations period will run from March 1 until 4:00 pm on Friday, April 7, 2023.

The voting window will go from Monday, April 24 through 4:00 pm on Monday, May 8, 2023.  Questions about the election or recommendations for potential candidates should be directed to the Governance Committee at governance@novaclassical.org.

Please vote!

YouTube Video of Candidate Forum (4/18/2023)

Public Comment: publiccomment@novaclassical.org

The School Board welcomes input from community members and staff. A “Citizen Participation” time is available at the beginning of each board meeting. Please adhere to the following guidelines outlined in Policy 203:

• Input should be short (approx. 3 minutes or less)
• Comments should be germane to the agenda and respectful.
• Repetition should be avoided if possible; new input is best.
• Under Policy 203, public comment must not be discriminatory in nature. The Board Chair has the authority to stop any comments that violated Nova’s policy or are discriminatory.
• When the Business section of the meeting begins, citizen input should cease. Occasionally, if a topic is controversial, the Board Chair may choose to allow more citizen input during that particular agenda item. The Board Chair may also request input from the citizens if more expertise or clarification is needed on a topic.

Written public comment can be submitted via email to publiccomment@novaclassical.org. This email is received by the Board Secretary and will be distributed to all members of the Board of Directors.

Approved Policies for Nova Classical Academy

Section 1 | Legal Authority for Policies, Establishment, & Implementation of Policies

Section 2 | Board of Directors, Recruitment, Meetings, Agenda, Committees, Training

Section 3 | Applications, Admission, and Enrollment

Section 4 | School Administration

Section 5 | Curriculum

Section 6 | Student Life

Section 7 | Finance & Budget

Section 8 | Mandatory Policies

Envisioning our Future: 2023-2028 Strategic Plan

Approved by the Board in January 2023, our Strategic Plan will be implemented in stages over the next several years. It will guide the direction of our organization, lead us through complex challenges, and reaffirm our commitment to classical education. At its core, it ensures every student has a sense of belonging at Nova and feels supported in all areas of their education and well-being. 

Our school mission, promise, and belief statements set the foundation of our strategic plan. The five focus areas — each with a set of goals and objectives — support that foundation to ensure our process and results align with our virtues and beliefs.  

 We are so grateful for our community’s input, ideas, and honest feedback as we developed our plan. We also thank all the teachers, students, parents, teachers, and community members who participated in our 35-person Strategic Planning Committee, setting the goals and direction for our plan. 

Our Promise

Nova Classical Academy promises to be an inclusive community with a shared commitment to an exceptional, foundational education that teaches thought and expression of the mind and heart, resulting in compassionate and articulate graduates poised to engage as thoughtful global citizens.

Our Mission

In a supportive community and through a systematic, accelerated college-preparatory education in the classical tradition, Nova Classical Academy challenges its students to develop intellect, to attain the habits of learning and mastery, and to live a virtuous life of duty and ideals.

We believe:

• We believe we learn not for school but for life. 
• We believe in the core virtues: justice, fortitude, prudence, temperance, and wisdom. 
• We believe students learn how to learn in Nova Classical Academy’s classical education model. 
• We believe supportive relationships between students, staff, and families are necessary for students to reach their full potential. 
• We believe in fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment. 
• We believe ethical and prudent financial decision-making ensures the continued existence of our model.

Each of the five focus areas is supported by specific goals and objectives.

What is a Strategic Plan?

A Strategic Plan is a deliberate effort to establish a holistic, evolving plan that guides an organization for 3-5 years. Strategic Planning provides the opportunity to engage in reflection — a critical habit of learning — and refocuses on relevant priorities and decision-making. Strategic Planning ensures an organization continually recreates itself to maintain its leadership position despite rapid changes in education, technology, and society.

What Does a Strategic Plan Do?

The plan reaffirms our commitment to a classical education and our virtues – Justice, Fortitude, Prudence, Temperance, and Wisdom. We will work to define the core components of our model to easily share its value and importance with interested families, teachers, and stakeholders.

The plan works to ensure every student has a sense of belonging at Nova Classical Academy and feels supported in all areas of their education and well-being. We can provide this support through respecting and celebrating cultural and ethnic traditions, positioning Multiple-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) to meet the emotional needs of students, and documenting our position on fairness and belonging. 

Who Was Involved in Creating the Plan?

Planning began in October 2022 with community listening sessions and surveys that provided invaluable insight into how to strengthen our classical model, support our students, and prioritize focus through the next five years. In total, over 600 individuals provided feedback and input into the process.

World’s Best Workforce Reports

Initial Board Training Opportunities
*All Board members must have training in governance, employment law, and finances during their first year of Board service. This training must be started within the first six months of service. The cost of these trainings is tax deductible or may be reimbursed by Nova. Once your training is completed, please provide a copy of the documentation to the Board Secretary.

• Minnesota School Board Association (MSBA)
• Minnesota Association of Charter Schools (MACS)

General Information Resources

• Board on Track – general articles and webinars that cover topics like “The Top 10 Mistakes of Charter School Boards”
• The Center for School Change – general Board responsibilities for charter school boards and additional resources
• Office of the MN Attorney General – general fiduciary responsibilities for non-profit boards
• MACS – state and federal laws and policies affecting charter schools
• Robert’s Rules of Order Cheat Sheet – worth printing to have on hand
• Running Board Meetings – applies to running committee meetings as well

Nova Classical Academy Bylaws