Nova Classical Academy Board of Directors
Board Member Roster
Email: board@novaclassical.org
This email is received by the Board Chair and may be distributed to all members of the Board of Directors. Contents received at this email address will not be included in the Public Comment section of the board packet.
Nneka Constantino, Member | nconstantino@novaclassical.org
Bio coming soon!
Colleen Hansen, Vice Chair | chansen@novaclassical.org
Colleen is the proud parent to three Nova Classical scholars, one in Lower School and two in Upper School. She, her spouse, and children have been a part of the Nova Classical community since 2016.
Colleen earned her BA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Master’s of Library Science from the University of St. Catherine, St. Paul. She is currently employed as an Archivist, but has worked in public, law, and special libraries in the past. Colleen is also currently the communications/secretary board chair of the Inver Grove Heights Lacrosse Association. In the past, she held two different chairs for the SPPS ECFE Parent Advisory Board, managed a hockey association, and also volunteered for the NPTO doing social media and web maintenance.
Colleen is excited to be able to give back to the Nova Classical community that has given so much to her family and hopes to help Nova Classical remain virtuous and exemplary into the future. Term Expires: June 30, 2025.
Dr. Jeremy Hubbell, Member | jhubbell@novaclassical.org
Bio coming soon!
Becky Lund, Secretary | blund@novaclassical.org
Becky has been at Nova Classical since it opened its doors in 2003 and has served on several committees during her tenure here including the Curriculum Committee and the Governance Committee. Becky received her BA in Elementary Education from Augsburg College and her MA in Education from Hamline University. She also received an additional license in K-12 Reading from Hamline. Term Expires: June 30, 2025.
Suzanne McInroy, Board Chair | smcinroy@novaclassical.org
Suzanne McInroy and her husband, Mark, are the proud parents of three Nova Classical Academy students. They have been involved with Nova Classical since their oldest child started Kindergarten in 2017 and they especially appreciate the classical education model, dedicated teachers and staff, and the supportive community. Professionally, Suzanne works in the field of communications with almost 20 years of experience working in the non-profit sector, mostly for colleges and universities. Suzanne received her B.A. in journalism from Messiah University in Pennsylvania, her M.A. in international relations and communications from Boston University, and is currently completing her Ed.D. in higher education leadership from Bethel University in St. Paul. Term Expires: June 30, 2025
Theresa Nelson, Member | tnelson@novaclassical.org
Bio coming soon!
Sasha Ross, Treasurer | sross@novaclassical.org
Sasha has been a mathematics teacher at Nova Classical since 2014. She teaches Algebra and Calculus in the Upper School. Sasha has been a member of Nova Classical’s Governance Committee since the summer of 2018, helping to review board policies and organize the board elections. Since 2015, she has been part of the Response to Intervention (RTI) team and is also a lead on the Data-Driven Instruction (DDI) team. Sasha grew up right here in St. Paul and is passionate about the community. She still lives in the area with her partner, dog, and a 30-year-old tortoise who serves as the oldest class pet in Nova Classical’s history. Term Expires: June 30, 2024.
Todd Sample, Member | tsample@novaclassical.org
Bio coming soon!
Bavi Weston, Member | bweston@novaclassical.org
Bavi Weston has an undergraduate degree in Community Education, a Master’s degree in Higher Education, and is ABD in an Ed.D. in Organization Development. Bavi has worked in education for over 25 years in elementary, middle, high school, and now higher education. Through all those experiences she has learned, seen, and experienced the impact that education has on the lives of students and their communities. Schools are a staple in creating connection points for people in our communities and in building the future of our world. Bavi is a Nova Classical parent of a lower and a middle school student and brings a commitment to our school into this role and in building our commitment to, understanding of, and practices of diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice. Term Expires: June 30, 2023.
Board Meeting Information
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.
File | Action |
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2015-16 School Year | Download |
2014-15 School Year | Download |
2013-14 School Year | Download |
2012-13 School Year | Download |
2011-12 School Year | Download |
2010-11 School Year | Download |
2009-10 School Year | Download |
2008-09 School Year | Download |
2007-08 School Year | Download |
2006-07 School Year | Download |
2005-06 School Year.zip | Download |
2004-05 School Year | Download |
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.
File | Action |
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Annual Report NCA 2021-2022 | Download |
Annual Report_NCA_2020-2021 | Download |
Annual-Report_NCA_2019-2020 | Download |
Annual Report_NCA_2018-2019 | Download |
Nova 2017-2018 Annual Report.docx | Download |
2016-17-Annual-Report.pdf | Download |
2015-16-Annual-Report.pdf | Download |
Annual-Report-2015.pdf | Download |
Annual-Report-for-2014-FINAL_optimized.pdf | Download |
Annual-Report-for-2013.pdf | Download |
Annual-Report-for-2011-2012.pdf | Download |
Annual-Report-for-2010-2011.pdf | Download |
Annual-Report-for-2009-2010.pdf | Download |
District Expenses and Revenues Form
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.
Please vote!
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.
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
File | Action |
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NP 201 | Role and Responsibilities | Download |
NP 202 | Expectations and Obligations of Board Members | Download |
NP 203 | Board Meetings | Download |
NP 204 | Election of Board Members | Download |
NP-205 | Committees | Download |
NP-206 | Board Orientation, Training | Download |
NP 208 | Development, Etc. of Policies | Download |
NP 210 | BoD Member Conflict of Interest | Download |
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
File | Action |
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102 | Equal Educational Opportunity | Download |
110 | Data Retention | Download |
214 | Out-Of-State Travel | Download |
401 | Equal Employment | Download |
402 | Disability Nondiscrimination | Download |
406 | Public and Private Personnel Data | Download |
406F | Consent to Release-Request from an Individual | Download |
407 | Employee Right To Know - Hazardous Substances | Download |
410 | Family and Medical Leave | Download |
412 | Expense Reimbursement | Download |
413 | Violence and Harassment | Download |
414 | Mandated Reporting | Download |
417 | Chemical Use and Abuse | Download |
418 | Drug-Free | Download |
418F | Acknowledgment to Drug-Free Workplace/Drug-Free School | Download |
419 | Tobacco-Free Environment | Download |
427 | Workload Limits | Download |
501 | School Weapons Policy | Download |
502 | Search of Student | Download |
504 | Student Appearance | Download |
505 | Speech and Distribution of Materials | Download |
505 | Forms | Download |
506 | Student Discipline | Download |
506F | Reporting Form—Student Discipline | Download |
514 | Bullying Prohibition | Download |
515 | Protection and Privacy of Student Records | Download |
Public Notice Regarding Policy 515 | Download |
515 | Form | Download |
516 | Student Medication | Download |
521 | Student Disability Nondiscrimination | Download |
522 | Title IX Policy | Download |
522F | Reporting Form—Student Sex Nondiscrimination | Download |
524 | Internet Acceptable Use | Download |
524F | Agreement form—Internet Acceptance Use and Safety | Download |
526 | Hazing Prohibition | Download |
531 | Pledge of Allegiance | Download |
532 | Use of Peace Officers | Download |
533 | Wellness Policy | Download |
609 | Religion | Download |
614 | School District Testing | Download |
707 | Health Insurance Transparency Act | Download |
709 | Student Transportation | Download |
709F | Student Transportation Form | Download |
801 | Equal Access to School Facilities | Download |
801F | Use of Facilities Form | Download |
806 | Crisis Management | Download |
807 | Health and Safety | Download |
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
File | Action |
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Nova Classical Academy 2022-2023 World’s Best Workforce Goals | Download |
Nova Classical Academy 2021-2022 World’s Best Workforce Goals | Download |
Nova Classical Academy 2020-2021 World’s Best Workforce Goals | Download |
Nova Classical Academy 2019-2020 Annual Report & World’s Best Workforce | Download |
Nova Classical Academy 2018-2019 Annual Report & World’s Best Workforce | Download |
Nova Classical Academy 2016-2017 World’s Best Workforce Report | Download |
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.
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