The Neville Charter Association is again seeking to transform Neville High School into a charter school, believing the third time may finally bring success.
The association plans to resubmit its application to the Monroe City School Board for a Type 3 charter, which would allow the school to manage its own programs and funding while remaining under the board’s authorization.
The effort follows multiple past attempts — most recently in 2024, when the board rejected the proposal in January of this year. An earlier group, Friends of Neville High School, won approval for a similar charter in 2013 but was unable to proceed due to a lack of teacher support.
Association president Stewart Shelby said the new application has been updated to address prior weaknesses. He explained that last year’s appeal to the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) failed because only about 35 percent of Neville parents participated in voting—falling short of the 50 percent support requirement.
Shelby says that the shortcoming will be addressed this year.
According to Shelby, the goal of chartering Neville is to gain direct access to education funds that he says are currently tied up in district administrative costs.
“The district uses up around $4 million each year through various administrative expenses,” Shelby said.
“A charter gives us the flexibility to use our funds directly for students and advanced programs, without the politics.”
Shelby added that under a Type 3 charter, the Neville Charter Association (NCA) would control curriculum, funding, and operations while the Monroe City School District would still receive academic credit for the school’s performance. With roughly $10,000 allocated per student, the NCA could access around $10 million annually for its programs.
If the city school board rejects the new application again and BESE approves it, Neville would operate as a Type 2 charter—authorized by the state rather than the local district.
“We’d still control Neville’s affairs, but we’d answer to BESE instead of the school board,” Shelby said. Under that structure, the district would lose credit for Neville’s performance.
This possibility became more likely after the Monroe City School Board split over the charter issue earlier this year.
In a special meeting, only four of seven board members voted, with Michael Sampognaro and Bill Willson supporting the charter and Brenda Shelling and Betty Ward Cooper opposing it. Board member Jennifer Haneline abstained, while members Darryl Berry and Brandon Johnson were absent.
Willson warned that if BESE later approves a Type 2 charter, the district could lose its only A-rated school, potentially lowering the system’s overall grade from a high C to a C-minus. Despite the high marks, Neville’s average ACT score remains 19, a figure parents and supporters hope to improve with charter flexibility.
Shelby emphasized that all students currently zoned for Neville would maintain first rights to attend if the charter is approved.
