Verona board approves renewal of New Century Charter School contract

The Verona Area School District Board of Education voted to approve the renewal of the New Century Charter School contract after a presentation by district leaders, charter staff and students.

The five‑year renewal was recommended by Superintendent Dr. Clarity and supported by legal counsel, who told the board the contract satisfies state requirements for charter agreements. The board voted to approve the renewal by voice vote; no opposition was recorded.

The renewal matters because New Century is a tuition‑free, district charter that the administration described as an established option for Verona families that emphasizes STEM, project‑based and multi‑age instruction. Superintendent Dr. Clarity said the charter “serves as a clear part of the Verona Area School District” and framed the renewal as preserving a public‑school option that provides choice and varied learning experiences for students.

Legal counsel Nate Disherx told the board the contract meets Wisconsin law requirements for charter agreements and highlighted one specific change in the new contract: the wait list for New Century will remain active longer than in the previous contract. Under the prior contract the wait list dissolved five days before the school year; the revised language extends that dissolution to the end of the first quarter to reduce the risk of inadvertently bypassing students who resolve enrollment timing issues early in the year. Disherx said the change was intended to “make sure that we don't accidentally leapfrog anybody that was on the wait list.”

Board members heard a classroom video and a series of student presentations describing hands‑on projects. Students told the board about incubating and observing chick hatches, coding with Ozobots, testing insulators to keep an ice pop cold, outdoor learning trips to ponds and parks, establishing a school garden and a Girls Who Code club. Sophie described candling eggs and watching chicks hatch; Cora explained color‑based coding commands for Ozobots; Ezra described experiments on insulators; Kai described outdoor learning trips that included sampling pond organisms; Yara recounted building and tending the school garden; and Gabby discussed girls‑focused coding activities.

Amelia McDonald, who identified herself as a school secretary working between New Century and the Verona Area International School, offered public comment in support of the renewal. McDonald praised staff collaboration and the school’s project‑based approach, saying the program gives students “multiple learning lenses” and opportunities to work with their hands.

Administrators said New Century recently adopted the district’s reading and writing curriculum and are integrating it while preserving teacher autonomy and project‑based methods. The board’s motion to approve the renewal was made and seconded on the record; members voted “aye” and the board chair declared the charter renewed.

The renewal includes the contract language described during the meeting; administrators said they had provided the full contract to board members in advance and had revised contractual language in partnership with charter leadership.

Board members congratulated students and staff after the vote and thanked parents for their involvement.