Millennium Charter officials ask Surry County for SRO funding; commissioners explain how per‑pupil funds and capital requests are handled

Officials from Millennium Charter Academy urged the Surry County commissioners on June 2 to consider paying up to $40,000 toward a school resource officer (SRO) for the Mount Airy campus and asked the board to consider capital support under recently changed state law.

Christopher Willingham, board treasurer, told the board that roughly 450 of Millennium’s approximately 600 students live in Surry County and urged the county to “treat the safety of your constituents at MCA with at least a portion of the value of what you treat your other constituents.” Dr.ury Devore, a board member, and Paul Rezo, Millennium’s head of school, repeated the request and said the school had obtained grant funding and a municipal contribution but still needed county assistance for the remaining cost, which the school said “should not exceed $40,000.” Paul Rezo described the school as a public charter school recently renewed for a 10‑year term by the Department of Public Instruction and said the school serves K‑12 students daily.

Why it matters: Commissioners and county staff explained how funding currently works and the limits on county authority. County officials confirmed that the county’s current‑expense per‑pupil allocation follows a student to the public school the student attends; commissioners repeatedly stated the per‑pupil amount as $1,320. County staff explained that longstanding practice has been to send the per‑pupil current expense funding to the student’s home district, which then passes it to charter schools under the statutory money‑follows‑the‑student mechanism. County staff and the county attorney said that, under a recent change in state law, counties may under specified conditions participate in capital outlay funding for charter schools going forward, but such funding typically requires a deed of trust or other security tied to the specific capital investment.

Public comment and board reaction: Several parents, staff and board members from Millennium described campus safety needs and the mentoring value of a dedicated officer. “A dedicated officer wouldn't just protect. They would mentor, guide, and build a strong relationship with our young people,” said Melinda Shew, an instructor and parent. Multiple commissioners thanked the speakers and asked staff to supply statutory references and logistics for any possible capital or SRO funding.

Formal action: The budget public hearing was closed; no county appropriation for an SRO was adopted at the June 2 meeting. Commissioners directed staff to provide details about the new statutory mechanisms and noted that any capital funding going forward would be limited to the scope and conditions spelled out in state law.

Clarifying details: Speakers and staff gave figures in the meeting: Millennium said the county portion requested for an SRO “should not exceed $40,000.” Commissioners and staff repeatedly referenced a per‑pupil current expense amount of $1,320 and cited a capital outlay figure near $339 per pupil as the historical capital allotment; meeting participants noted that prior to the recent legislative change the county had not provided capital outlay funds directly to Millennium and that any future capital funding would require legal safeguards.

What comes next: County staff said they would provide commissioners with the statute and implementation details for the new capital funding authority and that the board would consider requests under that framework going forward.