Voucher-Funded Private Schools Operate With Minimal Oversight and Questionable Governance

A recent investigation found that 39 private schools in Wisconsin rely entirely on public tuition vouchers, serving roughly 7,900 children and consuming about $87 million of state money in the most recent year. Atlas Preparatory Academy in Milwaukee, a flagship example, obtained over $4 million for its K-12 program while reporting poor academic outcomes and shrinking enrollment. The school’s board chair, who also acts as an administrator, was compensated more than $150,000 in 2024, and his firm received a sizable contract for accounting and consulting work.

Additional disclosures revealed that the chair’s daughter earned a six-figure salary for a broad “business services” role, and the executive director earned $175,000 while holding a board seat. State law that bars public-school officials from holding conflicting paid positions does not apply to these private institutions, leaving them largely exempt from open-records requirements and standard nonprofit governance rules. Critics argue that without comparable accountability measures, low-performing voucher schools may continue to operate without sufficient oversight.