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Onalaska board considers contract to launch K–8 Onalaska Online Academy with vendor partner
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Summary
School leaders presented a charter contract to create the Onalaska Online Academy, a K–8 program the district would operate in partnership with Venture Upward; the board moved to approve the contract but the transcript does not record a final vote.
On Tuesday the Onalaska School District board heard a proposal to create the Onalaska Online Academy, a K–8 chartered school the district would operate in partnership with vendor Venture Upward.
Superintendent Ben Shreveport framed the proposal as a way to serve students the district has not historically reached and to address declining enrollment. "This will be an additional school for us, but it technically on paper would be listed as a charter school," Shreveport said, describing the governing-board requirement, incorporation steps completed last week, and the contract the board was asked to approve.
District presenters said the academy would contract with Venture Upward for a learning-management system, core curriculum aligned to Wisconsin standards, and marketing support aimed initially at home-educated families. "Our target audience to start is to try and attract already existing home educated families," the superintendent said, noting the district has roughly 60 resident homeschool students and about 50 students who open-enroll elsewhere for online options.
Presenters described governance and oversight: the charter’s governing board must consist of a majority of non‑district employees, the academy would follow district policies, administer state and district assessments, and produce its own report card. They also listed conditions for contract termination — insufficient academic progress, failure to maintain enrollment, noncompliance with law or policy, emergency health or safety risks, or dissolution of the governing board.
Board members asked clarifying questions about naming, legal language required by the Department of Public Instruction, vendor cost changes and what controls the district would retain when the vendor seeks price changes. The presenters said the district’s finance and HR teams will finalize contracts and staffing if the board moves forward, and the district would submit benchmarks to DPI for an entity number if approved.
A board member moved and another seconded to approve the Onalaska Online Academy contract "as outlined" in the meeting materials; the transcript excerpt ends after the motion and does not include a recorded vote or final outcome. The presenters said they would proceed to Phase 2 and keep the board updated on contracting, staffing and benchmark submissions.
If approved, the plan calls for the district to hire licensed teachers, manage special-education services and produce an annual report on the academy’s academic performance and compliance with district rules.
