Western Youth Leadership Engagement and Empowerment School

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
934209047
IRS 990 coverage
2024–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-N 2023
Location
Las Vegas, NV, USA
Phone
7023234524
Rating
45
Verdict
MIXED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Charter Schools

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$931,725
Expenses
$530,415
Assets
$543,135
Liabilities
$539,415

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

1 person listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Michael Taack (CEO/Head of School)

Highest reported compensation

  • Michael Taack (CEO/Head of School): $170,920 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

WYLEES' mission is to: Energize diverse 6th through 8th grade youth leaders who are socially, emotionally, and academically prepared to shape the future. Engage students in academics through community service and real-world, hands on learning. Empower students to solve problems through innovation, advocacy, and action to create a better world for all.

What it reported doing in 2024

WYLEES Charter School is a tuition-free public charter middle school that will serve grades 68 beginning August 2025. The schools mission is to provide a rigorous, student-centered learning environment integrating literacy, STEM, and social-emotional development to prepare students for success in high school, college, and beyond. Program Development Activities (FY 2024-25): Completed charter authorization and compliance milestones required by state and local education agencies. Established the governing board, adopted foundational policies, and developed fiscal control systems. Secured the school facility and began renovations to meet educational and safety standards. Designed curriculum frameworks, instructional plans, and assessment systems aligned with state standards. Recruited founding leadership, instructional staff, and operational personnel. Conducted community outreach, student recruitment, and enrollment planning for the inaugural 202526 school year. Developed partnerships with community organizations and service providers to support academic and social-emotional programming. These activities furthered the organizations exempt educational purpose by laying the operational, academic, and governance foundations necessary to begin direct educational services in FY 2025-26.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
Distribution model
No current program activity. The filing reports no program spending for the current year.

The verdict

MIXED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and a relatively small share of total spending goes to programs.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 0
  • Transparency & Controls: 76
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 56
  • Growth: NotEnoughData

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 0%; rating input score 0
  • Program expense ratio: 0%; rating input score 0
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 88
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 43.1%; rating input score 90; 90th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.02; rating input score 43; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.99; rating input score 6; 6th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 32.2%; rating input score 6; 6th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: Limited
  • Revenue growth: Limited
  • Asset growth: Limited

Details

  • Where the money goes: 0% of revenue deployed · 0% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 5 of 5 board members independent · 7 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $530K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $171K · 1 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 26 of 26 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes executive pay
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 0/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 43/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 6/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 6/100.