Redesign 2020

Update July 2020

While the Board and administration appreciate all the feedback received to date from staff and families, Redesign 2020 will be suspended due to the pandemic limiting the ability to gather input and the administration’s limited capacity to explore all options identified by the Board. This will afford Superintendent Murley and the administration an opportunity to complete the work for the reopening of schools in the fall. 

The administration will continue to work with the Board of Education, staff and families of John Dewey Academy of Learning and NEW Innovation to determine permanent solutions since the current lease for the Cherry Street building will terminate at the end of the 2020-21 school year. 


On February 26 and 27, 2020 the Board of Education held a retreat to discuss Redesign 2020, an effort that continues the work begun in 2016 to address inequities in enrollment and facilities across the District. The Board of Education reviewed school capacities, enrollments and projections, as well as the results of the Facilities Survey conducted in the Spring of 2019. 

As part of the discussion, the Board of Education discussed the various reasons behind the need to address enrollment and facilities concerns. One significant reason identified was the changing educational landscape, which includes declining enrollment, parent choice (intra-district transfers, vouchers and open enrollment), and a highly mobile student population. The Board’s goal is to set the District up for both short- and long-term success by maximizing resources and creating greater efficiencies to achieve its mission and vision. In the end, the Board of Education will consider solutions that result in greater efficiencies to deliver high quality programming for ALL students, and then take into account stakeholder voice. 

Through a facilitated discussion, the Board of Education brainstormed potential solutions and developed a list of ideas for District administration to further research and update the Board in April. At a future retreat, the Board will determine which solutions they would like the community to consider, and will seek feedback from students, staff, families and community members.

At the Board’s request, District administration will be conducting further research to determine the viability of the following ideas:

Explore options for the Northeast Wisconsin School of Innovation (NEW Innovation) for the 2021-22 school year. NEW Innovation is currently located at 701 Cherry Street, a leased building that is shared with John Dewey Academy of Learning (JDAL), including:

-Repurpose Keller Elementary School for NEW Innovation.
-Relocate NEW Innovation to the District Office Building (DOB), and relocate DOB offices to available space in District schools. 
-Repurpose Lincoln Elementary School for NEW Innovation.

Explore options for JDAL for the 2021-22 school year, including:

-Repurpose Keller Elementary School for JDAL.
-Purchase the 701 Cherry Street building that is currently leased.

Explore options for Keller Elementary School, due to the relocation of the Head Start program, including:

-Move JDAL into the second floor of Keller.
-Develop Keller as a 4K-5 Community School with potential wrap-around services.
-Repurpose all or a portion of Keller as offices for DOB staff, professional learning space, or space for occupational and physical therapists from Lincoln Elementary.
-Develop a “school within a school” at Keller, possibly a Montessori School. 
-Reboundary Keller Elementary to Kennedy School or to other nearby westside elementary schools, which would likely require building upgrades.
-Reboundary Keller to Kennedy, with Kennedy becoming a K-8 school, which would likely require building upgrades.

Explore Franklin Middle School as a possible K-8 school.  

Questions and comments regarding Redesign 2020 can be submitted using the community input form. In addition, staff, students, parents and members of the community are encouraged to contact Board of Education members with any feedback they may wish to share. 


Board Votes to Combine Jefferson Elementary and Fort Howard Elementary Schools

The Green Bay Area Public School District’s Board of Education voted to approve the consolidation of Jefferson Elementary School with Fort Howard Elementary School. Starting with the 2020-21 school year, students who live in the Jefferson attendance area will attend Fort Howard Elementary School for 5K-5th grades.

The consolidation addresses declining enrollment at the two west side schools, and results in the District capturing financial resources that can be reinvested for student needs in the District. The District will be repurposing Jefferson School to be the westside Head Start Learning Center. This past spring, the District received a $2.9 million grant, which provides funds for renovating an existing facility, and supports staffing and operation costs to expand all day 4-year-old Head Start to the west side of the school district.

District and school administration will begin the work of organizing a community transition team, composed of school leadership, parents, community stakeholders, and partners, who will have the opportunity to provide feedback on important decisions. The team’s charge is to build partnerships with key stakeholders, engage the larger community, connect resources; and help ensure a seamless transition for students, parents and staff.. 

Learn more by visiting this link


Phase III - Redesign 2020

Beginning in 2016, the District engaged in an effort to address facility and enrollment challenges related to overcrowding on the east side of the District, overcapacity on the west side and inequitable and inadequate facilities/learning spaces.
Redesign 2020 Phases

Envisioning a Brighter Future
In Phase I, the District retained Plunkett Raysich Architects, LLP, to conduct a facilities study of all District-owned buildings. While the study was ongoing, the Board of Education engaged the community in a series of listening sessions to create a vision for improved learning facilities. In addition, a facilities-focused community survey was conducted and a Facilities Task Force (composed of staff, parents and residents) developed final recommendations for the Board.

In January 2017, the Board of Education approved placing a referendum question on the ballot in April 2017 to address many of the concerns. The $68.25 million construction referendum was approved by 70 percent of voters to address overcrowding on the east side, provide safe and secure entrances at several elementary schools and provide adequate and equitable learning spaces for students.  

Recognizing the referendum did not address concerns related to overcrowding at Preble High School, a Secondary Schools Capacity Task Force was created. The task force presented its recommendations to the Board on June 5, 2017. Both the Facilities Task Force and the Secondary Schools Capacity Task Force had recommended the Board of Education consider boundary changes. 

From November 2017 through May 2018, a Boundary Task Force (consisting of community members and students) met and developed recommendations that were presented to the Board of Education in June 2018.  The Boundary Task Force recommendations included:

  • Reproducing popular programs/magnet schools on the west side of the District
  • Providing transportation for equitable access to programming/schools
  • Marketing programs to use the power of choice to smooth out enrollment
  • Addressing feeder patterns at the middle and high schools 

In the spring of 2019, the Board of Education conducted a survey to receive community feedback on the recommendations it had received from the three task forces that studied the District’s facility concerns and attendance boundaries, and on possible solutions to address continued enrollment and facility inequities.

Survey Results

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