Phase III

Facilities Needs Survey Results Presented to the Board of Education

At the December 11th Work Session, the Board of Education received a report regarding the survey results. The Board of Education contracted Donovan Group to conduct a Facilities Needs Survey regarding a potential April 2024 referendum. The survey was available online or individuals could request a paper copy from November 8-22, 2023. A total of 2,639 community members completed the survey, including 26 in Spanish. View the survey results here.

Board Votes on District Office and Boundary Adjustment Advisory Committee Membership

On Monday, November 27, the Board of Education voted 6-1 to remove the District Office Building from the current Facility Master Plan efforts and keep the District offices at the current 200 S. Broadway location. Upon further exploration, the cost of moving offices to West High School was not cost effective, in comparison to the current cost of operating the existing building.

The Board of Education also voted unanimously to approve the Boundary Adjustment Advisory Committee membership. The committee will include:
Bridget Van Laanen
David Harswick
Dr. Samantha Meister
Genevieve Winkler (student)
Kelly Marciniak
Marisol Evans
Mary Yang
Michael Bruesch
Q Yang (student)
Robin Scott
Sandra Gomez
Stephanie Guzman
Stephen Schilz
Tarron Talbot
Vicky Shier

Alternate member selected:
Emily Tietyen

Please review the Boundary Adjustment Advisory Committee Charter for information regarding criteria for selecting members and the committee's responsibilities.

Board of Education Votes to Close Keller and Tank at the End of the 2023-24 School Year

At the October 23, 2023 Board of Education meeting, the Board voted unanimously to consolidate Tank Elementary with Lincoln Elementary for the 2024-25 School Year. The Board voted 6-1 to consolidate Keller Elementary and Kennedy Elementary for the 2024-25 school year. Finally, the Board of Education voted to add West High School to the boundary advisory committee work to review additional options, and to remove JDAL from the resolution, resulting in JDAL remaining at its current location on Cherry Street.

Board of Education Votes on Vendor for Boundary Study

At the September 25, 2023 Board of Education Meeting, the Board voted to contract with Cooperative Strategies for the boundary study and to work with the Boundary Advisory Committee.

Board of Education Votes to Close Wequiock at the End of the 2023-24 School Year

At the August 28, 2023 Board of Education meeting, the Board voted unanimously to close Wequiock Elementary School at the end of the 2023-24 school year. The Red Smith School (4K-8) boundary will be modified to encompass the Wequiock boundary.

Board of Education Votes on Task Force Recommendations

The Board of Education held a Special Board Meeting on June 5, 2023, to vote on various elements of the Facilities Task Force recommendations. After significant discussion, the Board voted on the following motions:

Develop a Plan for a Capital Referendum (Approved)
The Board directed District administration to develop a plan for a capital referendum question and present a project list to the Board of Education by November 1, 2023. The referendum should include:

A new elementary school on the site of Kennedy Elementary School to enable the District to consolidate students of select west-side schools. (While the motion did not indicate any specific schools, in the Task Force recommendations the schools impacted were Keller, MacArthur and Kennedy elementary schools).
Security upgrades at East, Preble, and Southwest high schools, Edison and Lombardi middle schools, and Eisenhower and Wilder elementary schools.
Modify West High for District offices and/or a distinct location for John Dewey Academy of Learning. (West would continue to be a comprehensive high school, grades 9-12).
Address high priority facility projects as recommended by the Facilities Task Force.

Develop a Process to Evaluate the Impact of Adding K-8s and Shifting Boundaries (Approved)

The Board directed District administration to begin the process to assess the impact of repurposing Langlade Elementary, McAuliffe Elementary, and Franklin Middle to 4K-8 schools to the community, educational pathways, and student safety. The assessment should ensure the following:

Any investments and divestments across the various communities are equitable;
Boundary revisions minimize change for students, families, and district operations, when possible;
All Board approved educational pathways remain intact;
The resulting school populations are equally or more diversely integrated than present; and
Transportation services are not negatively impacted.

The assessment activities should include, but are not limited to:

Contract a firm to study the community impact of the school closures and the subsequent relocation of student populations proposed by the Facility Task Force;
Organize a task force representative of the impacted communities to evaluate the impact study and use findings to evolve the task force recommendations and adjust boundaries; and
Propose alternative locations for 4K-8 facility investment (for example Webster Elementary or Washington Middle School);
Create a transition plan for students impacted by changes to educational pathways; and
Propose locations that can be repurposed to offer services to students with disabilities who utilize the common core essential elements.

Schools potentially impacted by this assessment regarding 4K-8 schools could include: Beaumont, Doty, Elmore, Leonardo da Vinci, Washington, and Webster. This assessment would also consider the recommendation to make boundary changes to shift high school students west.

Develop a Plan to Close Wequiock Elementary School (Approved)
The Board directed District administration to initiate planning activities to close Wequiock Elementary School. The Board will still need to take a vote on whether or not to close Wequiock.
Develop a Plan to Close Tank Elementary School (Tabled)
The Board tabled the motion to direct District administration to initiate planning activities to close Tank Elementary School. The Board will discuss this motion at its June 26th Regular Board of Education meeting.

Develop a Plan for a Capital Referendum - Approved

WHEREAS, it is the mission of the Green Bay Area Public School District to educate all students to be college, career and community ready inspired to succeed in our diverse world, and in an effort to achieve that mission the District offers a variety of programming to meet the needs of all students; and

WHEREAS, Wis. Stat. §§ 120.12(1) and 12.44(2) authorize the Green Bay Area Public School District Board of Education to have the possession, care, control and management of the property and affairs of the school district; and

WHEREAS, due to factors of the State of Wisconsin failing to fully fund public education and declining enrollment, the Green Bay Area Public School District projects a $20 million dollar operating deficit for the 2024-2025 school year; and

WHEREAS, in order to address the District’s impending budget deficit and the decrease in student enrollment, the Board of Education has determined to take action based on the recommendations of the Facility Master Planning Committee; and

WHEREAS, any significant reduction of workforce required to address the impending budget deficit without associated school consolidations will create negative impacts across the district and jeopardize the Green Bay Area Public School District’s ability to execute its mission; and

WHEREAS, several neighborhood elementary schools on the west side of the Green Bay Area Public School District are operating at well below optimal enrollment levels; and

WHEREAS, Kennedy Elementary School’s site is amenable to the construction of a new elementary school with capacity enough to enable relocating the student populations of multiple low enrollment elementary schools to a single modern facility; and

WHEREAS, the Facility Master Planning Task Force recommends secured entry updates at several Green Bay Area Public Schools to better control visitor access and improve the overall security of those schools; and

WHEREAS, West High School is operating at 60% capacity and can be modified to accommodate a distinct educational environment for the project-based learning program of the John Dewey Academy of Learning; and

WHEREAS, the Facility Master Planning Task Force recommends closing the Green Bay Area School District office building; and

WHEREAS, the facility assessments performed by ATSR prioritized upcoming investments in facility infrastructure; therefore

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that

The Green Bay Area Public School District is directed to initiate all necessary activities required to prepare a proposed capital referendum question and present the resulting project list, capital requirements, and all other pertinent information on or before 11/1/2023 such that the board can approve a capital referendum question as follows:

a. Build a new elementary school on the site of
Kennedy Elementary School to enable, upon its
completion, the district to consolidate the student
populations of selected west-side elementary schools.

b. Implement the recommended security upgrades at
the following schools:
i. Southwest High School
ii. Lombardi Middle School
iii. East High School
iv.Preble High School
v. Edison Middle School
vi. Eisenhower Elementary School
vii. Wilder Elementary School
c. Modify West High School to:
i. create an accessible district administration
space to receive select district administration staff to
effectuate the closure of the district office building,
and/or
ii. create a distinct educational environment for
the John Dewey Academy of Learning Charter School
d. Address timely priority facility issues as
recommended by the Master Facility Planning
Committee.

Develop a Process to Evaluate the Impact of Adding K-8s and Shifting Boundaries - Approved

WHEREAS, it is the mission of the Green Bay Area Public School District to educate all students to be college, career and community ready inspired to succeed in our diverse world, and in an effort to achieve that mission the District offers a variety of programming to meet the needs of all students; and
WHEREAS, Wis. Stat. §§ 120.12(1) and 12.44(2) authorize the Green Bay Area Public School District Board of Education to have the possession, care, control and management of the property and affairs of the school district; and
WHEREAS, due to factors of the State of Wisconsin failing to fully fund public education and declining enrollment, the Green Bay Area Public School District projects a $20 million dollar operating deficit for the 2024-2025 school year; and
WHEREAS, any significant reduction of workforce required to address the impending budget deficit without associated school consolidations will create negative impacts across the district and jeopardize the Green Bay Area Public School District’s ability to execute its mission; and WHEREAS, in order to address the District’s impending budget deficit and the decrease in student enrollment, the Board of Education has determined to take action based on the recommendations of the Facility Master Planning Committee; and
WHEREAS, the Facility Master Planning Committee proposal to transition Langlade Elementary School, McAuliffe Elementary School, and Franklin Middle School to buildings for grades 4K-8 creates a need to significantly alter current boundaries across the district; and
WHEREAS, the impacts of such proposal to communities, educational pathways, transportation, and student safety of the potential boundary changes have not yet been studied; and
WHEREAS, the Board of Education has not been provided with sufficient information to determine if these proposed changes meet the criteria established in Board guidance as it pertains to equitable distribution of investments and minimizing changes to students, families, and District operations; and
WHEREAS, the Facilities Master Planning Task Force did not have the means or necessary data to evolve their proposed changes to ensure alignment with the District’s commitment to equity; and
WHEREAS, the proposal to transition these schools to 4K-8 facilities significantly alters the impacted school’s populations and therefore their opportunities to continue in their desired educational pathway;
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that
The Green Bay Area Public School District is directed to initiate the necessary activities to assess the impact to community, educational pathways, and student safety of the proposed transition of Langlade Elementary School, McAuliffe Elementary School, and Franklin Middle School to 4K-8 facilities including all related investments and closings that enable the transition.
The goal of the assessment should ensure that:
a. the comprehensive set of investments and divestments across the various communities are equitable;
b. the boundary revisions associated with the proposed transition to 4K-8 facilities minimize change for students, families, and district operations, when possible;
c. all Board approved educational pathways remain intact;
d. the resulting school populations are equally or more diversely integrated than present populations; and
e. transportation services are not negatively impacted.
The assessment activities should include but are not limited to
a. engaging a reputable 3rd party to study the community impact of the school closures and the subsequent relocation of student populations proposed by the Facility Master Plan Task Force;
b. organizing a task force representative of the impacted communities to evaluate the impact study and use findings to evolve the task force recommendations and adjust boundaries; and
c. propose alternative locations for 4K-8 facility investment (e.g. Webster Elementary, Washington Middle School)
d. creating a transition plan for students impacted by changes to educational pathways.
e. propose locations that can be repurposed to offer services to students with disabilities who utilize the common core essential elements
Recommendations from the Facility Master Plan Task Force impacted by the transition to 4K-8 schools and subject to the aforementioned assessments include:
a. Closure of Elmore Elementary School
b. Closure of Beaumont Elementary School
c. Closure of Doty Elementary School
d. Closure of Washington Middle School
e. Modification of McAuliffe Elementary School
f. Modification of Langlade Elementary School
g. Modification of Webster Elementary School
h. Closure of Leonardo da Vinci School
i. All associated boundary changes that redirect students to new schools based on the closures and modifications above
j. All associated boundary changes that shift high school students west

Develop a Plan to Close Wequiock Elementary School - Approved

WHEREAS, it is the mission of the Green Bay Area Public School District to educate all students to be college, career and community ready inspired to succeed in our diverse world, and in an effort to achieve that mission the District offers a variety of programming to meet the needs of all students; and

WHEREAS, Wis. Stat. §§ 120.12(1) and 12.44(2) authorize the Green Bay Area Public School District Board of Education to have the possession, care, control and management of the property and affairs of the school district; and

WHEREAS, due to factors of the State of Wisconsin failing to fully fund public education and declining enrollment, the Green Bay Area Public School District projects a $20 million dollar operating deficit for the 2024-2025 school year; and

WHEREAS, any significant reduction of workforce required to address the impending budget deficit without associated school consolidations will create negative impacts across the district and jeopardize the Green Bay Area Public School District’s ability to execute its mission; and
WHEREAS, in order to address the District’s impending budget deficit and the decrease in student enrollment, the Board of Education has determined to take action based on the recommendations of the Facility Master Planning Committee; and

WHEREAS, Wequiock Elementary School continues to operate at or about 60% capacity; and

WHEREAS, the the environmental education programming may be transferable to Red Smith Community School (4K-8) for grades 4K- 5; and

WHEREAS, Wequiock Elementary School’s location requires all students be transported to school, thus relocation of the student population to Red Smith Community School (4K-8) minimizes change to the impacted community; and

WHEREAS, Wequiock Elementary School feeds into Red Smith Community School (4K-8) for grades 6-8; and

WHEREAS, the entirety of the student population of Wequiock Elementary School can be relocated to Red Smith Community School (4K-8) without modification;

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that

The Green Bay Area Public School District is directed to initiate planning activities, to effectuate the closing of Wequiock Elementary School, relocate that student population to Red Smith Community School (4K-8), and explore the viability of moving the environmental programming to Red Smith Community School (4K-8) for grades 4K- 5 for the 2024-2025 school year and present the plan for board approval on or before 11/1/2023

1. Revising transportation plans to ensure safe and timely transit to and from school for all students by bus.
2. Documenting the necessary boundary changes
3. Determining the feasibility of providing equivalent environmental education programming at Red Smith Community School (4K-8)
4. Creating a detailed list of non-referendum dependent projects and their capital requirements to address physical plant and educational adequacy concerns at Red Smith Community School (4K-8)
5. Documenting the necessary agreements with the city of Green Bay to ensure that students at Red Smith Community School can use the adjacent Red Smith city park for educational purposes.

Develop a Plan to Close Tank Elementary School - Tabled

WHEREAS it is the mission of the Green Bay Area Public School District to educate all students to be college, career and community ready, inspired to succeed in our diverse world, and in an effort to achieve that mission the District offers a variety of programming to meet the needs of all students; and
WHEREAS Wis. Stat. §§ 120.12(1) and 12.44(2) authorize the Green Bay Area Public School District Board of Education to have the possession, care, control and management of the property and affairs of the school district; and
WHEREAS, due to factors of the State of Wisconsin failing to fully fund public education and declining enrollment, the Green Bay Area Public School District projects a $20 million dollar operating deficit for the 2024-2025 school year; and
WHEREAS, any significant reduction of workforce required to address the impending budget deficit without associated school consolidations will create negative impacts across the district and jeopardize the Green Bay Area Public School District’s ability to execute its mission; and
WHEREAS, in order to address the District’s impending budget deficit and the decrease in student enrollment, the Board of Education has determined to take action based on the recommendations of the Facility Master Planning Committee; and
WHEREAS, Tank Elementary School is operating at below 50% utilization; and
WHEREAS, the entirety of the Tank Elementary School population can be added to Fort Howard Elementary School without modification; and
WHEREAS, the close proximity of the two schools minimizes change to the impacted communities; and
WHEREAS, the funding required to improve the Fort Howard School facility and its educational adequacy score will not require funding through the passages of a facilities referendum;
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that:
The Green Bay Area Public School District is directed to initiate planning activities, to effectuate the closing of Tank Elementary School and make the necessary updates to Fort Howard Elementary School in time to relocate the student population from Tank Elementary School to Fort Howard Elementary School for the 2024-2025 school year and present the plan for board approval on or before 11/1/2023. Planning activities include but are not limited to:

a. Revising transportation and safety plans to ensure safe and timely transit to and from school for all students by bus, bike, or on foot.
b. Documenting the necessary boundary changes
c. Creating a detailed list of projects and their capital requirements to address physical plant and educational adequacy concerns at Fort Howard Elementary School.
d. Confirming that all services rendered at Tank Elementary School exist or can be offered at Fort Howard Elementary School.

GBAPS