GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – Tuesday could not have gone any better for the Green Bay Area Public School District.
Both of the its referendum questions were successful.
The first item asked voters to allow the district to exceed the state revenue limit by $16,500,000 per year for ten years to maintain current staffing levels, class sizes, and educational programs.
It received 10,456 ‘yes’ votes and 6,207 ‘no’ votes, a 63/37 ratio.
Despite the additional $16,500,000, the district is projecting a $1,500,000 budget defecit for the 2017-18 school year.
Superintendent Michelle Langenfeld says the district will prioritize its needs as it “will absolutely have a balanced budget in 2017-18.”
Question two sought $68,250,000 for facility needs, including the construction of a new Baird Elementary School and the installation of safe, secure entrances at seven other elementary buildings.
That item passed 11,625 ‘yes’ votes to 5,027 ‘no’ votes, a 70/30 clip.
Communications Director Laurie Blakeslee says plans for the new Baird Elementary School will soon enter the design phase. She notes the new building won’t be ready until the start of either the 2018-19 or 2019-20 school year.
The district’s current mill rate is $10.16 per thousand dollars of assessed value. School officials say there will be no tax increase due to previous debt falling off.
