GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — The Green Bay Area Public School District (GBAPS) is taking the next steps in placing a referendum on the November ballot.
On Tuesday, school board members and district leaders heard from the public for the first time on their thoughts on what is proposed for the $183 million referendum.
Something community members agreed upon is a need for upgrades to safety and security at schools. Right now, the district is looking to use $33 million towards those improvements within the referendum.
“That was the number one priority of just about everyone here and they said, ‘Yes, we want our schools to be safe and secure,'” said resident Linda Wery.
The remaining money would be used to make updates and renovations to schools taking in more students after the closures of six elementary schools.
Tank, Keller, and Wequiock Elementary Schools closed following the end of this past school year. Last month, the school board voted to close three more schools — Elmore, Langlade, and MacArthur Elementary Schools.
Also on the table for the referendum is the creation of a new 600-student school at the site of Kennedy Elementary on the west side. One large concern from the public is transportation for students.
“Busing, I would think. They would have to ride buses. From where I live to go to Chappell, and I know there’s a shortage of school bus drivers,” said Wery.
“Transportation is incredibly complicated, there’s a lot of moving parts to any school district’s transportation plan, but we do have staff that are working on that and there’s a few unknowns as of now,” said Laura McCoy, GBAPS Board of Education President.
With more meetings involving the public scheduled, the district is encouraging everyone to make their voices heard.
Another public input meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Thursday at MacArthur Elementary. The Board of Education will vote on July 22 to decide what exactly will be included in the referendum.
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