Beaumont Elementary School in Green Bay provides a school tour ahead of the November Referendum to receive money for updates, October 17, 2024. PC: Fox 11 Online
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — A tour of a Green Bay school aimed to highlight the importance of the upcoming election.
On Nov. 5, Green Bay voters will see a $183 million facilities referendum proposal on the ballot.
The referendum is broken into two portions: $33 million will be going towards security and safety improvements at schools and the remaining $150 million will make upgrades to elementary schools taking on more students from locations that are being consolidated — as well as create a new elementary school at the current site of Kennedy Elementary.
One of the schools that would receive the most funding from the facility improvements if the referendum passes is Beaumont Elementary School.
On Thursday, the district invited members of the media to tour the school.
Beaumont was built in 1959, with additions in 1964 and 1989. With the recent boundary change, Beaumont will be taking on more students.
The school’s principal says the school is outdated and isn’t serving students’ and staff needs.
“We don’t have the tools that we need at all times to be able to provide. We have a new curriculum and we’re learning as we go of our needs and I think one the biggest parts too, we do have community support coming in but we don’t have the space to house them or give them the appropriate things they need to best support our students and as you take a look around, there are multiple areas in the school, they’re just not updated and haven’t been for years,” principal Jenna Paal said. “I think one of our biggest needs to support our learning here is the use of our gym. It’s our gym, it’s our lunchroom and that drives a lot of our scheduling so we have to be strategic about when we can have those specials for kids and what does that learning look like in the classroom then to work around those specials and ensure we’re able to use that space appropriately.”
The school will need new boilers, new electrical infrastructure, new gym roof and update many of the spaces to be ADA compliant.
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