GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – The Green Bay Area Public School District showed off preliminary renderings Wednesday night for its new west side elementary school.
It was the centerpiece of a $183 million referendum that 66% of voters supported earlier this month.
For the 2026-’27 school year, three elementary schools will be consolidating into one, single-story, new building next to where Kennedy Elementary currently sits.
“I wish we had two years here before he moves onto his middle school,” said Jackie Vandenheuvel, the parent of a current third grade student. “I think it will be a really good change.”
The district unveiled preliminary concepts for the 600-student capacity school in front of an audience of mostly district employees.
The building will be broken into six four-classroom pods, one pod per grade — kindergarten through fifth.
It will be the district’s first geothermal powered building, with the Earth’s temperature heating and cooling the building through ground-sourced heat pumps.
“It does have a bigger up front cost, but a return on investment with utility costs down the road,” said Cale Pulczinski, the district’s chief operating officer.
“I like the geothermal, the open lighting, provided they don’t cook the kids with the open lights and ceiling,” said Vandenheuvel. “The pickup line is fantastic because that’s a huge problem today.”
The separate driveway for picking up students behind the school was one of the most well-received features of the building’s layout.
Teachers and school staff from the schools that are consolidating — Kennedy, Keller, and MacArthur Elementary schools — were able to provide suggestions as design work will continue through spring.
“I think what we’re looking for is kind of that refined notes or maybe some wish lists or wants or needs that we could still incorporate kind of within that overarching scope of this,” said Pulczinski.
The plan is to break ground either late spring or early next summer.
Other projects part of the referendum include new secure entrances at secondary schools and upgrades at elementary schools that will be taking students from schools that are closing.
If you’d like to provide feedback on any of the referendum projects, you can email the school board at boardofeducation@gbaps.org. You can also attend the Nov. 25 school board meeting to speak in front of the school board.
Comments