Green Bay Area Public School District building. (IMAGE: Courtesy of Fox 11 WLUK)
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — The Green Bay Area Public School District is projecting an $8 million deficit next year.
Opportunities for your voice to be heard about potential budget cuts are coming this week.
During two public meetings, GBAPS will give a budget update presentation. Community members are encouraged to ask questions and give input on possible ways to cut costs.
“What are things that people feel are really important that we maintain in this district and that we don’t touch? And what are the things that they maybe feel like maybe that’s gone past its time?” said Lori Blakeslee, GBAPS director of communications & public relations.
The meetings are scheduled for:
- 6 p.m. Tuesday in the East High School commons
- 6 p.m. Wednesday in the Southwest High School commons
GBAPS covered a deficit this school year with fund balance dollars — essentially, an emergency fund. That can’t be the case moving forward, with the district projecting another large deficit next year.
“We’re really looking at a structural deficit, right? So, the idea is one-time cuts aren’t going to solve the problem,” said Blakeslee.
Potential cuts that have already been discussed are further school consolidation or programming.
The structural deficit is projected to be much worse starting in 2027 and could rise as much as three or four times. This is because one source of funding that will expire after next school year is a 10-year, $16.5 million referendum that was passed in 2016.
The district will likely ask for more than the $16.5 million in a new referendum this fall. But Blakeslee added that even if voters were to pass that measure, the problem wouldn’t be entirely solved.
“We’ll probably still always be at this point of where, unless there’s some dramatic change to state funding, we’ll be in a position where it won’t be necessarily just maintaining things. It’ll probably still be looking at some additional cutting going forward, especially if we remain in a declining enrollment scenario,” said Blakeslee.
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