GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Green Bay’s school board voted Monday night to keep its headquarters in its current location on Broadway.
It was one of twelve buildings a community taskforce recommended to close this past spring as the district looks to cut costs amid a projected enrollment decline of about 12% over the next decade and a budget deficit that was once north of $30 million.
The right-sizing efforts of the district’s facilities will continue, but the vote means the relocation of the district office building will no longer be part of the conversation.
Green Bay school district administrators estimate it would cost $20 million to $26 million to relocate its current headquarters.
“Based on the dollar amount, to make this change, it’s not something I can support right now,” said Laura Laitinen-Warren, a school board member.
6 of 7 school board members voted to end relocation talks as part of its facilities master planning. That is despite a survey earlier this year showing 78% of the public supported the move.
“I am concerned that this doesn’t reflect listening to the community that overwhelmingly spoke up that they want this office closed in the survey,” said school board member Andrew Becker, the lone no vote.
“I wonder if we redid that survey and they had access to all that information if they’d feel the same way because the price tag is enormous,” said school board president Laura McCoy.
While the public didn’t know the estimated relocation price at the time of the survey, neither did a community taskforce that recommended the building’s closure.
In addition to the district office building, the school board has also went against the taskforce’s recommendation and previously voted to keep Leonardo da Vinci School for Gifted Learners open at its current location.
The school board has sided with the taskforce to close Keller, Tank, and Wequiock Elementary schools at the end of this school year.
The school board hasn’t taken votes on the other seven buildings the taskforce recommended to close.
“I really hope that we don’t close the door to other things,” said Becker.
“I hear what people are saying,” said Laitinen-Warren. “I understand the need to look at things creatively and we’ll do that.”
The district is looking to ask taxpayers for $150 million in an April referendum. It would pay for a new elementary school to consolidate Kennedy, Keller, and MacArthur Elementary schools. Improvements would also be made at other schools.
The district has said the referendum would not raise taxes due to other borrowing coming off the books.
