Latest news with #VickiBayer
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Green Bay school district faces at least $10M budget deficit in 2026-27. What comes next?
Three years after announcing a $36 million budget deficit, the Green Bay school district is still facing a fiscal cliff. Despite school consolidations and other cost-cutting moves, the district is now facing at least a $10 million to $12 million budget shortfall in 2026-27, superintendent Vicki Bayer told the board at its Monday meeting. As it prepares, Green Bay is also waiting on a state budget that administrators worry may not be set by the start of the school year. Political back-and-forth has meant it's not clear whether districts will be seeing Gov. Tony Evers' proposed $325 education funding increase per student, and Bayer expressed concern that lawmakers wouldn't be able to agree on a budget in time for the district to make difficult financial decisions. "The word escapes me to address the situation we've been put in by the way schools are funded in the state of Wisconsin,' Bayer said Monday night. Green Bay is staring down the barrel of another multimillion-dollar deficit within the next two years. It's not the only one — districts across Wisconsin are facing financial struggles as inflation squeezes set district revenue limits. 'Our goal is, when we're reducing our budget, to have the least amount of negative impact on our children. At some point, the state of Wisconsin has to realize we can't keep cutting without hurting our children,' Bayer said. It currently projects a $10 million to $12 million deficit, although that's including Evers' proposed $325 per pupil, despite it being tied up in courts — without it, that projection goes up by around $6 million. The district's been forecasting budget deficits since June 2022, when it initially projected a $36 million deficit for the 2024-25 school year. By May 2024, it had closed that gap by downsizing staff, reducing costs and consolidating schools, among other cuts. It also relied on federal pandemic relief funding, or ESSER funds, that expired last September to bridge the gap. But the core issues driving the original deficit still exist. Bayer and Angie Roble, the district's chief financial officer, pointed to the district's low revenue ceiling, meaning it can only bring in so much per pupil, and low special education funding reimbursement rates, which mean the district has to reassign general funds to meet students' needs. In addition, the district's $16.5 million operating referendum ends the same year, 2026-27. It'll likely have to turn to voters for additional operating dollars. With all that in mind, the district is planning with no idea what the state budget will look like. Administrators need to know how much they'll be receiving from the state before they can start deciding how much they'll need to ask for in a new operating referendum. Right now, Green Bay is considering a variety of options to address the projected deficit. Most would affect teacher pay and benefits: on the table are things like putting a hold on base wage negotiations until the state budget is passed, freezing annual salary 'step' increases for a year or replacing Green Bay's income protection plan, the district-sponsored short-term disability plan, for a voluntary employee-paid version. The district is also considering reducing or closing Katherine Johnson Academy of Enriched Virtual Learning, its online-only option. When the board was initially considering school consolidations in November 2023, it debated closing KJ Academy. Online enrollment numbers show the school had 66 students as of September; however, parents, teachers and board members emphasized the transitional nature of the school, meaning students come and go. One teacher stated enrollment at one point this year included 119 unique students. If the district doesn't ultimately receive the extra $325 per pupil, those changes could quickly get more drastic. 'Our recommendation at that point would probably be taking a look at class sizes and layoffs,' Bayer said. Green Bay isn't the only Wisconsin district facing financial difficulties, but it's in a particularly difficult situation because of how state school funding works out. In the 1990s, the state put a ceiling on how much funding school districts could bring in per pupil, and districts who spent more conservatively at the time, like Green Bay, were stuck at that low level. That cap initially increased slightly with inflation each year, but that changed in 2009. 'School districts never got caught up,' Bayer said. 'We've never received the funding to make up for the stop in that inflationary increase.' Districts have also had to deal with factors like declining enrollment, which led to Green Bay's school consolidations. This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Green Bay school district faces at least $10M budget deficit in 2026-27
Yahoo
17-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
City of Green Bay announces first phase of crosswalk improvements
GREEN BAY, Wis. (WFRV) – Officials with the City of Green Bay and the Green Bay Area Public Schools say they are pleased to announce the completion of the first phase of crosswalk improvements. According to a release from the City of Green Bay, 48 Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons (RRFB) with high visibility crosswalks have been recently installed throughout the city. Deputy in Wisconsin helps safely rescue an injured bald eagle Officials say the first phase of this project was completed with funding from the City of Green Bay's American Rescue Act (ARPA) and with money from the Green Bay Area Public School District's November 2022 Referendum. The people of Green Bay want and deserve safe streets. These enhanced crosswalks improve pedestrian safety and driver awareness, and I'm grateful to City staff, our Common Council, and GBAPS leadership for making this plan a reality. Mayor Eric Genrich RRFBs have reportedly been proven to help enhance the safety of pedestrians by reducing crashes by up to 47% and increasing the yielding rates of drivers by up to 98%. The current RRFB project is said to follow the work of another joint effort between the City of Green Bay and the Green Bay Area Public School District, the 'Safe Walk & Bike Plan.' City officials say the purpose of the 'Safe Walk & Bike Plan' was to empower all adults and children of all abilities throughout the city to make walking and biking a part of their daily routines and to make sure they can do so safely as they head to school and other local locations. The 48 locations selected for the RRFB improvements were selected based on the crosswalks' proximity to schools along with crash data, roadway information, and community feedback. The Green Bay Area Public School District is proud to have partnered with the City of Green Bay to make our community safer for all pedestrians, but especially for our students who walk to and from school each day. Investing in pedestrian safety has the added benefit of encouraging children and adults to engage in healthy activities such as walking. Green Bay Area Public School District Superintendent Vicki Bayer Officials say phase two of the crosswalk improvements will include the completion of several more enhanced crosswalks along with the installation of speed feedback signs in and around school zones. Green Bay men's hoops snaps 21-game losing skid behind Tweedy's 27 points For more information about the crosswalk improvements, the 'Safe Walk & Bike Plan,' and the locations of the improved crosswalks, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
