GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — The largest school district in Northeast Wisconsin is grappling with budget challenges ahead of a referendum vote this November. The Green Bay Area Public School District presented a $373 million budget during a meeting on Monday.
The biggest change? They’ve cut the equivalent of roughly 105 full-time jobs in the district, reducing the budget by around $4 million.
“The strategy that the district is taking is getting those staffing levels back to pre-pandemic staffing levels,” Green Bay school’s Chief Financial Officer, Angie Roble said.
Around 45% of the proposed budget pays for salaries.
Board member Andrew Becker says it’s a good budget considering the available resources.
“The state’s insistence on not having any inflationary increase over the years is alarming and it is out of touch with reality- so hopefully something will happen on the state level because it has to for school districts in Wisconsin to function,” Becker said.
Green Bay is holding a $92 million referendum in November, specifically to fund facility improvements. If it passes, the tax rate would be $800 for $100,000 in property value. It would be $459 if the referendum does not pass. Either rate would be the lowest in Green Bay in over a decade.
