GREEN BAY, Wis. (WFRV) – Green Bay Area Public School district officials have begun work on several projects funded through the $183 million referendum voters passed in November.
On Monday night, district officials held an informational meeting to share with the public details about future renovations and additions at Doty Elementary. Those at the meeting also got a first look at the renderings of what the school will look like when the district completes its makeover on the building.
The project will add new classrooms to Doty Elementary and build a new gym inside the school The gym and the cafeteria will be separate spaces which GBAPS district officials said came up when they sought public input on the project from community members.
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“He (my son) wanted to have gym class that wasn’t also in the cafeteria because I think one day there was lettuce (on the floor while they were having gym,” said GBAPS parent Jennifer Fashingbauer. “He was all excited that there’s a possibility he’ll have gym without lettuce. So I think there’s more positives than negatives.”
Fashingbauer told Local 5 News that her son currently attends Langlade Elementary, but will move into Doty when the two schools consolidate after the 2025-2026 school year. Doty will balloon to about 520 students when the Langlade students move in.
District officials said they will keep class sizes low and within district standards. The projects at Doty Elementary School will also include an accessible dropoff and pickup setup that wraps around the building and new playground equipment. Unlike the current setup, all of the new equipment will be in the same area on the grounds which teachers say will make it easier to supervise kids at recess.
“We wanted to be sure that the community was aware that we took their input very seriously, the parents, staff, students, everybody who showed up to provide that feedback was being incorporated into that design,” said Cale Pulczinski who is GBAPS Chief Operating Officer.
Pulczinski said that they’re also starting similar renovations at Chappell Elementary. Like Doty Elementary, this school will soon receive more students when other schools in the district close down as part of the district’s consolidation plan.
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Later this week, there’s an informational meeting to talk about referendum projects at Chappell Elementary. It’s scheduled for 6 p.m. on Thursday in Chappell’s library.
District officials said they have also begun earthwork at the construction site of their new elementary school at the site of Kennedy Elementary. On Monday night, GBAPS Board of Education voted to name it Starr Elementary in honor of Bart and Cherry Starr.
In November, voters green lit a $183 million referendum for the district that allows them to do these projects.
“With the three that we have addressing consolidations, consolidating those into an efficient four-track school is really important,” Pulczinski said. “At the same time we’re able to address deferred maintenance as well.”
District officials will also add secure entrances at Washington Middle School and renovate the school’s restrooms as part of phase one of the referendum.
For information about the district’s referendum, please click here.
