District projects $10–12M shortfall; board weighs cuts including possible closure of Katherine Johnson Academy

Green Bay Area Public Schools staff told the Board of Education on March 10 that the district is projecting a $10 million to $12 million operating deficit for the 2025–26 school year and presented a menu of possible reductions and short‑term measures to close the gap.

The fiscal presentation explained the shortfall stems from long‑term revenue limits, the pause in inflationary increases to state aid dating to 2009, and the winding down of federal ESSER funds. “We are projecting at this time somewhere between 10 and $12,000,000 in deficit for the 2025–26 school year,” a district presenter said during the operations update.

Board members and the public focused most attention on a proposed list of options staff presented to the board for discussion, which included district and board‑level measures such as reducing department and building budgets, continuing attrition‑based FTE reductions, and several personnel and benefits changes. Staff also listed as a potential savings item “reduce or close KJ [Katherine Johnson] Academy” with an estimated fiscal effect “up to $800,000.” The superintendent and operations staff framed the set of proposals as items for board discussion and direction rather than final decisions.

Why it matters: The district’s operating referendum that supplies recurring operating capacity is set to expire after the 2026–27 school year, creating longer‑term pressure on the budget. Trustees emphasized that the district must balance near‑term reductions with preserving programs that directly affect students.

Details and debate - Staff background: Presenters reviewed state funding history and said districts lost automatic inflationary increases starting in 2009; the district used ESSER funds and one‑time switches in recent years to make budgets balance. With current state assumptions (including a $325 per‑pupil increase from the most recent biennial budget), the district still anticipates the $10–12M shortfall. Staff noted the figure would shrink if state revenues proved larger than assumed.

- Proposed board actions (presented for discussion): staff estimated $2.5M could be saved by reducing department and building budgets; continued reductions in FTE through attrition; shifting some employee clinics off campus (estimated $66,000); reducing stipends/riders (estimated $85,000). Board‑level options presented for consideration included freezing annual wage increases for riders (estimated $70,000), holding base wage negotiations for one year (estimated $6.1M), freezing step increases for one year (estimated $2.2M), replacing the district income protection plan with voluntary employee‑paid short‑term disability (projected ~$750,000 savings, year dependent), and consideration of reducing or closing Katherine Johnson Academy (estimated up to $800,000). Staff asked the board to discuss and provide direction and said additional details would be provided at future meetings.

Public comment and KJ Academy Several public commenters addressed Katherine Johnson Academy, the district’s virtual K–8 program, after the budget presentation. Tanya Cioni, who identified herself as a teacher at Katherine Johnson Academy, said the program’s enrollment has more than doubled in 16 months and cited 95 enrolled students and 119 unique students served this school year. “Our enrollment has more than doubled in 16 months,” Cioni said, adding that many families learn about the program only after they begin homeschooling and that KJ is “complimentary” to traditional schools.

A parent, Sarah Erdman Savage, told the board the program had been a ‘‘lifeline’’ for her daughter and urged the board not to close it. “This is a lifeline for kids that are like my daughter,” Savage said.

Board response and next steps Trustees expressed concern about closing the program without exploring alternatives. Board member Lynn (last name not specified on the record) said she had visited KJ classrooms and urged more outreach to increase awareness and enrollment. Another trustee, Andrew, argued the program was too valuable to eliminate and said closing it might push families out of the district.

Staff agreed to provide more data to the board about KJ Academy’s enrollment patterns, state report‑card results, and financial tradeoffs. At least one trustee requested the district report measures that would capture transient enrollment and program outcomes before any final decision is made.

Actions (as presented to the board) - Proposed: Reduce or close Katherine Johnson Academy as a potential cost saving (presented by staff; mover/second not recorded). Outcome: discussed; no final action taken. Notes: staff asked the board for direction and said additional information would be provided at a future meeting. - Proposed (board‑level options for discussion): freeze annual wage increases for riders; hold base wage negotiations for one year; freeze step increases for one year; replace district income protection plan with voluntary employee‑paid short‑term disability; reduce department/building budgets; continue attrition‑based FTE reductions. Outcome: discussion; no final board vote recorded during the meeting.

What’s next: Staff told trustees they would return with more specific data and with a prioritized action plan tied to the strategic plan and the state budget outcome. The board did not vote on any of the proposed savings measures at the March 10 meeting.

Sources and evidence: public comments by Tanya Cioni and Sarah Erdman Savage during public forum; operations budget presentation by district staff; list of proposed savings options presented during operations update.