Green Bay school board approves job-description edits after federal OCR letter despite strong objections

The Green Bay Area Public School District Board of Education voted to approve revisions to multiple job descriptions after the U.S. Department of EducationOffice for Civil Rights (OCR) sent a Feb. 14, 2025, letter giving districts 14 days to comply.

David Johns, speaking on behalf of Superintendent Vicki Beyer, told the board the district did not take the request lightly and warned that failure to comply could put at risk approximately $40,000,000 in federal funds that support free and reduced-price meals and staff for high-poverty schools. "From that time, districts had 14 days to comply, which is why the Board of Education is being asked to approve changes to several job descriptions," Johns said.

Several board members expressed deep reservations. James said he would "for the first time in 3 years" vote contrary to his values and described the required edits as "nonsensical changes" that remove the words "inclusion" and "diversity" from positions that support family and community engagement. Rick and Andrew also criticized the federal pressure and warned against ceding local control. "This takes away local control," Brian said, calling the situation "absolutely atrocious." Lynn and other dissenting members said the language changes harm the district's ability to celebrate diversity and support vulnerable students.

Board members who supported the administrationsaid they were making a pragmatic decision to protect programming that depends on federal funds. "The federal government's threat to withhold federal aid ... compels my vote to make nonsensical changes to job description language," one member said, adding that they hoped to preserve the underlying work even if specific words were removed.

After discussion, the motion to approve the job-description changes was called and passed by voice/online tally as recorded by meeting staff. The board recorded the motion as carried 4 to 3. Several members publicly stated they were voting in favor despite personal objections to the process and content.

The action stemmed from the district's compliance review after the OCR letter referenced Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and said institutions that fail to comply may face potential loss of federal funding. The board did not adopt any additional local policy changes at the meeting beyond approving the revised job descriptions; board members said they expect to continue outreach and internal work to support families and staff.

The board moved on to other agenda items after a short recess; the superintendent's update and subsequent discussion emphasized continuing district services and family outreach.

What happens next: board members said staff will implement the revised job descriptions to meet the compliance window while the district continues to review its programs and advocacy options. No litigation or specific follow-up action was announced at the meeting.