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Students and parents urge board to preserve school pools and Fine Arts Institute amid budget cuts
Summary
During public comment at the March 9 board session, student swimmers and parents urged trustees not to close district pools or cut the Fine Arts Institute, citing safety, community, student engagement and postsecondary pathways.
Several students and parents used the public forum at the March 9 meeting to urge the Green Bay Area Public School District to spare pools and the Fine Arts Institute from proposed budget cuts.
Lily Mills, a junior at Green Bay East High School who swims for Green Bay United Swim Team and Green Bay Swim Club, told trustees that the Southwest and Edison pools are "a home" for athletes and offer vital opportunities for discipline, social connection and water-safety instruction. "It's not just a sport. It's a home, and it's a family," Mills said, asking the board to consider how many children the closures would affect.
Chris Mariucci, president of the Performing Arts Parents Group at East High, described the Fine Arts Institute as a college-major–style program that provides weekly vocal lessons, backstage experiences and trips; he warned that cutting the institute would eliminate access to sustained arts pathways for students who cannot otherwise afford private instruction.
Kelly Rowe, a parent and former Southwest swimmer, recounted the emotional impact of team experiences and said the Green Bay Swim Club uses both Edison Middle School and Southwest High School pools nightly. "Please do not close our pools," she told trustees, noting the social and mental-health benefits she has seen among student athletes.
Other commenters highlighted research showing arts improve attendance and academic outcomes and urged trustees to visit performances and classrooms before making cuts.
Board members acknowledged the remarks; later agenda items addressed possible budget reductions and a staff recommendation to convert Edison's pool to an auxiliary gymnasium, a proposal that administration said would require relocating some community swim use and has been presented as a cost-avoidance measure.
