Slight Change in Board Leadership

The meeting starts off with State Senator Jamie Wall congratulating outgoing Superintendent Vicki Bayer with a citation thanking her for her work over the past few years in doing what he believes to be the most important job in Brown County. He highlights the challenging times over the past few years, including navigating the COVID-19 pandemic.

Recoginations

WIAA Girls Hockey State Champion

Hannah Von Haden, a Preble senior, has won the WIAA Girls' Hockey State Championship for the 3rd time in the 4 years she has been with the Bay Area Ice Bears.

Educators of Distinction

Educator	School
Dan Dennis	Leonardo da Vinci School for Gifted Learners
Laurie Grunwald	Jackson Elementary School
Heidi Herrala	McAuliffe Elementary School
Shelby Koll	Elmore Elementary School
Terri Lesjack-Decker	Southwest High School
Allison Nitti	Red Smith K-8 School
Jennifer Sloniker	Doty Elementary School

Golden Apple Award Winners

Staff	School
Weston Berndt	Preble High School
Andrew Crane	Southwest High School
Alex Downing	Red Smith K-8 School
Jen Kelm	Baird Elementary School

Brian LaViolette Scholarship Nominee

Ily Hana Song from Preble High School has been nominated and is seeking admission to Princeton University.

Public Forum

Several people in the community, including the program director, have shared their concerns about the potential defunding of East High School's Fine Arts Program. They highlighted the positive effects on student attendance and graduation rates, and the expanded ability to excel in the arts without socioeconomic barriers.

Another woman spoke in support of the International Baccalaureate program, another program being considered for removal to save money. She spoke about the positive impact on students and the district's enrollment, suggesting that students may be chosen out to Bay Port or other private schools that continue to have that program.

Another speaker expressed concern about the staff-to-student ratio being too low and taxes being too high. He stated wildly incorrect budget numbers.

Elections of Board Roles for the New Session

President

Samantha Meister nominated James Lyerly for Board President, with no one else nominated. Without competition, the board members unanimously appoint James Lyerly to be President.

Vice President

Samantha Meister nominates herself for Vice President. Mary Lou Yang nominates Alex Mineau. Meister talks about her experience of education systems, while Mineau states he is more diverse and well-rounded. Andrew Becker supports Alex Mineau. He notes his experience within the Green Bay schools will be required as the district onboards the new superintendent. Jeanette Knill mimics what Becker stated as the reason to vote for Meister. Mary Lou Yang states Mineau was brought up several times while canvassing for her own election. James Lyerly agrees with others that both share a wealth of experience, but has chosen Meister for the type of experience she has.

Treasurer

Alex Mineau nominates Andrew Becker for Treasurer. Without competition, the board members unanimously appoint Andrew Becker to be Treasurer.

Clerk

Mary Lou Yang nominates Jeanette Knill for Clerk. Without competition, the board members unanimously appoint Jeanette Knill to be Clerk.

Secretary

Kinsey Lehr was nominated by James Lyerly. The board members unanimously appointed Kinsey Lehr as Secretary.

Appointments

Position	Appointee
CESA #7 Liaison and Representative to Annual Convention	Mary Lou Yang
WASB Delegate and Alternate	Laura McCoy
Head Start Representative	Mary Lou Yang
District Safety Committee Board Representative	Laura McCoy

Board of Education Member School Appointments

Alex Mineau
- Preble, Baird, Lombardi, Oak Learning Center, Webster
Jeanette Knill
- East, Doty, Edison, da Vinci, Wilder
Andrew Becker
- Franklin, Sullivan, Howe, Nicolet, Fort Howard
James Lyerly
- West, King, Beaumont, Eisenhower
Laura McCoy
- Chappell, Washington, Minoka-Hill, Jackson, Danz
Mary Lou Yang
- Red Smith, JDAL, Aldo, Starr
Samantha Meister
- Southwest, NEW, McAuliffe, Martin, Lincoln

Superintendent Update

Superintendent Vicki Bayer highlights several events in the school district:

Indigenous Cultural Teachings Day at Howe Elementary is hosted by the Title VI First Nations Team.
The Fox Cities Performing Arts Center Awards involve several Green Bay productions.
East High School competed in the Girls Flag Open with the Green Bay Packers and finished second.
West High School held its first Reality Fair, supported by 60 volunteers.
Amy Dill was a graduate of Preble High School and was a capsule communicator on the Artemis II space mission. She is being added to the alumna recognition.
Hosted Dr. Jill Underly in an Educator Workforce Roundtable.
Three members of the GBEA went to the NEA-ESP Conference to join the health and safety programs.
Brown County United Way Excellence in Nonprofit Leadership Award
Doty Elementary Lego Programming Show and Tell
Southwest High School musical: Little Women
The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction rated Chappell and Lincoln as "high impact".
On May 3rd, there will be open houses for the four schools that are closing this year.

Clean Energy Advisory Committee Update

On April 30th, the Waste Reduction committee will hold its kickoff at 4:00 PM. Several board members reiterated that expanding solar panels and other clean energy programs will save the district money.

Legislative Budget

Jeanette Knill states that Wisconsin currently has a $2.5 billion surplus and there is a proposal to use $1.3 billion to support public schools. She goes on to state that the school district loses approximately $14 million to voucher schools, and the school has not had an increase in revenue from the state since 2008. She continues, stating that the districts receive only 42% of special education funding from the state. She concludes that the Trump administration plans to eliminate the Department of Education in the upcoming budget.

Action Items

Updating the fee schedule for student fees and activity passes is a recommended motion. Passes unanimously.
Pausing the tuition reimbursement program for administrators for the following school year (26/27) is a recommended motion. Passes unanimously.
Updating the permissible use of playgrounds, cross-referenced information, and pronouns is a recommended motion. Passes unanimously.
Removal of language in regard to Public Notices of governmental bodies of the school district is a recommended motion. Passes unanimously.
Removal of gendered language and role change for Wellness changed to the Associate Superintendent is a recommended motion. Passes unanimously.
Allowing parents and guardians of minor students to observe surveillance under federal and state law is a recommended motion. Passes unanimously.
Educators to get a 2.6% base wage increase starting July 1st is a recommended motion. Passes unanimously.
A 2.63% base wage increase for Paraprofessionals, First Nations Specialists, and Student Learning Advocates is a recommended motion. Passes unanimously.
Trades staff to get a 2.63% base wage increase is a recommended motion. Passes unanimously.
A 2.63% wage increase for Executive Assistants, Office Personnel, Food Service, Maintenance, Hourly Staff with Benefits, Van Drivers, and Monitors (Elementary and Secondary) is a recommended motion. Passes unanimously.
A 2.63% wage increase for Managers and Technical Professionals is a recommended motion. Passes unanimously.
A 2.63% wage increase for Administrators is a recommended motion. Passes unanimously.
School Board Member Compensation for 2026-27: District Administration does not have a recommended motion for this agenda item.
- I: Becker, Mineau,Knill
- No: McCoy, Yang, Meister, Lyerly

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Written by

Ethan Rouse