Green Bay School District staff will receive an annual cost of living increase despite initial projections that this would result in a deficit. Thanks to budget cuts behind the scenes, superintendent Vicki Bayer said, the 2026-27 budget will be balanced even with CPI increases.
“In the face of legislative inaction,” board president James Lyerly said, “we value our educators enough to go back and look for other ways to make the budget work and stretch the dollar, including as we prepare for a referendum.”
All GBAPS staff will receive a 2.63% cost of living increase in the 2026-27 fiscal year. That figure is based on the Consumer Price Index, which caps annual raises for public employees under Wisconsin 2011 Act 10.
It is not providing step increases to its employees in 2026-27 in order to balance the budget. Step raises are meant to reward employees as they gain experience.
The following GBAPS staff classifications will receive a 2.63% increase:
School board members will not receive the same CPI increase, voting it down 4-3. There was a debate: members Laura McCoy, Mary Lou Yang and James Lyerly said board members should show they’re willing to tighten their belts, while Andrew Becker, Jeanette Knill and Alex Mineau said because the board skipped raises last year, board salaries should keep up with inflation. In the end, Samantha Meister joined the majority in rejecting a raise.
How has GBAPS’ budget situation changed?
State funding, declining enrollment and the increase in school choice options have meant Green Bay and many other Wisconsin school districts regularly struggle to make ends meet. School districts are funded based on enrollment, but when the number of students drops, it’s difficult for schools to cut costs like staff because enrollment is generally spread across classrooms.
Last fall, GBAPS announced it would take on a $3.6 million budget deficit rather than make cuts to its workforce. That budget deficit increased to about $5.6 million after the district received less funding from the state than was initially announced. At that point, the district already planned to go to referendum in November 2026.
This February, GBAPS said it would face an up to $8 million deficit in 2026-27 and between $24 million and $32 million in 2027-28. That range was based on whether the district provided staff with CPI raises and steps.
Since then, it’s cut administrative positions and reduced staff by attrition; Bayer said April 13 that Green Bay will have about 100 fewer full-time employees by the start of 2026-27 than in 2025-26.
The School Board has voted to close the pool at Edison Middle School and make changes to employee benefits. District administrators previously said Green Bay was auditing special programs like its Fine Arts Institute at East High and International Baccalaureate at West High for return on investment, but the results of that audit are not yet public.
Now, the district says, the budget is balanced for 2026-27. Green Bay is still planning on a November 2026 referendum to replace an existing $16.5 million referendum that expires after the 2026-27 school year. The amount of that new referendum has not yet been decided.
Contact Green Bay education reporter Nadia Scharf at nscharf@usatodayco.com or on X at @nadiaascharf.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Green Bay School Board approves staff cost of living raise
Reporting by Nadia Scharf, Green Bay Press-Gazette / Green Bay Press-Gazette
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