It’s noon at Green Bay’s newest elementary school, and sunlight spills onto child-size lockers and chairs. Colorful murals dance along the walls, offering encouraging words in between rocket ships and stars – or “Starrs.”
Starr Elementary, the Green Bay School District’s new elementary school, was built with funds from the district’s 2024 referendum. It will open on the first day of school to students who previously attended Kennedy, Keller or MacArthur elementary schools.
Each grade has a pod of classrooms, clearly labeled in letters a few feet high, with its own central and outdoor spaces. The goal is to invite collaboration; the pods also each have doors that can lock in case of emergency.
Opening Starr is part of the district’s consolidation process. With six elementary schools closing in under three years, the district had to rework the school buildings that were suddenly receiving hundreds more students. In Kennedy Elementary School’s case, starting from scratch made more financial sense than an addition because of the amount of maintenance the school would need, the district said.
The new building − named after Bart and Cherry Starr, the former Packers and philanthropist couple − cost between $55 million and $60 million, including all construction and fees. Like other consolidation projects, including additions at Chappell Elementary and Doty Elementary schools, Starr Elementary is being paid for with funds from the district’s 2024 capital referendum.
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: See inside new $55M+ GBAPS Starr Elementary school on Kennedy site
Reporting by Nadia Scharf, Green Bay Press-Gazette / Green Bay Press-Gazette
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Nadia Scharf, Green Bay Press-Gazette | USA TODAY Network
