The Performing Arts Parents have been informed that the Green Bay Area Public School District is prepared to present their findings from the ROI study that was conducted on the Fine Arts Pathway, the AVID program, and the IB program. This presentation will take place during the Board of Education Work Session on Monday, August 10, at the GBAPS District Office building at 200 S. Broadway in Green Bay.

While there is not an agenda posted on the district website yet, it is listed as a “Special Board Meeting followed by Board of Education Work Session”. Based on the previous agendas listed on the website that means the board will go into a closed session at 5:00 PM for the amount of time required to complete that business. Once finished they will reconvene in an open session and the presentation will take place at some point after that. This will not be a time for public comment, but it is open to the public for anyone who would like to view the presentation. As the meeting gets closer there will also be a YouTube livestream available for those who can’t make it in person but would like to watch online.

The Performing Arts Parents have also been told not to expect a decision about the Fine Arts Pathway until later in the fall. There is a referendum on the ballot in November and the results of that will almost certainly impact the district’s decision on “specialty programming”. We’ve been told that there will be an opportunity for community input at the October board meeting.

We will post more details about the August 10 meeting, the agenda, and the link to the livestream on this site as we get them. We hope you’re having a wonderful summer!

Nothing significant regarding the future of the Fine Arts Institute happened at the April 27 school board meeting. A handful of community members spoke in favor of the Fine Arts Institute during the public forum, including Fine Arts Institute Director Lucinda Roberts, who shared some statistics about FAI and spoke eloquently about the need for the arts in our schools. However, the FAI was not on the agenda and not discussed. The next school board meeting is Monday, May 18.

Here’s a list of other things you can be doing right now to help:

Contact Your Representatives

It was mentioned multiple times last night and is worth repeating: The root of the problem here is a lack of public education funding from the state. Here are just a few bullet points to back up that point:

• Public schools have not received a cost of living increase for 17 years
• Had GBAPS received a cost of living increase each year the District would have an additional $60M in revenue this school year.
• School districts have not received the 42% increase in special education funding that was promised in the state budget, to-date it has been 35%. This was an additional $3M shortfall in this school year’s budget.
• To-date, despite discussions between the Governor’s office and Republicans, no action has been taken to provide additional public school funding from the state’s significant budget surplus, which is between $4-$5 Billion
• There is currently a bill proposed that would provide 60% guaranteed special education funding for this year and next, and equalized aid which would reduce the burden on taxpayers for public schools.

We believe it would be helpful if you reached out to your state representatives and voiced your opinion on this issue. Here are a few tools to help you with that:

Click here for a list of State Senators and Representatives with email addresses and phone numbers

Click here for an interactive Wisconsin map to see who represents you

Click here for a sample letter

Stay Involved With the School Board

We strongly encourage you to stay involved at upcoming Green Bay School Board Meetings. The remaining regular board meetings this school year are scheduled for May 18, and June 22. The Board of Education Meeting Dates page is frequently updated with agendas, meeting notes, links to meeting streams, etc.

Understand the Program Review

Here’s an excerpt from an email sent to us by Associate Superintendent David Johns explaining more about the ROI study taking place and the criteria the district is using:

• Program Review – will take place for IB, AVID and the Fine Arts Academy (Webster/Wash./EHS). This will be done by an external partner. Formal program reviews are an important part of a continuous improvement process and often expose key gaps that can help a program become even better. We are starting with these three programs as they are particularly resource-intensive and it is appropriate to start here during a period of funding uncertainty. They all have unique staffing models and offer specialized courses that frequently fall far below our Board approved class size requirements for electives. 
• ROI – The Board recently approved a 5-year strategic plan with measurable outcomes for student success. Our external partner will be comparing the data from students who participate in the programs listed above to all other students of similar grades/ages who don’t participate in these programs. The areas of comparison are listed on the link under Academic Excellence and Thriving Student Body. The questions to be answered during these reviews is “How are students who participate in these programs achieving success relative to their peers and what is the actual cost of delivering that for students?” The partner does not submit a recommendation to us as to whether to keep, expand or eliminate the program. That would be for the Board to decide based on the evidence provided to them through the review.

Thank you to Mr. Johns for his immediate, detailed response to our questions.

Catch Up With Previous Posts

Click here for our March 24 update
Click here for our March 11 update including a letter from FAI Coordinator Lucinda Roberts
Click here for our March 4 update including meeting notes and information shared at our FAI Meeting held on Monday, March 2
Click here for our original March 2 post with an overview of the potential budget cuts and what it means for the Fine Arts Institute

Stay Involved with East High Performing Arts Parents

Lastly, we also encourage you to stay involved in the Performing Arts Parents meetings for more information. Our next scheduled meeting is Monday, May 18, at 6:30 PM in the Band Room. We hope to see you there!

For those of you unable to attend the recent Nashville Trip Information meeting or last week’s Performing Arts Parents meeting, here’s a link to the slide show that was shared. Here’s a summary of the slide show:

The East High Music Department is planning a student trip to Nashville, Tennessee from Friday, March 26 through Tuesday, March 30, 2027. 

Trip Highlights

Students will have the opportunity to experience:

• Music clinics with college professionals
• Nashville Zoo at Grassmere
• Grand Ole Opry performance
• RCA Studio B tour
• Tennessee State Capitol tour
• Country Music Hall of Fame
• Performance opportunity at the National Museum of African American Music
• Ryman Auditorium
• Haunted History Tour
• Time to explore downtown Nashville and Opry Mills

Estimated Cost

• Student cost: $1,269 per student
  • Based on quad occupancy rooms
  • Based on 80 students attending
• Adult chaperone cost: $1,445 per chaperone
  • Based on double occupancy rooms
  • Based on 10 chaperones attending

Payment Schedule

• Deposit: $200 due Friday, May 8
• First payment: $356 due Friday, August 21
• Second payment: $356 due Friday, October 23
• Final payment: $357 due Friday, January 22

Fundraising Opportunities

Families will have several fundraising options available:

• Fruit Sale (Fall 2026)
• Snap Raise (Fall 2026)
• Butter Braids (Winter 2026)
• RaiseRight gift card program, available year-round

RaiseRight Fundraising Details

• Click here for RaiseRight info

Proposed Itinerary Overview

Friday, March 26, 2027

• Depart East High School for Nashville by motorcoach
• Lunch and dinner en route
• Arrive and check in at the hotel in the evening

Saturday, March 27, 2027

• Breakfast at the hotel
• Band, choir, and orchestra clinics at a college
• Visit Nashville Zoo at Grassmere
• Free time at Opry Mills
• Dinner at Mission BBQ
• Attend a Grand Ole Opry performance

Sunday, March 28, 2027

• Breakfast at the hotel
• RCA Studio B tour
• Lunch at Assembly Food Hall
• Visit and perform at the National Museum of African American Music, pending acceptance
• Explore downtown Nashville
• Pizza party at the hotel

Monday, March 29, 2027

• Breakfast at the hotel
• Visit Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park
• Tour the Tennessee State Capitol
• Lunch at Farmers Market
• Visit Ryman Auditorium
• Visit the Country Music Hall of Fame
• Dinner at Hard Rock Cafe
• Haunted History Tour
• Depart for home overnight by motorcoach

Tuesday, March 30, 2027

• Breakfast en route
• Arrive back at East High School in the morning

Questions?

Families with questions can contact:

• Ms. Tippins: lmtippins@gbaps.org
• Mr. Maichle: cjmaichle@gbaps.org

The Board of Education is meeting on April 27. They start in a closed session from 5-6PM, then start the session open to the public at 6:00 PM. We’ve been told by the district that they are only discussing items pertaining specifically to the 26-27 budget at this meeting and the FAI and other specialized programming are currently being evaluated and decisions won’t be made until those evaluations are done. A copy of the meeting notice with agenda items can be viewed here.

That said, based on the responses from last week’s Performing Arts Parents meeting, members of the faculty and East High families intend to be in attendance at Monday’s meeting. If you’d like to speak at the meeting you can click here and fill out the form to be added to the public forum portion of the meeting. If you are unable to attend but would like to follow you can click here for the live feed of the meeting streamed on YouTube.

Here’s a list of other things you can be doing right now to help:

Contact Your Representatives

It was mentioned multiple times last night and is worth repeating: The root of the problem here is a lack of public education funding from the state. Here are just a few bullet points to back up that point:

• Public schools have not received a cost of living increase for 17 years
• Had GBAPS received a cost of living increase each year the District would have an additional $60M in revenue this school year.
• School districts have not received the 42% increase in special education funding that was promised in the state budget, to-date it has been 35%. This was an additional $3M shortfall in this school year’s budget.
• To-date, despite discussions between the Governor’s office and Republicans, no action has been taken to provide additional public school funding from the state’s significant budget surplus, which is between $4-$5 Billion
• There is currently a bill proposed that would provide 60% guaranteed special education funding for this year and next, and equalized aid which would reduce the burden on taxpayers for public schools.

We believe it would be helpful if you reached out to your state representatives and voiced your opinion on this issue. Here are a few tools to help you with that:

Click here for a list of State Senators and Representatives with email addresses and phone numbers

Click here for an interactive Wisconsin map to see who represents you

Click here for a sample letter

Stay Involved With the School Board

We strongly encourage you to stay involved at upcoming Green Bay School Board Meetings. The remaining regular board meetings this school year are scheduled for April 27, May 18, and June 22. The Board of Education Meeting Dates page is frequently updated with agendas, meeting notes, links to meeting streams, etc.

Understand the Program Review

Here’s an excerpt from an email sent to us by Associate Superintendent David Johns explaining more about the ROI study taking place and the criteria the district is using:

• Program Review – will take place for IB, AVID and the Fine Arts Academy (Webster/Wash./EHS). This will be done by an external partner. Formal program reviews are an important part of a continuous improvement process and often expose key gaps that can help a program become even better. We are starting with these three programs as they are particularly resource-intensive and it is appropriate to start here during a period of funding uncertainty. They all have unique staffing models and offer specialized courses that frequently fall far below our Board approved class size requirements for electives. 
• ROI – The Board recently approved a 5-year strategic plan with measurable outcomes for student success. Our external partner will be comparing the data from students who participate in the programs listed above to all other students of similar grades/ages who don’t participate in these programs. The areas of comparison are listed on the link under Academic Excellence and Thriving Student Body. The questions to be answered during these reviews is “How are students who participate in these programs achieving success relative to their peers and what is the actual cost of delivering that for students?” The partner does not submit a recommendation to us as to whether to keep, expand or eliminate the program. That would be for the Board to decide based on the evidence provided to them through the review.

Thank you to Mr. Johns for his immediate, detailed response to our questions.

Catch Up With Previous Posts

Click here for our March 24 update
Click here for our March 11 update including a letter from FAI Coordinator Lucinda Roberts
Click here for our March 4 update including meeting notes and information shared at our FAI Meeting held on Monday, March 2
Click here for our original March 2 post with an overview of the potential budget cuts and what it means for the Fine Arts Institute

Stay Involved with East High Performing Arts Parents

Lastly, we also encourage you to stay involved in the Performing Arts Parents meetings for more information. Our next scheduled meeting is Monday, May 18, at 6:30 PM in the Band Room. We hope to see you there!

Join us for an inspiring evening of art, performance, and celebration at Artists in Bloom, presented by the Green Bay Botanical Garden and the Fine Arts Institute at East High.

This exciting showcase will highlight the amazing talents of Fine Arts Institute students through visual art, music, spoken word, and dance in a one-of-a-kind setting. The evening begins with doors opening at 5:30 p.m., followed by the art show at 6:00 p.m. Live performances will take place from 6:30–8:00 p.m., creating a vibrant night filled with creativity and expression.

Guests will also enjoy hors d’oeuvres prepared by culinary students, along with a cash bar.

Tickets are $20 per person and are available now at GBBG.org/ArtistsinBloom or by calling 920.490.9457.

Come celebrate the arts, support student talent, and enjoy a memorable spring evening at Artists in Bloom on April 30.

First, a sincere thanks to all of the staff, families, students, alums, and supporters who showed up for the School Board Meeting last night. The first school board meeting is over, but our work is far from done.

Contact Your Representatives

It was mentioned multiple times last night and is worth repeating: The root of the problem here is a lack of public education funding from the state. Here are just a few bullet points to back up that point:

• Public schools have not received a cost of living increase for 17 years
• Had GBAPS received a cost of living increase each year the District would have an additional $60M in revenue this school year.
• School districts have not received the 42% increase in special education funding that was promised in the state budget, to-date it has been 35%. This was an additional $3M shortfall in this school year’s budget.
• To-date, despite discussions between the Governor’s office and Republicans, no action has been taken to provide additional public school funding from the state’s significant budget surplus, which is between $4-$5 Billion
• There is currently a bill proposed that would provide 60% guaranteed special education funding for this year and next, and equalized aid which would reduce the burden on taxpayers for public schools.

We believe it would be helpful if you reached out to your state representatives and voiced your opinion on this issue. Here are a few tools to help you with that:

Click here for a list of State Senators and Representatives with email addresses and phone numbers

Click here for an interactive Wisconsin map to see who represents you

Click here for a sample letter

Stay Involved With the School Board

We strongly encourage you to stay involved at upcoming Green Bay School Board Meetings. The remaining regular board meetings this school year are scheduled for April 27, May 18, and June 22. The Board of Education Meeting Dates page is frequently updated with agendas, meeting notes, links to meeting streams, etc.

Understand the Program Review

Here’s an excerpt from an email sent to us by Associate Superintendent David Johns explaining more about the ROI study taking place and the criteria the district is using:

• Program Review – will take place for IB, AVID and the Fine Arts Academy (Webster/Wash./EHS). This will be done by an external partner. Formal program reviews are an important part of a continuous improvement process and often expose key gaps that can help a program become even better. We are starting with these three programs as they are particularly resource-intensive and it is appropriate to start here during a period of funding uncertainty. They all have unique staffing models and offer specialized courses that frequently fall far below our Board approved class size requirements for electives. 
• ROI – The Board recently approved a 5-year strategic plan with measurable outcomes for student success. Our external partner will be comparing the data from students who participate in the programs listed above to all other students of similar grades/ages who don’t participate in these programs. The areas of comparison are listed on the link under Academic Excellence and Thriving Student Body. The questions to be answered during these reviews is “How are students who participate in these programs achieving success relative to their peers and what is the actual cost of delivering that for students?” The partner does not submit a recommendation to us as to whether to keep, expand or eliminate the program. That would be for the Board to decide based on the evidence provided to them through the review.

Thank you to Mr. Johns for his immediate, detailed response to our questions.

Catch Up With Previous Posts

Click here for our March 11 update including a letter from FAI Coordinator Lucinda Roberts
Click here for our March 4 update including meeting notes and information shared at our FAI Meeting held on Monday, March 2
Click here for our original March 2 post with an overview of the potential budget cuts and what it means for the Fine Arts Institute

Stay Involved with East High Performing Arts Parents

Lastly, we also encourage you to stay involved in the Performing Arts Parents meetings for more information. Our next scheduled meeting is Monday, April 20, at 6:30 PM in the Band Room. We hope to see you there!

Parents and students are encouraged to attend an informational meeting about the music department’s 2027 Nashville Trip on Monday, April 13, at 6:00 PM in the East High Cafeteria.

This meeting will provide details about the trip and give families a chance to learn more about what to expect. Please note that Music Account Funds can be used to help pay for this trip.

We hope to see you there!

Please read this letter from FAI Program Coordinator Lucinda Roberts and consider joining us at the School Board Meeting this Monday evening.

Dear Friends of the Fine Arts Institute,

I hope this letter finds you and your family doing great!  There is much to share and I hope you could also share it with others who have benefited and supported the Institute over the years.

I am writing to keep you informed as things are beginning to unfold in regard to the Fine Arts Institute and its future.

It has been my great privilege these past 14 years to serve and build our wonderful Institute, but I announced in September that I would retire at the close of this 25-26 school year.  I wanted to provide the district plenty of time to fill my position.

This past Monday night the school board met and it was announced and published in the meeting’s minutes that they are NOT going to be filling my position and are still going to be looking at the possible closing of special programs.  The Fine Arts Institute is one of those programs.

As far as I know, the Institute will continue to run for next year (26-27), but I know nothing in regard to the 27-28 school year.

Our terrific parent organization, “Green Bay East Performing Arts Parents, Inc.” has a fabulous website:  https://eastperformingartsparents.com.  I encourage you to go to it because they are helping to organize speakers and a large attendance to the next school board meeting on Monday, March 23rd at 6pm. (If you would like to speak, use this link to fill out the speakers form-you get 5 minutes. Please try to do it prior to the meeting because there’s a chance that if many sign up, they will say “no” to those applying to speak at the door.)  

We NEED you to come to that meeting and help us pack the board room.  If you would like to speak at the meeting, talk about why you are sending your student to East and how the Institute is a part of that choice, that would be extremely helpful.

The parent’s website has a powerpoint presentation that we went over at an emergency meeting last Monday evening.  This presentation has some good data in it as well.  They are looking specifically at ROI for the validating of the Fine Arts Institute.

Please consider attending this critical meeting and help be a voice for our students and your family!  The arts have great meaning and I always remind people of where they went during covid…it was to the arts as nothing else was happening.  Netflix, books, CD’s, Bluerays…we all dug deeper into streaming!

The Fine Arts Institute is one of those incredible pieces that even for students that aren’t members, they gain great opportunities and experiences.  “When the tide comes in, all ships rise.”

Feel free to contact me with any questions you may have.  I’m here to help!

Thank you for considering it all-you are greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,

Lucinda Roberts

PS- meeting will be held at the District Office Building, 200 S. Broadway, 3rd floor.

We’re looking for one more volunteer to help with Butter Braid order form and money collection at East High School this Friday, March 13.

We need someone to assist Julie Miller with money collection from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. If you are available to help during that time window, please contact us at eastfinearts@gmail.com. Your help would make the collection process run much more smoothly.

Thank you for supporting our students and our fundraising efforts!

Make plans to check out our silent auctions during both nights of Rhapsody Revue at Green Bay East High School coming up March 20-21.

The silent auction will be open:

• Friday, March 20 from 6:30–9:00 p.m.
• Saturday, March 21 from 6:30–9:00 p.m.

Each night’s winners will be announced before the 9:00 p.m. closing act.

Auction items will include artwork, quilts, jewelry, apparel, a fishing lure basket, a self-care basket, a crafting basket, and much more. All proceeds will go to support Fine Arts programs at Green Bay East High School.

Show tickets can be purchased here