Green Bay School District says closing downtown office would cost $26M. Here's what to know

GREEN BAY — The Green Bay School District estimates it would cost upward of $26 million to close and relocate its downtown office at 200 S. Broadway.

As the Green Bay School Board looks to close schools to address declining enrollment and a multimillion-dollar budget deficit, it now turns to the district headquarters, commonly referred to as the Downtown Office Building, or DOB.

The office building was recommended to close along with 11 schools by a community task force in May, and its closure is widely supported by the community with 78% in favor, according to a school district survey.

Superintendent Claude Tiller said at Monday's school board meeting that the district doesn't care where its office is, and district administration laid out the pros and cons of moving.

How much would it cost to move the district's office?

The community task force that recommended the DOB close suggested the district office be moved to West High School or another school that will be empty because of closures.

The district estimates it would cost between $20 million and $26 million to renovate a different location, like West High, to accommodate the district leadership, operations department and school board.

More on school closings: Why is Green Bay closing schools?

But that's not everything housed downtown. There's an automobile shop, mechanical workspace, wood shop and areas for electrical and plumbing work. Constructing space for those maintenance spaces would cost $1 million.

Relocating the technology department and the internet fiber would cost between $430,000 and $1.5 million.

The district hasn't gotten quotes on the costs of moving companies to relocate furniture and office items, but District Chief Operations Officer Josh Patchak estimated it would take dozens of semitrucks.

In total, the district calculates the move to cost almost $30 million. It estimates it could sell the property for $2.9 million.

Where would the district office building move?

Part of the district administration would likely move into West High, since that was suggested by the task force and the architecture firm hired by the district. Beaumont Elementary School, which is recommended to close, was also suggested as another option.

The district also has some operations, like food service, at what it calls the Auxiliary Services Building, which is at 1210 Guns Road. It's possible the trades shops and some storage could move there.

How much does it cost to run the district's downtown office?

In a presentation to the board, Patchak laid out the main costs for the building: $2.8 million in medium- and high-priority maintenance needs and $147,000 in utilities.

Because it's a public school district, no property taxes are paid on the building, Patchak said.

The office building is 138,000 square feet and provides space for 242 employees, including part-time staff. About a third of the employees primarily work in schools; the other two-thirds work mostly at the DOB.

According to last year's DOB expenditures obtained by the Press-Gazette, the district spent:

• $6.8 million on top administrator, manager, technical professional and executive assistant salaries.

• $6.1 million in other DOB salaries.

• $3 million on employee insurance.

• $147,000 on district office utilities.

• $130,000 on employee travel.

How much did the district pay for its office building?

The Downtown Office Building was bought by what would later become the Green Bay School District from the city of Green Bay in 1977.

The district paid $1, under the condition that it assumed the $275,000 in debt on the property. That's about the equivalent of $1.4 million in 2023, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

More on the district office: As the Green Bay School Board grapples with the fate of the district office building, what have board members said about closing it?

The district recently acquired an adjacent property, the Cup of Joy Welcome Center, in 2021 for $503,310. This year, the district invested $100,000 in remodeling the center.

Overall, the district has invested over $10 million in the DOB over the last decade, according to the district.

What did board members have to say?

Board member Andrew Becker, who has been the most vocal supporter of closing the DOB, said he'd still like to see most of the building sold someday. However, he wouldn't vote for a $20 million plan.

He also said if schools are going to close, cuts will be needed to the administration staff.

“There (will) need to be fewer people who work central (administration) if we’re going to have fewer buildings open. That will just have to happen,” Becker said.

Board member Lynn Gerlach, who went for a tour of the building, said she could not find a square inch of space building not being used and wondered why people want to close it.

Tiller answered that some people have “an ax to grind” with the district.

“Some people have some axes to grind, to be honest with you,” he said. “... They just want to choose and pick, to come at DOB, thinking we don’t do anything.”

Board member Bryan Milz said he thinks more employees based at the District Office Building should be in the schools but recognized that it's not feasible to sell and relocate the office based on the resale value.

Vice President James Lyerly said he thinks the board and district are trying to solve an organizational problem with a building solution. A plan that would be anywhere near cost effective would be more like $2 million to $5 million, he said.

President Laura McCoy said the whole reason the district is closing schools is to save money by having fuller buildings.

"Why we're doing this to begin with — this long, hard, yearlong process — is to become more efficient, to stop hemorrhaging money into buildings that are half full," she said. "This building isn't one of those buildings."

When will a decision be made?

Becker said a decision wouldn't likely be made by the next board meeting on Nov. 27. Both Lyerly and McCoy said that whenever the board comes to a decision, it should lay it to rest and move on from the DOB conversation.

The district didn't include moving the District Office Building in its project list for a $150 million capital referendum this spring. To execute a project like relocating the office, the district would need referendum funding.

Danielle DuClos is a Report for America corps member who covers K-12 education for the Green Bay Press-Gazette. Contact her at dduclos@gannett.com. Follow on Twitter @danielle_duclos. You can directly support her work with a tax-deductible donation at GreenBayPressGazette.com/RFA or by check made out to The GroundTruth Project with subject line Report for America Green Bay Press Gazette Campaign. Address: The GroundTruth Project, Lockbox Services, 9450 SW Gemini Drive, PMB 46837, Beaverton, Oregon 97008-7105.

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Closing the Green Bay School District downtown office could cost $26M