GREEN BAY, Wis. — Wisconsin’s fourth-largest school district has a new leader.
The Green Bay school board voted unanimously Monday to approve Vicki Bayer’s superintendent contract.
She first led the Green Bay Area Public School District as interim superintendent in 2022, after Stephen Murley’s early retirement.
That same year, she suffered a heart attack.
Bayer has again been serving as interim superintendent since February of this year.
Bayer said she’s passionate about Green Bay public schools and is looking forward to continuing leading the district.
“We have really great momentum happening right now. A lot of collaboration with the community. We’re putting things in place that I think are setting up the district for success,” Bayer said.
This year, Bayer stepped into the role as interim superintendent again, following Claude Tiller’s resignation. His departure left some in the school district with a feeling of distrust.
Bayer said she hopes to repair relationships between the community, the school board and school district.
“One of our critical priorities is intentional community engagement. So, we’ve been laser focused on the board of education, administrators, teachers [and] getting out into the community — instead of expecting them to come to us,” Bayer said.
Despite the early turbulence of this year, Bayer said the Green Bay Area Public School District is making some academic gains.
The district continues to meet expectations in its overall accountability report card issued by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI), improving from an overall accountability score of 58.2 in the 2022-23 school year to an overall accountability score of 60.1 in the 2023-24 school year.
There have been increases in its graduation rate, growing from 84.7% to a preliminary 87.6%, pending DPI. There have also been increases in student graduations with a certification, growing from 252 to preliminarily 320, pending DPI.
In November, voters approved a $183 million dollar referendum for the district. The referendum will be used to make fixes to buildings — ranging from replacing aging floors and electrical equipment — as well as expanding and revamping several primary schools. Projects also include money for security improvements at secondary schools and a new west-side elementary school. The work comes as the district realigns its number of schools.
Bayer said she’s ready to usher in these improvements said she has a vision for the district’s future.
“We’re laser focused on two parts: The operational part — so maintaining our facilities and upgrading facilities — and the academic piece, where we know we have clear gaps that need to be addressed. We want every child to rise academically,” Bayer said.
School board member Rick Crosson said he’s confident in Bayer’s ability to lead the school district.
“I’m a fan of Vicki Bayers. I know what her strengths are. Her ability to keep the district moving in the positive direction is admirable. She’s a calming influence over a lot of different competing interests. She will also serve as continuity as we move forward. And the intent is that there be a one-year overlap between her, her tenure and whoever the next superintendent will be, and that, again, is to add for the continuity of our strategic planning initiative,” Crosson said.
As the school district looks to the future, Bayer said she hopes for continuity both in and out of the classrooms.
“The positive momentum is there. We’re seeing the gains. I hope the community is proud,” Bayer said.
Bayer will serve as superintendent until 2026. After, she said she plans to return to the deputy superintendent role and support the new superintendent.