GBAPS to conduct own elections following city’s decision to end services

GREEN BAY – Following its Aug. 26 meeting, the Green Bay Area Public School District (GBAPS) will run its own elections.

The action comes following the city clerk’s office’s termination of handling the district’s election.

District Legal Counsel Melissa Thiel Collar explained the change during the board’s Aug. 11 work session.

“The City of Green Bay has historically conducted the elections on behalf of the school district. This is probably a remnant of when we were one entity, and in 1982, we reorganized and became our own entity, and the city continued to do that work for us,” she explained.

“As the city routinely does, they look through their elections procedures and determined that going forward, because in a number of those elections the city was only conducting the duties on behalf of the district and they did not have their own election in those spring elections, that the duties need to go back to the district and the district conduct our own elections, and the canvases and collecting the various forms of candidates filings.”

During the Aug. 26 meeting, the board unanimously approved revisions to Code No. 131 that governs district election procedures.

Policy now includes the following changes:

Nomination Papers

In addition to other required forms, candidates for the board are required to circulate and obtain sufficient nomination paper signatures in order to appear on the ballot. A candidate must file a minimum of 100 valid signatures and may submit no more than 200 total signatures.

Designated location for filing

The District Office Building, located at 200 South Broadway Street, Green Bay, Wis., shall be the designated filing location for all forms, petitions, oaths of office and other filings related to Board elections.

Election duties and responsibilities

The executive assistant to the board of education shall be designated as the deputy clerk for elections. The deputy clerk will conduct the administrative and ministerial duties associated with the election as set forth in state law.

The board of education clerk shall be responsible for any requirement to validate notice of candidacy forms and any other item requiring contact with the elections board or State of Wisconsin Ethics Board.

Board of canvassers: The board of education clerk and two qualified electors of the school district appointed by the clerk shall constitute the school district board of canvassers, which are responsible for the school district election canvass process. If the clerk is a candidate at the election being canvassed, the other two members of the board of canvassers shall designate a third member to serve in lieu of the clerk for that election.

District races will still appear on the same ballot.

The next election will be held in 2026.