GREEN BAY (NBC26) — Green Bay's newest elementary school is nearly ready to welcome its first class of students, and school leaders say it's a promise kept to the community.
Starr Elementary School, a 140,000-square-foot facility built on the former Kennedy School site on Green Bay's west side, will open Monday, Aug. 31, consolidating students from Keller and MacArthur elementary schools. The school will welcome more than 500 children in early childhood through fifth grade to a spacious, accessible, and sustainable modern building.
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"It is with great excitement that I welcome you to Starr Elementary School, the Green Bay Area Public School District's newest elementary school on the southwest side of Green Bay," school leaders said ahead of the opening. "As we open our doors for the very first time, we are honored to serve a diverse community of more than 500 students."
Green Bay School Board member Laura McCoy toured the building ahead of its opening.
"I was expecting to be impressed, and I got to tell you, I am just blown away by how beautiful this school is," McCoy said.
The $44 million school replaces decades-old buildings and is a landmark project of the $183 million 2024 capital referendum. It features a geothermal heating and cooling system, solar panels, and is a single-story building that is completely ADA accessible.
Green Bay Public Schools Chief Operations Officer Cale Pulczinski led school leaders on a tour of the facility, showing off classrooms, the gym, and a library filled with natural light.
"It was really important for our community, for our taxpayers, to be more efficient with our facilities," Pulczinski said.
School leaders said Starr Elementary was designed not only as a modern learning space, but also as a place where students and families feel welcomed, connected, and supported. The school is a Title I Schoolwide Program and will offer specialized programs including early childhood, collaborative 5K, autism-focused programs, and an intellectual disability program.
"These programs reflect our commitment to ensuring every child receives the academic, social and emotional support they need to thrive," school leaders said.
McCoy said the school represents a commitment the district made to families when it closed older buildings.
"We made a promise at that time, if we closed a school, those students would go on to something better than they had," McCoy said.
As the district prepares to open the new building, educators say they also have an opportunity to shape the culture and identity of a new school community from the ground up.
"Our team is dedicated to creating a collaborative school environment where every student, staff member, family, and community partner feels welcomed, valued, and connected," school leaders said. "We believe strongly that relationships are the foundation of learning."
The school is named after Packers legend Bart Starr and his wife, Cherry, both recognized for years of community service and giving back to Green Bay.
"It's important this school had its own identity," Pulczinski said.
School leaders said family involvement will play a major role in the school's success as it begins its first year.
"Together, we will build a school community where children feel safe, supported, challenged, and inspired," school leaders said.
