Green Bay Council moves forward with Bay Beach nature classroom
By: Matt Leach
Updated: January 15, 2013
GREEN BAY, Wis (WFRV) The Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary wants to change the way 4-year olds learn their numbers and colors.
The idea is to empower 4K students to experience nature. The Sanctuary would host classes of 16 students twice a day. Funding for the pilot project would come from the Department of Public Instruction and be the first of its kind in the state.
Tuesday, Council voted to move forward with the project, but staffing a teacher and Naturalist for the program still need to be determined by the City.
Alderman Tom Sladek voiced conerns about the City getting into the business of hiring teachers, rather than leaving it to the Green Bay Area School District.
"This is just a step into something that the City hasn't been involved in before, and I'm not sure the way it's set up, with the City hiring the teacher, that it's part of what I always believed the City's mission should be," said Sladek.
The Personnel Committee will address the two positions for the Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary nature classroom at their next meeting.
Other items approved by the Common Council Tuesday include:
- A planning option on a project to build a 90-100 unit residental complex in the Downtown area.
- Giving a $2,000 pay raise to the Fire Chief.
- An ordinance updating residental rental practices, which will make way for a Residental Housing Inspector that will investigate issues between landlords and tenants.
