By Ben Rodgers
Editor
On Monday, Sept. 16, the Green Bay school board made a major decision that no media outlet mentioned.
It decided to award some of its legal notices to The Press Times.
Those legal notices in the back of the paper hold massive amounts of important information, and being entrusted with them is not something we take lightly.
We are humbled by this honor for multiple reasons.
On the surface, the school board chose to recognize and reward a weekly newspaper whose main objective is to inform the public.
The Press Times was founded in 1970 as the Ashwaubenon Times, and in the past two years has undergone a transformation, branching out to new communities, like Green Bay and De Pere, to cover more local news and sports.
Our print circulation numbers are growing by leaps and bounds each week as more and more people learn about the product we provide. I’m proud to say we are just getting started.
Press Times reporter Heather Graves works diligently to cover all education news coming from the Green Bay Area Public School District, which is no small task.
Often The Press Times is the only newspaper in attendance, and in these days of shrinking newspaper presence across the nation, The Press Times stands committed to the continuation of GBAPS coverage.
In what world would a district with an annual budget of close to $270 million not be covered regularly by the print media? We are happy to provide coverage where others have vacated.
We are truly a hyper-local publication. To be awarded the legal notices for such a large district means the work we are doing is appreciated by community leaders with votes on the school board.
The fact the school board recognized the importance of the work we do to provide coverage of lengthy meetings and critical choices it makes on a regular basis shows proactive thinking in this changing media landscape.
Moreover, the decision to award these legals helps to prove the coverage provided by The Press Times is vital to maintaining an educated public.
GBAPS is the third largest school district in the State of Wisconsin with close to 21,000 students.
A vast majority of the 421 school districts in Wisconsin are in communities with populations smaller than the 21,000 students GBAPS serves.
The choices board members make have the potential to influence school politics across the state.
If you want to know the ins and outs of what the school board is doing from meeting to meeting, this is the newspaper where you’ll find it.
Make no mistake, we are firm believers in public education at this newspaper.
The right that every child in Wisconsin is ensured a quality education is something we will fight to uphold. The best way for us to do that is to let you know about everything that happens at each meeting.
School district taxes make up a significant portion of your property tax bill, and for a good reason. These local educators are tasked with ensuring this generation will become the leaders of tomorrow.
Running a school district, especially one as large as Green Bay, is an extremely complicated task, not only from an administrative standpoint, but also from a school board standpoint.
Our mission to provide you with hyper-local news that shows you just how public education functions is renewed with steadfast dedication on the heels of this decision.