GBAPS narrows school board applicants to seven

GREEN BAY, WI—(WGBW)—The Green Bay Area Public School District Board selected the seven school board applicants who will interview to fill the seat left vacant when Kou Lee resigned. Sixteen people applied for the position.

Chosen School Board Applicants

The seven finalists are as follows:

• Rick Crosson
• Aaron Lee
• Samantha Meister
• Brant Pearson
• Alyssa Proffitt 
• Miranda Schornack
• Matthew Seegert

Katie Gentry made it through the first round of deliberation. However, Gentry collected zero votes in the second round of voting. Gentry came within a few hundred votes of securing a board position in the April 2025 election.

Making the list is Rick Crosson, a former member of the GBAPS District Board. He ran for re-election in 2025 but did not garner enough votes to retain his seat. Also on the list of school board applicants that will be interviewed is Green Bay Common Council Member Alyssa Proffitt.

Support for Crosson

Three people spoke in the public forum portion of the board’s work session in support of Rick Crosson. 

Jason Wright, Executive Director of Brothers Helping Brothers, called Crosson a “great man and great leader of our community.” He said that as a parent and working with mental health in the men’s community, he has seen Crosson’s dedication. Wright called for more diverse representation on the school board. 

 ”I’m here, one voice, one sound for the representation of the African American community,” Wright said.

Nancy Welch, a former school board member, said Crosson can jump into the role with no learning curve.

“ With an open seat to fill for the next nine months, you have a real opportunity not just to fill a vacancy, but to bring in someone who can immediately contribute, ask thoughtful questions, and get to work. That person is Rick Crossen. Rick is experienced, knowledgeable, and most importantly independent,” Welch said. “He is someone who respects the district’s work, but will not hesitate to do his work, homework, speak his mind, and advocate for what’s right, even when it’s not easy or popular.”

Sister Melanie Maczka spoke as someone who works closely with the Greater Green Bay Area Latino community. She asked the board to consider diversity when filling the position.

“ Sixty percent of the student body are children of color. And I think that it’s really important that as a community, our school board, our city council, our county board should reflect our community. (It)should hear the voice of different members of the community. And I know that Rick is someone who would do that because he speaks for and is interested in all people,” Maczka said.

Residency Questions

The board, during its discussion on how to proceed with the interviews did broach the subject of primary residency in the school district.

“I am sensitive to the fact that we’ve had concerns about residency before,” Becker said. “ I think given what we experienced…it shows respect to people concerned about the issue of residency to ask a question – Please state your residence and confirm this is your primary residence.”

GBAPS District legal counsel Melissa Thiel Collar said, legally, it is not the board’s responsibility to determine residency.

“I would say, contrary to what was insinuated or reported in the media, that this was your obligation to ferret out the residency requirements of your co-board members. It is not your legal obligation. I would also say that residency for purposes of whether an individual is eligible to run for school board is a legal concept of which you are not trained to evaluate,” Thiel Collar explained.

“I say that with all due respect. You certainly can ask somebody whether they are a resident. And they could say yes or no, but that has no legal significance…I think it (asking residency questions) is really playing into what the pundits have said was your legal responsibility, which is not.”

One of the newest school board members, Alex Mineau, said the public wants to know, so it may be important to ask residency questions.

“ I think the general public does have a general interest in this right now in this particular case. And I’m not worried about anything else other than making sure that we know we’re doing our best to garner their trust,” Mineau said.

What’s Next?

Eventually, the board decided that the applicants would state their name and address to the board upon introducing themselves in the preamble. However, the board will not specifically ask about residency.

The board will interview the finalists and select a new member at its June 16 meeting.