Board of Education
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That’s a wrap on another great Michigan Association of School Boards conference
That’s a wrap on another fantastic Michigan Association of School Boards conference. Over the past few days, I had the opportunity to learn alongside school board members and education leaders from across Michigan about everything from K–12 school finance and student achievement to inclusive governance, innovative policy leadership, collaborative decision-making, meeting transparency and the art…
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School safety is about connection, not just fortification
“Kids need connection. Kids need trusted adults that they can talk to, and they need systems that are going to respond. That’s going to prevent a lot more crisis and tragedy than security measures will.” Those words really struck me after another heartbreaking school shooting, this time at Silver Rail Elementary in Bend, Oregon. They…
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October Newsletter: Indigenous Peoples’ Day, Elections & Meeting Highlights
🔔 October’s newsletter is out – and happy Indigenous Peoples’ Day, everyone! • School board elections matter – and so do the policy issues ahead • Our 2026 state assessment outcomes are public • Student voice at work: Safe Routes To School near East Middle • Highlights for tonight’s school board meeting • Education athletics:…
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Agenda highlights for Monday’s school board meeting
Agenda highlights for Monday’s school board meeting: • YMCA recognition • School safety update • District course catalog updates • Robotic field liner purchase • Board committee updates * Not on the agenda but worth noting was last week’s excellent Curriculum Committee discussion on Special Education. Learn more about that here: https://bit.ly/47vHPKF 🗓️ Monday, October…
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Educational athletics: Our gyms, fields, and courts are classrooms, too
Great story in the Ticker this morning about leadership, student-athletes, and the work Justin Thorington and his team are doing at Central High School. I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Justin, and one thing that stuck with me was his framing of “educational athletics” and student-athletes. The distinction matters. Athletics isn’t separate…
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Proposed rules out for the new federal Education Freedom Tax Credit
Interesting timing in today’s Record-Eagle: a profile of our 7 TCAPS school board candidates that touched on school vouchers. It got me thinking about something every school board member—and, frankly, everyone who cares about public K-12 education—should be paying attention to. The U.S. Treasury just released proposed rules for the new federal Education Freedom Tax…
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We don’t talk enough about special education
We don’t talk enough about special education. Yesterday’s Curriculum Committee meeting impressed me with the depth of work happening across the district to support students with disabilities, and I learned a lot. Special education is so much more than IEPs and specialized services. It’s about helping students learn, belong, build independence, and prepare for life…
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My absentee ballot arrived – TCAPS school board candidate forum Monday night
My absentee ballot showed up in the mail yesterday, which got me thinking about how little information is out there right now about the 7 school board candidates. That’s why I’m especially grateful that the League of Women Voters of the Grand Traverse Area is hosting a school board candidate forum this Monday at the…
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Another busy week ahead for your school board
Another busy week ahead for your school board: • Board Study Session (tonight – Sep 28 at 5 p.m.): TCAPS Capital Projects Planning. • Curriculum Committee (Sep 29 at 8:15 a.m.): 2026-2027 TCAPS District Course Catalog, Special Education Updates, Whole Child Updates, Celebrations & Successes • Finance and Operations Committee (Oct 1 at 8:15 a.m.):…
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Supporting Our Mavericks
A really encouraging story in today’s Traverse City Record-Eagle about Traverse City High School. Over the past three years, the school’s on-time graduation rate has nearly doubled, from 23.9% in 2023 to 46.7% in 2025, while the dropout rate fell from 23.9% to 13.0%. That’s what can happen when we build pathways around students’ needs.…
