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July’s TCAPS Board Committee Meetings
Happy summer! Another busy week ahead for your school board: • Curriculum Committee (July 28 at 8:15a): – Secondary Schools Strategic Plan Updates – Advanced Placement Results • Board Governance Ad Hoc Committee (July 29 at 9am) • Finance Committee (July 30 at 8:15a): – District Vehicle Purchase – Boom Lift Purchase – West Senior…
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Great Schools Are Built by Great Communities
I was at DeWeese Hardware last week and noticed one of these signs in the window. It’s a simple reminder of something that’s easy to overlook: our local businesses quietly investing in our neighborhood schools. Our elementary PTOs are independent nonprofit organizations, led by a board of parent volunteers who work closely with teachers and…
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When We Listen, We Learn: The Power of Student Voice in School Decisions
I appreciate that we’re revisiting the HVAC recommendation after the boiler option was approved in February*. Also grateful for the student leaders who helped bring electrification into this conversation. Their advocacy** led us to learn more about the opportunities and tradeoffs involved – a great example of students having a meaningful voice in issues that…
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How Michigan’s New School Aid Budget Supports Our 2030 Vision
One of the most important responsibilities of our school board is understanding how decisions made in Lansing affect our kids here in Traverse City. I recently watched a helpful update from the Michigan Association of School Boards (MASB) breaking down Michigan’s 2026/27 School Aid Budget*. A few things stood out to me: • A record…
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Measuring What Matters: A First Look at TCAPS’ Progress Toward the 2030 Vision
One of the commitments we made in our new 2030 Vision* was to measure what matters—and to share our progress along the way. At yesterday’s Curriculum Committee meeting, we reviewed our latest elementary reading and math outcomes using the NWEA, our district’s benchmark assessment. Unlike the state assessment (M-STEP), which won’t be publicly released until…
