Northern Michigan’s largest school district is in the process of ironing out a new strategic plan that calls for considerable growth in a variety of student achievement metrics by 2030. 

The Traverse City Area Public Schools board discussed the plan again Monday night, with administration presenting a revised version based on board feedback at previous meetings. The plan is now much more focused than earlier iterations, with five detailed goals instead of more than 20. Each goal has clearly delineated measures of success.

“We really tried to listen to your input, and we went back to our teams and had some conversations and tried to narrow some of the metrics down for you guys,” TCAPS Chief Academic Officer Jessie Houghton told the board.

Houghton says the plan is designed to facilitate buy-in from district staff, particularly around goals of academic achievement.

“All of our teachers, no matter what grade level they teach, feel like there’s a goal that they have ownership of,” Houghton said. “As a sixth-grade teacher, what’s my responsibility in this? As an art teacher, what’s my responsibility in this? Everybody in those buildings can say that I have a role and I can help out.”

The plan (see below) has several achievements tied to economically disadvantaged students. Trustee Ty Schmidt said he's received feedback that it's disheartening to see some of those goals so low, but that they still would be huge steps in the right direction.

“This will be a big achievement for the district if we get here by 2030, and hopefully, (future) boards will aim higher,” he told the board. 

Superintendent John VanWagoner tells The Ticker this plan will replace an earlier three-year plan that in many ways set the stage for this one.

“That three-year plan really wanted to put structures and systems in place, and this one I think is much more about setting benchmarks and metrics, really putting some stretch goals out for…all of our staff,” he says.

Asked about accountability for the plan’s far-reaching goals, VanWagoner says the board will stay on top of progress as the years pass, reallocating resources where necessary. 

“As we go through the five years, the board is going to revisit what's there ad what needs to happen to have success on these,” he said.

The five goals of the plan with highlights are below. To read the full plan (not final) click here. Note that all goals are five-year goals. The final plan could be adopted as soon as the next regular board meeting on Sept. 8.

Academic Achievement

At least 80 percent of all students will reach the SAT reading and writing benchmark, with 70 percent of economically disadvantaged students. The same goals are 60 percent and 45 percent for math. Right now the numbers hover around 75 and 55 for reading and writing and 55 and 30 for math. 

Student Well-Being: Connectedness, Safety and Mental Health

Reduce chronic absenteeism to under 15 percent of students from around 23 percent now. Increase K-8 LEAP (learning, enrichment and athletic programs) by 20 percent and 9-12 athletics, clubs and co-curricular activities by 5 percent (and economically disadvantaged students by 10 percent).

Positive Student Behaviors

At least 90 percent of students report respectful behaviors in their school. Current baseline data is 74 percent (peer to peer) and 65 percent (peer to teacher) from a student survey.

Post-Secondary Readiness

On-time graduation rates will rise to 93 percent for all students and 75 percent of economically disadvantaged students, up from 84 percent and 67 percent in the spring of 2024. In addition, 75 percent of on-time graduating students will engage in a post- secondary experience like AP course work, dual enrollment or internships during high school, up from 62 percent now.

High Quality Staffing: Recruit, Retain and Grow Staff

Expand the recruiting pipeline for all positions by 10% by exploring more avenues for marketing and advertising initiatives. Decrease non-certified and hourly new employee turnover by 5%. The current baseline new employee turnover is 32%. Increase the number of staff who say they enjoy their work from 90% to 95%.