The Traverse City Area Public Schools (TCAPS) Board of Education voted Monday evening to select Matthew Anderson as an interim replacement for Board Trustee Jan Geht, who resigned in June to take a job in Minnesota. Anderson will fill the position effective immediately, until at least the November election. He has also indicated plans to run for a full board term this fall.
 
Anderson is the president of Global Marine Insurance Agency. He holds a bachelor’s in political science from Michigan State University and a master’s in business administration from the University of Michigan. He also served on the Pathfinder School Board of Trustees from 2010 to 2016.
 
The TCAPS Board of Education selected Anderson from a pool of finalists that also included William Smith, a former principal of Eastern Elementary School; Megan Crandall, a former TCAPS board member; and HT Snowday, a local businessman. Of the four, Anderson and Snowday plan to run for Board of Education seats in November, while Smith and Crandall have declined to seek full terms.
 
Anderson, Smith, and Crandall were all present at the Monday meeting to answer questions from the board. Snowday was not able to attend, which may have impacted his chances at the interim post. “I’m glad he filed for a term,” said Board Treasurer Scott Hardy of Snowday. “I would have loved to be able to ask questions.”
 
Late last month, the Board of Education put out a call for candidates interested in filling Geht’s Trustee position. The idea was to fill the board seat until November, at which point voters would select a long-term replacement. Since Geht was elected to the board in 2016, there are still two years left on his term.
 
In the early stages of discussing candidates for the interim post, though, board members expressed interest in finding a candidate who also planned to run for a seat in November. The board wanted to limit turnover and upheaval, given the fact that four other members –  including Hardy, Board President Erik Falconer, Vice President Sue Kelly, and Trustee Kelly Clark – will all be concluding their current terms at the end of the year. Board members reiterated this interest on Monday evening.
 
“For me, this three-to-four-month opportunity of having someone come in that’s running, that can be brought up to speed with a little bit more time, is important,” said Trustee Jane Klegman. “We’d like to try to get some continuity, with the idea that the only people that we know for sure are going to be here come January 1 are me and [Board Secretary] Doris [Ellery].”
 
The board ultimately voted unanimously to appoint Anderson to the interim position, thanks in part to his willingness to run in the fall. “Matt, I would support your candidacy because I think you’re in it for the long haul,” said Hardy. “And that’s when you’re going to be most effective: when you’re in it for the long haul.”
 
Anderson was sworn in as a member of the Board of Education immediately after the vote and joined the board at the table for the remainder of the meeting.