Traverse City Area Public Schools (TCAPS) announced on Tuesday the six candidates selected by the Board of Education to vie for the position of superintendent. The school board will conduct technical interviews of each of the six candidates on May 18 at Boardman Administrative Center. The interviews will begin at 9am and are expected to take about an hour apiece. The entire interview process will be open to the public.

The six candidates are:

·      Ann Cardon, the current superintendent for St. Joseph Public Schools. Cardon has 10 years of superintendent experience and holds an education specialist degree from Grand Valley State University.

·      Dr. Jill Chochol, the current associate superintendent and executive director of student achievement for Dearborn Public Schools. Dr. Chochol has a Ph.D. from Wayne State University.

·      Dr. Kelly Coffin, the former superintendent for Tecumseh Public Schools. Dr. Coffin has six years of superintendent experience and earned an education doctorate degree from Eastern Michigan University.

·      Lisa Jacobs, the current executive director of community services and early college coordinator for Rockford Public Schools. Jacobs has a master of arts degree from Michigan State University.

·      Jame McCall, the current associate superintendent of student services for TCAPs. McCall holds a master of arts degree from Central Michigan University.

·      Dr. Philip Recht, the former superintendent for Pinnacle Charter Schools in Denver Colorado. Recht has 14 years of superintendent experience and has an education doctorate from the University of La Verne.

The TCAPS Board of Education will select final candidates for the superintendent position on May 20, during its regularly scheduled meeting. These finalists will then go through a “fit to district” tour, where they will visit schools and district buildings, meet with teachers and staff members, and get a feel for TCAPS. The Board will make its final superintendent selection at a special board meeting scheduled for May 30.