Traverse City Area Public Schools (TCAPS) trustees this week approved $1.5 million in renovations at the Sabin Data Center, adopted a new five-year strategic plan for student achievement and wellbeing, and discussed the status of free lunches and connected district funding.

Sabin Project
After approving $3.1 million in construction contracts in July for renovations to the Sabin Data Center, TCAPS trustees this week approved another $1.5 million in work at the Cass Road campus.

The renovations are planned to accommodate several key TCAPS departments relocating to Sabin from their current location at Glenn Loomis, as that building is set to serve as a temporary home to Central Grade School students starting next year when that school is reconstructed. When trustees approved the first round of Sabin contracts in July, TCAPS was originally planning to move its HR and business office departments to Cass – with the goal of moving the superintendent, communications, and curriculum instruction offices to vacant space at Central High School.

However, TCAPS Superintendent Dr. John VanWagoner told trustees that district officials had an “a-ha” moment when learning more about safety protocols in the wake of Oxford and other school shootings. Since such emergencies typically require the immediate lockdown of schools, having a large group of key TCAPS leaders – including the superintendent and communications teams – housed at a school poses the risk they could all be locked down there during an emergency. That risk tends to be more acute at high schools, VanWagoner noted.

Therefore, TCAPS is planning to now move all the administrative offices from Glenn Loomis to Sabin. That will require a building addition that will boost Sabin’s square footage by approximately 3,300 square feet to accommodate 13-14 more offices. The total project cost is still only half of the $10 million originally budgeted in bond funds for Sabin renovations, staff noted. VanWagoner said the buildout is intended to be as “frugal” as possible. “This is not Taj Mahal space, I can promise you,” he said. VanWagoner said the district explored other options, such as leasing, but said that TCAPS would have to use general instead of bond funds if it went that route and that lease rates are costly in Traverse City.

Trustees discussed whether Sabin is desired to be the long-term home of TCAPS administration. Trustee Scott Hardy said he didn’t want to plant the admin flag there “for the next 50 years” – the estimated lifespan of the renovations – as he believed district headquarters should be in city limits. VanWagoner said he viewed the move as a permanent one but noted that the renovated Sabin space will be viable for numerous other uses if a future board decides to move administration elsewhere.

Strategic Plan Approval
TCAPS trustees unanimously approved a new five-year strategic plan Monday focused on improving academic achievement and student wellbeing by 2030. The plan came out of an intensive input process involving staff, students, parents, and community members. As previously covered in The Ticker, the plan focuses on five key areas that each have corresponding metrics: academic achievement, student wellbeing, positive student behaviors, post-secondary readiness, and high-quality staffing.

As examples of metrics, the plan aspires to have at least 80 percent of all students reach the SAT reading and writing benchmark, with a target of 70 percent for economically disadvantaged students. The same goals are 60 percent and 45 percent for math. The plan aims to reduce chronic absenteeism to under 15 percent, have 90 percent of students report respectful behaviors in school, have on-time graduation rates of 93 percent of all students and 75 percent of economically disadvantaged students, and decrease non-certified and hourly new employee turnover by five percent.

VanWagoner said TCAPS is “committed to not just setting these goals but to achieving them, and we will report on our students' growth annually to the board and the community to ensure we stay on track.” Trustee Ty Schmidt said he was proud of the plan’s focus on setting benchmarks for economically disadvantaged students, calling it the “first time as a district that I remember that we have explicit goals around our kids furthest from opportunity.”

Free/Reduced Lunch
TCAPS will continue to offer universal free breakfast and lunch through September 30 – though the program’s availability after that date is up in the air contingent on the direction of the state budget, which still hasn’t been approved. VanWagoner said that federal funding would remain in place as of October 1 for “kids that qualify” under the free and reduced lunch program to receive meals.

TCAPS officials are asking every district family – regardless of income level – to fill out a free and reduced meal application for their student(s) by October 1. VanWagoner explained that each completed application is tied to critical state and federal funding for TCAPS. Adding up to millions of dollars, the funds help support programs and activities like yearbooks, field trips, and AP exams, making them more accessible for all students, according to TCAPS.

"The free and reduced meal application is much more than just about meal eligibility,” said VanWagoner. “It's a vital tool that directly impacts the resources available to every classroom and every student in TCAPS.” The form can be filled out digitally online, or printed copies are available in the main office of each TCAPS school.