A Traverse City Area Public Schools (TCAPS) meeting Monday resulted in a new trustee being named to the board – and gave the public a closer look at multiple other candidates appearing on the November ballot.

Trustees selected Matthew Schmidt, a former city commissioner and father of two TCAPS high school students and one TCAPS graduate, to fill a partial term through the end of 2028. That term was recently vacated by former board president Scott Newman-Bale, who stepped down to focus on family and professional commitments. Trustees were legally required to fill the vacancy within 30 days and publicized the board opening earlier this month.

Schmidt has worked in executive sales and business development roles in technology, aerospace, and enterprise solution industries, including as the vice president of commercial sales for ATLAS Space Operations. He has a Bachelor of Science degree from Northwestern University and previously served on the Traverse City Light & Power board. He was a Traverse City commissioner from 2005 to 2007.

Schmidt, who graduated from TCAPS, emphasized his desire to be a “two-way conduit between TCAPS and the broader community” in both his application and his comments Monday. Candidates were each given five minutes to make remarks to trustees and then answer any board questions. Schmidt said many community members “are not aware that there’s an appointment, they’re not aware what seats are up for election” and that it’s the job of board members “to let people know, ‘Hey, this is what’s going on’” with different TCAPS initiatives.

“I think being a longstanding community member, that’s something I can bring to the table,” he said, citing his involvement in groups ranging from Rotary to the Grand Traverse Yacht Club. Schmidt also shared his belief in the importance of public education and noted he taught English as a foreign language for several years because he believes learning “is important to expanding opportunity and strengthening communities.”

“I just feel very strongly that public education is critical to equality of opportunity,” he told trustees. “As a public school system, we need to strive to provide every single student – those who are excelling and those who have some challenges to bring to the system – (opportunities to) let them all achieve and have programs that reach out to them.”

In his application, Schmidt said challenges facing TCAPS include “improving academic achievement across the entire student population” and “facing rapidly changing technology and broader societal changes that impact students, families, and educators.” Schmidt said if selected he would be interested in running for a full term in 2028.

The other five candidates who applied for the opening were Diane Arnold, Meg Lau, Charmaine Lipscomb, Bryan Linck, and Sarah Lee Sullivan. Lau could not attend Monday’s interview because of a previously scheduled family trip, so her application letter was read out loud at the meeting. Two applicants, Arnold and Lipscomb, are also running for the TCAPS school board in the November election.

Four trustees – Scott Hardy, Erica Moon Mohr, Sara Bageris, and Beth Pack – hold seats that expire at the end of this year. Moon Mohr is not seeking reelection. Hardy, Bageris, and Pack are running again and will compete for the four open seats along with Arnold, Lipscomb, Peter Mooney, and Deirdre Zuidersma. Some trustees previously expressed ambivalence about ballot candidates applying for Newman-Bale’s seat. That’s because if they were to be appointed now and then won a seat in November, they’d need to accept the elected four-year term and resign Newman-Bale’s partial term. That would require trustees to go through the appointment process all over again in just a few months.

Arnold, an attorney and working mother of three TCAPS students, addressed that situation in her interview. She cited her passion for public education and community service – including as a previous Great Lakes Children’s Museum board member – in her desire to pursue any available opportunities to serve the district.  

“There’s no guarantee that any of us will win (in November),” she told trustees. “There are incumbents that are already on the board that are also running…if you are dedicated and truly want to be on this board, then you should go for every avenue possible.”

Lipscomb, who has a master’s degree in education and has worked in private and parochial schools in addition to working as a public school teacher, said in her interview she believed teachers should have a “huge voice” with the board. She touted her experience helping launch a Michigan charter school and her work in the business sector as a senior sales director with Mary Kay Cosmetics. Lipscomb listed “servant leadership” and “positive energy” among her attributes.

However, when questioned about the difference between working in public and private schools, Lipscomb’s response that public schools essentially have an “unlimited budget” and “a lot more money to help children thrive” than private schools appeared to put off some trustees. “I was not necessarily pleased with the answer…I think unlimited budgets are not something I’ve ever characterized public schools as having,” said Hardy. “I think there’s a misconception there.”

Trustees used a ranked voting system to select their preferred candidate. Each member could vote for up to three candidates, with the top candidate getting three points, the second candidate two points, and the third candidate one point. After the results were tallied and read aloud, Schmidt had earned 14 points, Linck – a lifelong educator and TCAPS parent – had earned 10 points, and Arnold had earned 8 points. Sullivan, who has served on local boards including Addiction Treatment Services and Generations Ahead, received one point. Lipscomb and Lau did not earn any points.

Trustees then voted unanimously to confirm Schmidt as their appointee. He will be sworn in and join TCAPS trustees for their next regular board meeting on September 14 at 5pm at the TCAPS Montessori School. Following Monday’s meeting, Moon Mohr – who now serves as board president – shared the following statement:

“Filling this vacancy was a thoughtful process, made challenging by a group of applicants with inspiring backgrounds and great qualifications. The board's unanimous vote for Matthew Schmidt demonstrates a unified focus and shared commitment to advancing the district’s core mission to educate, engage, and support all learners to maximize individual excellence and success.”

Pictured: Matthew Schmidt being interviewed by TCAPS trustees Monday