Traverse City Area Public Schools (TCAPS) Superintendent Paul Soma will end his tenure this summer after the school year concludes. He notified the TCAPS board and staff Thursday.

Soma first joined the district 17 years ago and has served as superintendent since 2015.

“It’s time. There are so many factors, but the district is in a really good spot, and I can feel really good about all of it,” Soma tells The Ticker. “The test scores and student achievement are soaring, the bond issue passed so we’re set for ten years from a capital perspective, we have a balanced budget, we have multi-year contracts. I just feel good about where everything is and good about the board’s commitment to the path it’s on.”

Soma was just earlier this month rated “highly effective” by the TCAPS board and given a contract extension and a raise.

Soma and TCAPS have recently completed the renovation of Eastern Elementary under budget and on-time, scored a victory in August on a bond vote, and just this week extended the teachers union contract. Soma also points to rising standardized test scores as further evidence of a district “clearly on the right trajectory.”

Yet in some respects Soma has faced a tough tenure, having endured an earlier public bond vote defeat, the closure of schools, and investigations into his relationship with administrators, in which he was ultimately cleared.

Soma says he chose this time for the announcement purposely, noting, “I had my evaluation on December 4, and I didn’t want to do it right before or after that, and if I waited until March, the board might miss a full field of candidates.”

When asked about his statement in an August Ticker interview that he was still energized and excited about the job, Soma adds: “I’m still excited; it would be a shame to wait until I’m not excited to leave. I was actually talking to my mom, and she knew I was contemplating a change. And she said, ‘But everything is so good!’ And that’s the point, Mom. There’s something inside of me saying the type of 24-7-365 pace can’t last forever.”

Soma says he has some opportunities, but has no future commitments yet. “I have a lot of energy left to contribute to some organization or cause,” he says, adding that he and his wife intend to stay in the Traverse City area.

Erica Moon Mohr, elected to the TCAPS board in November on a platform for change, tells The Ticker, “I wish Paul Soma the best. I believe that he, in his eyes, is going out on top. He was able to have an evaluation of ‘exceeds expectations’ at the end of a very tumultuous year, and I believe that, with the recent contract negotiations that secure longer contracts for the teachers, in the eyes of the public, now probably makes sense for his exit strategy.”

Was the opposition and pressure leading up to and during the election a factor? Soma insists it’s the opposite. “There was a very clear distinction between two camps, and one camp was very clearly the voters’ preference, so clearly they’re [the board] not looking to start something new.”

Outgoing TCAPS Board Chair Erik Falconer says, “It certainly is with mixed emotions that you get news like (Soma's retirement). I certainly understand his desire and why he would be looking for the next chapter in his professional life...he has done a tremendous job for TCAPS, and we’re going to miss his leadership, his passion for kids, and his innovative nature. He will leave a legacy of systems and most importantly people that he empowered and put in place that are going to be around and will continue the good work and great momentum that TCAPS has.”

Discussing the timing of the announcement, Falconer notes: “I think it’s a great opportunity for Paul to leave with a district that’s in good standing, that’s moving in the right direction, that’s addressed the concerns of the past. It is a great time to hand things off to the next superintendent.”

Soma says he has been asked to assist in the search for his successor, something he calls “one of the highest levels of respect, and I’m honored by that.”

Falconer adds, “This [hiring a successor] is a primary and big responsibility of the new board. It’s a huge decision when you bring in a new leader. You have a whole new direction to go in. It’s potentially very disruptive to the organization. While I won’t have a say, what I hope happens is that we will continue the momentum that we have, continue the progress that has been made, and look to stay the course…”

Moon Mohr adds that she is excited about the search process, and that she believes "this district and our town and this community and our kids deserve to have the very best of the best. And I think we can find the best of the best. The good news is that, with the teachers’ contract, hopefully teaching and learning can continue, and that the distractions for the teachers will be minimal.”

Regardless of who becomes the next TCAPS leader, he or she will face the pending reconstruction of Glenn Loomis Elementary, the ongoing battle for more state funding, the need for a new district-wide strategic plan, and eventually a decision about renovating or selling Central Grade School.