TRAVERSE CITY — Traverse City Area Public Schools Board of Trustees has new leadership after its longtime president stepped down Thursday.
President Scott Newman-Bale announced his resignation from the board after 5½ years. The board vice president, Erica Moon Mohr, automatically became president at that time.
A vice president to replace Moon Mohr will be chosen at the next board meeting on Aug. 10 when the board will discuss how to fill the new vacancy left by Newman-Bale’s departure.
Newman-Bale said in a letter to the board and Superintendent Dr. John VanWagoner that serving on the board was the “greatest privilege of my public life.” VanWagoner said that he has appreciated working with such a “great” board president who “always had the best interest of kids at heart.”
Newman-Bale said he is stepping down due to increasing family and professional commitments and said the board was well positioned for continued success. He felt like he could leave because things on the board are going well.
“Quite frankly, I do better with problems. And you guys don’t have any right now,” he said with a laugh.
He announced his candidacy for the board in May of 2020 and called himself a “consensus builder” and a “bridge builder.” He threw his hat in the ring during a turbulent time for TCAPS, with former TCAPS Superintendent Ann Cardon resigning after 78 days on the job, public backlash, discord on the board and recall efforts against three board trustees.
Newman-Bale said he made a list of goals when he was first elected that included reducing superintendent turnover, navigating the significant legal disputes they had at the time, stabilizing the district’s budgets, establishing the formal reserve fund, restoring public trust and establishing a long-term strategic plan.
“I think we’ve either achieved – or come extremely close to – all of those,” he said.
Moon Mohr, who was appointed in January 2019, told Newman-Bale that he reached those goals “and then some” and that he had created stability through the years. She said she was happy to take over the presidency, but she had “huge shoes to fill.”
Newman-Bale said he originally expected to serve for only two years, “put out some fires and then leave.” Then the pandemic and recovery happened. He said there weren’t quite enough guardrails in place to leave at that time.
But the environment on the board and across the district feels more stable now, he said, with none of the internal discord that plagued them when he ran for office. And he said that every member of the board is focused on what’s best for the district, “whether we agree or not, it doesn’t matter.”
Newman-Bale said he will likely find other ways to support the district, such as through the Student Support Network.
In his letter, he wrote that hoped that trustees would remain focused on “academic excellence while continuing to exercise sound fiscal stewardship.”
And he encouraged other community members to step forward to serve, describing it as “one of the most meaningful ways to contribute to the future of our community.”
“I leave this role with gratitude, optimism and confidence that TCAPS will continue to build on the progress we have made together,” he said.