TCAPS fills most openings, still hiring for next school year

Traverse City Area Public Schools had filled most of the jobs created by spring retirements and departures, but 14 positions were still open as the district tried to get ready for the new school year. TCAPS said May 29 that it had covered 32 of 46 vacancies and was still actively hiring for more than 40 openings overall, a reminder that the work of staffing classrooms and school operations was not finished.

That matters beyond the personnel spreadsheet. Every unfilled job can ripple through daily school life in Traverse City, from classroom instruction to student support and transportation. TCAPS said hiring would continue through the summer, which means the final staffing picture could still change before students return.

The district said it had drawn a diverse pool of applicants, including experienced professionals and student teachers, and it was moving candidates through virtual meetings, credential checks and in-person interviews. TCAPS was also still advertising open interviews at its administration building at 2075 Cass Road in Traverse City, keeping the search visible as the summer hiring season gets underway.

Housing remains part of the equation. TCAPS has said it helps new hires with housing, a recruiting tool in a region where the cost of living can push applicants away after they accept jobs. Superintendent John VanWagoner has tied that challenge directly to local affordability, saying in August 2024 that the district had hired teachers who later called back and said they could not afford to live in the Traverse City area.

That pressure helped drive Grand Traverse Housing for Educators, a consortium that includes TCAPS, Northwest Education Services, Grand Traverse Area Catholic Schools and the Interlochen Center for the Arts. The first phase was described as 90 affordable units near Blair Elementary School in Blair Township, about 10 miles south of Traverse City. A separate state funding announcement tied $5 million to a project that would create 72 affordable rental units for school employees.

The hiring push comes as TCAPS is also managing a rebound in enrollment. Local reporting in May said the district was on track to end the 2025-26 school year with more students than the year before, its first increase since 2019. For a district that describes itself as Northern Michigan’s largest, even a modest enrollment gain can add pressure to staffing, especially when retirements and departures are already opening holes. John VanWagoner, who started at TCAPS on July 1, 2020, is now trying to close those gaps before fall.