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TCAPS Discusses Anonymous Donation for Old Mission Peninsula School

A big donation could help keep a Traverse City Area Public School building open.

An anonymous donor wants to give the district $800,000 to help keep the Old Mission Peninsula School open.

 The school is slated to stay open for the next two years regardless of what happens with the donation.

The school was one of several the district was looking at closing because of budget cuts and low enrollment.

 Last month TCAPS voted to close Interlochen Community School and The International School at Bertha Voss.

  Those schools will close at the end of the school year.

Tonight the TCAPS superintendent confirmed the district has met with representatives of the donor, but no formal offer has been made.

And the TCAPS board is hoping to do everything right as they wait for a formal offer from an anonymous donor who says they want to give the district $800,000 to help keep Old Mission Peninsula School open.

“I think it could be a game changer. I think this could be a new day depending on what comes forward. That’s what’s interesting about it is that’s it’s new we haven’t had this type of a donation made in the past and hence were trying to make sure cross our t’s and dot our I’s as we move forward,” said Superintendent Paul Soma.

Superintendent Paul Soma says there are still a lot of details to work through as they move forward.

“We’ve all acknowledged that this is very unique, that’s there’s sensitivities through, this there’s a variety of issues to address but we acknowledged that and what ultimately happens here is that as the donor is trying to learn about TCAPS and the uniqueness of this,” said Soma.  

The district will now give feedback about the proposal to the donor.  Once the donor determines the conditions of the offer and makes one, the board and the district will discuss where to go next.

“It is unusual, it is extraordinary and it is an opportunity that realistically not every neighborhood in our district has the opportunity to bring to the table,” said Board President Eric Falconer.

The superintendent expects the donor to make a formal offer in the next six to eight weeks.

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