'It has been an honor': Saugatuck Superintendent Tim Travis to retire in December
SAUGATUCK — After 40 years in education, including 20 at Saugatuck Public Schools, Tim Travis is calling it a career. The SPS superintendent submitted his retirement to the board of education during a meeting Monday, July 15.
The retirement will be effective at the end of the calendar year, Dec. 31, 2024.
“As a lifelong learner and educator, I feel a great sense of connection and pride with our Saugatuck Public Schools students, parents, faculty and staff, board, and community,” Travis wrote in a release. “It has been an honor and a privilege to serve as both a building principal and superintendent with the district, and I will always remember my time with Saugatuck Public Schools fondly.”
Travis began his career at Unionville-Sebewaing Area Schools in Michigan’s Thumb. He taught math and physics there for 12 years before serving another eight as middle school principal.
In 2005, Travis came to Saugatuck to serve as the middle and high school principal, a role he held for 13 years. He was appointed as superintendent in January 2018 and has been in that role since.
Travis was also a head varsity football coach for many years. He won two state championships at USA, was a two-time state coach of the year and was inducted into the Michigan High School Football Coaches Hall of Fame in 2013.
“Dr. Travis has been, by all measures, an exceptional superintendent for Saugatuck Public Schools,” Board President Laura Zangara wrote in a release. “His dedication to public education is evident in every encounter one has with him, and he will be greatly missed. It is a truly bittersweet moment to accept his retirement, and we wish him all the best as he enjoys his next chapter.”
Travis guided the district through a number of significant periods in recent years. He saw the district through the COVID-19 pandemic, a much-needed successful bond campaign in 2020 and the renovations that followed, the process of rebranding and choosing the new Trailblazers nickname and a new strategic plan.
What Travis said he’s most proud of, though, is the commitment of faculty and staff to students in the district.
“That commitment to trying to make sure every student and every staff member feels like they belong in our school community is really, really important,” he told The Sentinel. “It’s not easy, it has to be intentional, but I think we’re trying to live that. I think it makes for the best school experience for students and for our staff.”
A variety of factors led to Travis' decision to retire. Among them were reaching 40 years in education, bond renovations at SPS nearing their conclusion, and wanting more time to spend with his six grandchildren, all of whom are in school in West Michigan districts.
“Forty years is a pretty good career in public education and something I’m really proud of, in all those different roles,” Travis said. “The bond … we’re looking at having the whole project completed hopefully around April."
The superintendent thanked the SPS community for making the district a great place to work and live.
“I would be remiss if I didn’t make sure to mention how appreciative I have been for the support of the community,” he said. “All of the support and all of the extra things the community pours into the education of students here, we have a lot of really good things going.”
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Travis plans to “learn and do new things,” travel with his wife Margaret and enjoy time with family in retirement.
The SPS board will utilize a search subcommittee and external firm to help find the district’s next leader.
— Contact reporter Mitchell Boatman at mboatman@hollandsentinel.com.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Saugatuck Superintendent Tim Travis to retire in December
