Hey, I’m Burke.
I run school operations for a living — buses, boilers, budgets, and everything in between.
Each week, I share the lessons nobody’s teaching in leadership books — just what works when you’re actually in the building.
If you’re in the trenches too, this is for you.
Let’s jump in.
It’s Time to Have Honest Conversations About Public School Capital Outlay
Every operations leader I talk to says the same thing:
“We’re just trying to make it one more year.”
One more year out of a failing chiller.
One more year from a worn-out bus.
One more year before another roof leaks.
We’re managing on hope — and a wing and a prayer.
But hope isn’t a funding strategy.
“Silence in the face of dysfunction is complicity.”
The Hard Truth
This isn’t happening because of poor planning.
It’s not mismanagement.
It’s math.
There simply isn’t enough money in most public school systems to maintain, replace, and modernize what we already have — let alone build for what’s coming.
Capital outlay hasn’t kept pace with inflation, aging infrastructure, or the cost of deferred maintenance.
We’re squeezing 30-year roofs into 45-year lifespans and praying the boilers survive winter.
And while we make it work, students pay the price.
Who Really Feels It
When the HVAC can’t hold temperature, learning gets harder.
When humidity climbs, mold spreads — and absenteeism rises.
When lighting is poor, energy bills climb and focus drops.
Study after study shows the same thing: the condition of the physical environment directly affects learning outcomes.
Low air quality. High noise levels. Poor lighting. Unreliable temperatures.
All of it ties back to capital investment — or the lack of it.
This isn’t about comfort. It’s about successful students.
Because students are the ones sitting in those failing buildings.
Why It’s Time to Get Political
Operations leaders rarely step into political conversations — but we should.
Not partisan politics.
Local politics.
School board budgets. Legislative committees. Facility funding formulas.
We are the ones who see what deferred maintenance actually looks like.
We know what’s at risk when the capital outlay budget runs dry.
We’re not asking for luxuries.
We’re asking for functioning, safe, and healthy spaces for kids to learn.
That’s not political — that’s moral leadership.
How to Get Involved (Without Getting Burned)
You don’t need to campaign.
You just need to start telling the truth — loudly and clearly.
Here’s how:
Educate Up.
Use board meetings to connect facilities directly to student outcomes.
Don’t say “The roof’s leaking.” Say “Water intrusion disrupted learning in three classrooms this week.”
Join the Conversation.
Attend legislative hearings, city planning meetings, or education advocacy events.
Be the voice that brings operational reality into policy discussions.
Build Coalitions.
Connect with superintendents, teachers, and parent groups.
Frame facilities funding as a student success issue, not a maintenance issue.
Tell the Stories.
Put real names and faces to your numbers.
“Because of poor air quality, 20% of our students in this building missed school last month.”
Data builds awareness.
Stories build urgency.
Built to Lead Challenge
This week, look at your five biggest deferred projects.
Now write one sentence connecting each to student outcomes — not equipment condition.
That’s your story to tell.
And you’re the one who needs to tell it.
Book of the Week
The Politics of American Education — Joel Spring
A sharp look at how local and state politics drive the policies that shape your funding reality.
Video of the Week
We don’t have to stay silent while the system breaks around us.
The people closest to the work should be closest to the truth.
It’s time to start saying it — and keep saying it — until something changes.
See you next week.
Until then, lead steady. Keep the unseen running strong.
– Burke
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