Readers of the Bulletin, public schools need you – now more than ever. Strong schools don’t just educate children; they build communities. They are where families, organizations and neighbors come together with a shared purpose: ensuring every child has the chance to thrive. Public education is at its best when it serves as a true community hub – a space where different perspectives, backgrounds and ideas meet in the pursuit of deep learning.
But that mission is slipping away. Schools are drowning in bureaucratic requirements, losing their ability to focus on what matters most: students. Instead of fostering creativity, they are bound by rigid mandates. Instead of prioritizing relationships, they are buried in compliance reports and endless paperwork. Standardized tests demand instant results, even though real learning takes time. The contradictions pile up, and students suffer most.
Research shows that principals spend over 60% of their workweek on non-instructional tasks – compliance, scheduling and supervision – rather than supporting teachers and students. Schools are no longer structured to foster learning; they are increasingly designed to manage mandates. Reform efforts, while often well-intended, have created layers of bureaucracy that take time away from students and teachers. Instead of bringing people together, these rigid systems push schools further from the communities they serve.
Yet, there is hope. The strength of public education has always been in the people who show up – parents, volunteers, educators, and advocates who refuse to let red tape define what is possible. Readers of the Bulletin, public education needs you. Here’s how you can help:
Volunteer in schools and after-school programs.
Support local education foundations through donations or advocacy.
Ask your school or superintendent, “What can I do right now to lighten the load?”
Amplify teachers’ voices by sharing their stories.
Urge elected officials to hold listening sessions with educators before enacting policies.
Schools thrive when communities engage – but first, they need relief from the bureaucratic weight crushing them. Let’s lift that burden so they can focus on building systems that deepen student learning rather than ones that create unnecessary obstacles.
References
Institute of Education Sciences. (n.d.). An illustrative look at how elementary school principals spend their workweek. Retrieved from https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/pubs/2021012/pdf/2021012.pdf
National Association of Elementary School Principals. (2018). The Pre-K-8 school leader in 2018: A 10-year study. Retrieved from https://www.naesp.org/resources/publications/a-10-year-study-of-the-principalship/
About the Author
Chris Briggs-Hale serves on the Board of Directors for the Pikes Peak Bulletin and is a retired principal from Manitou Springs School District 14. He is the CEO of Waterfall Learning, a leadership and instructional coaching firm serving schools in Colorado and California.
