Our speaker on January 9, 2026 was Brooke Hay, Assistant Director of Operations at Lincoln Public Schools.
Brooke provided a lot of information about the operations at Lincoln Public Schools.
We are one school district in our city, unlike many other cities in our country. That makes us one of the largest school districts because of the population that is served - again as a single district. She talked about the School Board and their dedication and support.
She stated:
The role of Operations is to support the students and staff by providing an enabling, safe, and functional educational environment while protecting the community’s investment in facilities and equipment.
Throughout her presentation it was obvious that Operations focused on the students and the curriculum - does the environment / space provide what they need. It is obvious that the Operations stuff is as dedicated to the student and the outcomes as the teachers.
Brooke shared the organization chart and stated that there are about 140 people in Operations and they handle 35,000 work orders annually. Operations is responsible for / has functions within:
- Building Crafts - general construction
- Custodial Department
- Electrical Shop
- Electronics Department - technical support, constant changes and advances in technology is a challenge
- Environmental
- Facility Management - keeping up with maintenance as with any building is important to avoid big repairs
- Facility Planning - they are always looking at development, purchasing in areas that may be used for expansion at reasonable cost
- Grounds - not only the grass and landscaping, but the pavement, sidewalks and parking areas
- HVAC Shop - upgrades have saved the district money
- Maintenance Department
- Office / Administrative
- Paint Department - there is always a paint project, though they try to do as much as possible during breaks
- Plumbing Shop
- Shipping & Receiving
- Sustainability - get the most out of the investment in upgrades and repairs
89 - there are 89 buildings in LPS that Operations takes care of!
43 Elementary schools
13 Middle Schools
16 High Schools - 8 schools and 8 program outlets
17 Support Buildings
Plus there are 12 Undeveloped Sites (purchased for future expansion) which may contain buildings or grounds to manage.
Brooke shared some additional numbers that gave us an idea of the size of our School District:
8,477,450 Total Square Feet
1,197 Total Acres
17,320 Parking Spaces
19 Portables - as they are looking at schools, portables allow them to serve students while determining the long-term solution
41,940 Students this year
6,824 Employees this year
We saw a graph of enrollment in each of the grade groups in the Fall of 2025. Grades 11 and 12 have the highest numbers. Brooke stated that some families that chose to home-school, might decide to enroll their child in the last couple of years which may explain some of the larger numbers.
Brooke showed us maps of the city boundaries - and where the schools are currently located and shared the projections for the future. She shared that those projections are vital to their planning - where and by how much - will our community population change. It shows growth East and South - mostly bound by the beltway.
Brooke shared a little about the new facility for Student Support which is the last project from the 2020 bond program. This information is from Brooke's presentation supplemented by details from a Sep. 12, 2025 10/11 News Report:
Lincoln Public Schools is developing an area at south Folsom Street and west Pioneers Boulevard,. It will expand on the services currently offered at the Student Support Facility at Yankee Hill.
Brooke explained that transitional students - those coming from other school systems will be able to attend at the Student Support Facility. They can get texted, do some e-learning, and get other help to ensure they are placed in the best high school.
The current Yankee Hill facility supports expelled or suspended students and students who need behavioral or pro-social learning. They will be able to serve more students and expand on the program with the new Student Support Center.
Brooke closed by sharing some specific projects coming up at the schools such as new roofs (they replace an average or 2 per year), play turf installation and replacement, theatre enhancements such as flame retardant curtains, as well as adding parking facilities for busses to make their services more efficient.
BIO
Brooke Hay is a professional civil engineer with over 20 years experience in the design and construction industry. Brooke worked for JEO Consulting Group in Norfolk, NE, and then in several roles for the University of Nebraska before joining Lincoln Public Schools. At LPS, Brooke serves as the lead of Facility Planning for the Operations department. She and the team serve the district in relation to facilities and property data, small project design, large project administration, and overall capital planning. Stewardship is the compelling factor as they consider the nearly 9M square feet of facilities in the LPS portfolio.
Brooke is dedicated to education and continuous learning; her past experience includes Up with People and Residence Life at both Northeastern University and Texas A&M.
Brooke has her B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Brooke lives in Palmyra, Nebraska, with her husband, John Hay, and children Liatris (16) and Hubbard (11).