Neighbors,
I'm Tim Burke. I'm a Willis ISD parent and a computer network engineer, and I'm asking for your vote for the school board.
We moved to Willis five years ago. My son just started school here, my daughter will follow in a couple of years, and my wife teaches in the district. I'm not running because something is broken. Willis ISD has made real progress in the last few years, and I want to help keep that momentum.
Last year I served on the district's Long Range Planning Committee and spent months with the enrollment projections. This district is growing fast, and a lot of the families filling these schools are new here. They chose Willis because of what the folks before them built. I want both groups to feel the board is theirs.
For work, I lead the network engineering team for a large state university system. Before that I spent seven years as IT director for a fire department. None of that makes me an expert on teaching, and I won't pretend otherwise. What it gives me is a habit of planning for growth before it becomes a crisis and asking hard questions about big purchases. I live with a teacher, so I know how much it matters whether staff feel supported enough to stay.
I don't sell anything to the district, and neither does anyone in my family. If you elect me, the only thing I'll owe anyone is a straight answer.
Thanks for reading. I hope to meet you soon!
— Tim
Where I Stand
Willis ISD is growing
9,54015,044
students by 2033‑34, a 58% increase. That's about 688 more students every year, roughly the size of an elementary campus.
Willis is growing. Let's plan well.
See the numbers
| School year | Students | Type |
|---|---|---|
| 2025‑26 | 9,540 | Actual |
| 2026‑27 | 9,844 | Projected |
| 2027‑28 | 10,424 | Projected |
| 2028‑29 | 11,156 | Projected |
| 2029‑30 | 11,852 | Projected |
| 2030‑31 | 12,776 | Projected |
| 2031‑32 | 13,610 | Projected |
| 2032‑33 | 14,314 | Projected |
| 2033‑34 | 15,044 | Projected |
Honor the tradition. Welcome new families.
The families who've been here for generations built this district. The new rooftops show who's joining them. Both deserve a voice on the board, and I want to be someone both can call.
Copy what works.
When something breaks on a network, I look at the numbers before I guess. Some Willis campuses are getting real results. The board should see the same few numbers for every school, every year, and when one campus figures something out, it should be asking why every campus isn't doing it.
Put the money where students and staff feel it.
Willis ISD is projected to add about 5,500 students by 2033‑34, a 58% increase. The district should publish one plan for what we'll need to build, hire, and wire to keep up, and update it in public every year. The board's job is making sure those dollars reach students and the people who make a school run: teachers, bus drivers, custodians, cafeteria and front-office staff.
Safety is a system. I've run one.
I spent seven years as IT director for a fire department, responsible for the building security systems too: badge systems, door controls, cameras, radios. I wasn't the one responding to calls. I made sure the systems responders depended on worked when they needed them. Every campus should be tested the same way: someone tries every door and keys a radio from the far end of every building, on a schedule, with the results in front of the board.
No financial stake in district business.
Neither my family nor I own, run, or work for any company that does business with Willis ISD. I don't sell anything to the district, and I don't own land it's looking to buy. That stays true as long as I serve. Where the law or common sense says I should step back from a vote, I will, and I'll say so out loud. The details are on my conflicts and recusals page.
Tell families early, plainly, and often.
Parents shouldn't have to dig through agendas to learn what's happening at their school or why the board voted the way it did. Teachers and staff should hear about decisions that affect them before they read about them anywhere else.
Questions I get asked
Why are you running? Is something wrong with the district?
No. Willis ISD has a lot going right. The district is growing fast, and I think the board benefits from someone who has spent a career planning for growth and who can connect the families who just arrived with the ones who built this place. I see it as adding to good work already underway.
Your wife teaches in the district. Isn't that a conflict of interest?
No. My wife was a Willis ISD teacher long before I decided to run, and she'll keep teaching here whether I win or lose. I won't vote on anything specific to her: her position, her evaluation, her campus assignment. On district-wide decisions like the salary schedule, I'll vote like any other trustee and say out loud that my household is affected.
A conflict of interest is when a board member profits from district business. Neither my family nor I own, run, or work for any company that does business with Willis ISD. Every vote I'd step away from is listed on my conflicts and recusals page.
Have you served on a board before?
Yes. I'm treasurer of my HOA, so I'm the one who explains the budget to my neighbors and answers for where their money went. I also serve on the board of the City of Conroe Industrial Development Corporation. Different boards, same kind of work: other people's money, open meetings, and a plain explanation of what you decided and why.
What does a trustee actually do?
Trustees hire and evaluate the superintendent, approve the budget and tax rate, set district policy, and vote on major contracts and bond projects. They don't run schools day to day. That's the job I'm asking for.
Is this a partisan race? Where do you stand politically?
I'm a Republican, and anyone who's seen me at a county party event knows it. I'm not going to run on it. School board races in Texas are nonpartisan, and I think that fits the job: hire a good superintendent, pass a budget that holds up, keep the buildings safe, and make sure kids can read by the end of third grade.
My test for any vote is whether I could explain it to a parent who disagrees with me on everything else, using only what it does for students.
How to Vote
- October 5Last day to register
- October 19–30Early voting
- November 3Election Day
Keep scrolling to the bottom of your ballot. This is a midterm year, so the ballot is long. Willis ISD trustee races sit near the end, after the state and county offices. In the Position 5 race, my name is listed first.
See your sample ballot first. Willis ISD covers parts of two counties, so pick the one you vote in: Montgomery County or San Jacinto County. Both open as PDFs from the county, not from my campaign.
Polling places and hours: Montgomery County Elections or San Jacinto County Elections. Check your registration at votetexas.gov.
Get Involved
Put up a sign
A sign in your yard tells your friends and neighbors that someone they know took a look at this race. Tell me where you live and I'll bring one by.
Chip in
I'm not a fundraiser. What I am is a first-time candidate who needs signs in yards and mailers in mailboxes. Every dollar you give buys exactly that, and every dollar shows up on a public report. Texas law doesn't allow contributions from corporations or labor unions.
DonateTalk to me
I don't have all the answers, and I'd be suspicious of anyone running for this seat who says they do. If something's on your mind about our schools, send it here. I read every one, and if you'd rather talk it through in person, I'll buy the coffee.
Rather skip the form? Call or text 936-203-0900, or email tim@timforwillis.org.