It’s no secret that school budgets are tight. Teachers are forced to buy their own classroom supplies and often buy items for their students who can’t afford their own supplies. Textbooks are used and outdated because it’s too costly to buy new ones.

Another thing that frequently gets put on the back burner is upgrades to the facilities. Dr. David Harnish, the superintendent for Martin Public Schools, was thrilled when voters passed a bond to do $18 million in upgrades to their buildings.

But when the work was done, there was one thing that was still missing. The building hadn’t had a fresh coat of paint since 2001, but hiring a company to tackle the project would cost an additional $150,000; money that simply wasn’t in the budget.

Harnish says that kind of money would have taken away from the kids or the staff and he wasn’t about to let that happen. Instead, what he did is way above and beyond the call of duty.

He decided to paint the buildings himself and his actions have everyone in the district in shock. While other people were enjoying their time off soaking up the summer sun, Harnish logged 90-hour weeks all summer long getting the district’s buildings beautifully painted.

Harnish also hired a handful of freshly graduated students to help him out and with his small crew, worked tirelessly to have the buildings up and running the first day of school.

When the bell rang the first day of school, Harnish was there to greet every single student and staff member and heard nothing but compliments about the fresh face the school was sporting. Even the parents were stunned.

What an amazing gesture and love this man has for his school district! Check out the video below and be sure to share it with your family and friends. Every school district needs a leader like him.