District Goes From Cumbersome to Convenient With Cloud
January 11, 2024 by Shauna Seaver
When it comes to school finance software, sticking with what you know often feels like the easiest route. But it might mean missing out on functionality and simplifications that could change workflows for the better. Hermon School Department in Maine adopted an ERP solution that fits their school finance operations and better prepares them for the future.
A New Perspective
Like many school districts in Maine, Hermon School Department used school finance software that was becoming obsolete and stopped receiving enhancements in 2020. Director of Finance Jamie Youngblood joined the district a few months before this announcement. She immediately felt the limitations of the existing software and was ready to take on a change to a new solution. “Some of the reports were very cumbersome and hard to deal with. The efficiency and ease of use was not there,” she explained. Youngblood had firsthand experience with the benefits of a more robust school ERP system, and she saw the opportunity to streamline the school department’s financial processes.
Finding the Right Fit
Drawing from her own experience and after consulting with a nearby district on their finance solution, Youngblood opted for cloud-based school ERP software that offered a middle ground between Hermon’s legacy finance system and the one at her previous district. “It takes the greatest parts of [each solution] and puts them all in one place,” she said.
Moving to cloud-based finance software offered the district increased efficiency and flexibility. “Access from anywhere — that part has been the greatest,” Youngblood said. “If I'm not at the office, I still have access to the system. We’re able to keep the workflow going. That's been a real game changer.”
More Efficient Finance Operations
After implementing the district’s new school finance software, Youngblood noticed improvements in the first payroll she processed — from more streamlined benefits deductions to reduced errors. “Having position and pay information live in the system and removing manual processes, like choosing account numbers or dollar amounts on the fly, has made a huge difference. We’ve decreased the number of payroll errors significantly,” she said. Having less opportunity for human error has made their processes more accurate and efficient.
Since Hermon’s move to the new school finance system, Youngblood has advocated for other local districts to make the switch to more modern software. And while any change in business processes comes with challenges, she encourages districts to find that “just right” ERP solution for their district and stick with the implementation process. “Just keep on trucking, keep doing what you're doing. You're going to love it in the end.”