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When the Signals Are There, But the System Isn’t: Rebuilding Retention by Connecting What Matters 

A New Inflection Point for K-12 Staffing 

After years of disruption, K-12 staffing is starting to stabilize. According to Frontline’s 2025 K-12 Lens Survey: 

  • 66% of district leaders report current staffing shortages (down from 81% the year prior) 
  • 46% say recruiting and hiring has become more difficult (down from 66%) 
  • 39% say retention has become harder (also down from 66%)  
  • The average teacher retention rate has climbed to 78%.   

While the trend is encouraging, it’s hardly a green light to relax.  

Instead, this is a moment to reassess.  

What’s working for teacher retention? Where are staff still stretched too thin? And how can districts create environments that not only attract new teachers but also retain their most experienced ones? 

HAND-PICKED CONTENT FOR YOU

Why Teacher Retention Should Be a Top Priority for K-12 HR Leaders

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The New Retention Challenge: No Raises, No Room for Error 

With tighter budgets limiting salary increases and incentives, districts face a pressing challenge: retaining educators without relying on financial levers. But this constraint can be a catalyst. When pay can’t be the differentiator, employee experience has to be.  

That means making teachers’ day-to-day working conditions a priority – scheduling, support, leadership, growth, and culture. The more meaningful the experience, the more likely teachers are to stay.   

Why Reducing Teacher Turnover Must Be a Systemwide Strategy 

Teacher turnover is a staffing disruption that affects everything from instructional quality to student relationships to team dynamics, and even long-term planning. Every resignation reflects a complex decision informed by unmet needs, often left unaddressed for too long. 

But it doesn’t have to be this way. Districts have the data to do something different. And it’s not just about big-picture trends. Subtle, granular signals often appear long before a resignation letter is written.  

Which Data Predicts Teacher Burnout? 

To understand and prevent turnover, districts must focus on the leading cause: burnout.  

Defined as a combination of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment (Maslach et al., 1996), burnout isn’t just a feeling. It’s a measurable risk factor. Teachers experiencing sustained burnout are significantly more likely to leave the profession.  

Research highlights three key drivers of teacher burnout:  

  1. Student Absenteeism
    A single student absence creates extra work and emotional strain for teachers, who must reteach content, adjust pacing, and provide added support. In today’s era of chronic absenteeism, these disruptions are frequent and compounding, resulting in heightened emotional exhaustion, a key component of burnout (Gottfried, 2019; Maslach et al., 2001; Attendance Works 2018; Garcia & Weiss, 2018).  
  2. Classroom Management and Student Behavior
    Managing disruptive behaviors is emotionally taxing and often erodes instructional time. Teachers may feel less effective and more stressed, undermining their motivation and sense of purpose (Skaalvik & Skaalvik, 2017; Aloe et al., 2014; Collie et al., 2012; Dicke et al., 2014; Chiu, 2010). 
  3. Student Academic Performance
    When students consistently underperform, teachers often internalize those results. Feelings of inadequacy and frustration, especially in high-stakes testing environments, can lead to burnout and attrition (von der Embse et al., 2016). 

DID YOU KNOW?

Frontline’s Teacher Retention Dashboard empowers school leaders to track burnout risk indicators – like student absenteeism, classroom disruptions, and student performance – at the teacher level, enabling earlier, targeted support.

Learn More

Spotting the Symptoms: Indicators of Teacher Disengagement 

Burnout builds slowly, but its symptoms are often visible. Beyond predictive drivers, there are early signs that suggest a teacher may already be disengaged:  

  1. Teacher Absenteeism
    Frequent absences may indicate school avoidance linked to burnout. When a teacher’s leave time exceeds the average, it’s time for a check-in.  
  2. Incomplete Professional Development
    When PD modules remain unfinished well past due dates, it can signal disengagement. Teachers who aren’t participating in growth opportunities may be losing connection to their role or the district’s mission.  
  3. Teacher Coverage Load
    When teachers are repeatedly asked to give up planning periods or breaks to cover for colleagues, resentment and fatigue can grow. It sends a message that their time and needs are secondary, fueling disengagement.  

Data Isn’t Just Insight – It’s Strategy 

Most districts already collect data on engagement, PD completion, leave patterns, and more. The challenge is integration. When these signals remain siloed, their value is lost. 

Districts with the most successful retention strategies:   

  • Use predictive analytics to flag burnout risk, drawing from student attendance, behavior, and academic performance data.  
  • Monitor lagging indicators, such as teacher absences and incomplete PD, to identify early signs of disengagement. 
  • Connect support to the data, offering mentoring, coaching, or targeted PD based on teacher-level trends.  
  • Respond in real time before burnout escalates, rather than relying solely on exit interviews.  

From Signals to Solutions: How Frontline Helps Districts Act on Burnout Risk  

The signs of burnout are often subtle, but when districts can connect the dots early, they have a real opportunity to intervene with support that matters. That’s where tools like Frontline Professional Growth, Absence Management, and Analytics come in. 

Designed specifically for schools, these solutions help leaders bring together the data and supports teachers need to stay engaged and thrive. Instead of reacting to attrition after the fact, districts can build proactive, personalized strategies that prioritize retention from every angle.  

With Frontline’s solutions, districts can: 

  • Disaggregate student data by teacher to identify staff at higher risk of burnout and attrition  
  • Tailor professional learning to individual needs so teachers at higher risk of burnout receive the support that’s most relevant.  
  • Create custom learning paths that reflect school priorities and teacher goals, keeping development connected to what’s happening in classrooms. 
  • Track coaching and development over time, ensuring that support isn’t just offered – but followed through. 
  • Monitor absences and leave patterns, helping leaders check in on staff who may be showing signs of burnout or school avoidance. 
  • Track coverage loads across staff, so no one teacher is routinely asked to give up planning time, preserving prep time and signaling that every teacher’s time matters. 
  • Simplify PD tracking and compliance, freeing up time for growth, not paperwork.  

Together, these tools help district leaders see what’s happening and act on it. That’s how retention becomes a systemwide effort, not a last-minute scramble. 

Ready to build a smarter retention strategy? 

Start turning insights into action. See how Frontline helps districts support, develop, and retain the educators who matter most.  

Explore Frontline Professional Growth

Ellen Agnello

Ellen is a graduate assistant at the University of Connecticut. She is a former high school English language arts teacher and holds a Master’s Degree in literacy education. She is working on a dissertation toward a Ph.D. in Educational Curriculum and Instruction.

Quiz: Is Your District Building Real Teacher Confidence?

Teacher confidence matters. A lot. 

It shapes how teachers perform, how students engage, and whether great educators stay…or burn out. 

But confidence doesn’t just appear. It takes trust, support, and a system that actually helps people grow…not just “tick boxes”. 

So, here’s the real question: 

Is your district truly set up to build and support teacher confidence? 

Take this quick quiz to find out where you’re strong, where there’s room to grow, and what you can do next. 

Why Teacher Confidence Matters — and How Your District Can Strengthen It 

Confidence doesn’t always show up in a spreadsheet — but you feel it in the classroom. 

When teachers feel confident, they try new strategies, connect more with students, and are more likely to stay. 

Here’s why it matters: 

  • Teacher confidence supports retention: confident educators are more likely to grow and stay in the profession. 
  • It drives better instruction and student engagement: when teachers feel prepared, students benefit. 
  • It makes professional learning more meaningful: growth sticks when it’s tied to real goals and feedback. 

Frontline Professional Growth helps make it all possible — by connecting evaluations, goals, and development in one place. 

Want to learn more about Frontline Professional Growth?
You Can Do That Here

Erin Shelton

Erin is a writer and member of the award-winning content team at Frontline Education. With experience in education, she is passionate about creating content that helps to support and impact the growth of both students and teachers.

HB 2 Is Complicated. Your Payroll Doesn’t Have to Be. 

If you’re in a Texas school district, you already know: House Bill 2 (HB 2) is no small thing. Between new funding rules, tight deadlines, and high expectations, district teams across HR, payroll, and finance have a lot to manage. 

HB 2 is a sweeping school finance law passed in July 2025. It brings over $8.5 billion in funding to public education, including more than $4 billion for pay raises. That’s good news for educators and staff, but it requires careful coordination behind the scenes. 

Let’s break down what HB 2 requires, why it’s complex, and how Frontline is already helping Texas districts implement the changes with clarity, accuracy, and confidence. 

What HB 2 Requires and Why It’s a Big Lift 

New mandates, new pressure. HB 2 brings four big new requirements for school districts: the Teacher Retention Allotment (TRA), Support Staff Retention Allotment (SSRA), an expanded Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA), and a Teacher Certification Incentive Allotment (TCIA) program. Each is meant to address important goals — raising pay to retain educators, rewarding high performers, and getting more teachers certified — but each comes with its own compliance puzzle. 

  • Mandatory pay raises for teachers: Starting in the 2025–26 school year, districts must give permanent pay bumps to classroom teachers with 3+ years of experience. For larger districts (over 5,000 students), that’s at least $2,500 extra for teachers with 3–4 years and $5,000 for those with 5+ years. Smaller districts must provide $4,000 and $8,000 increases, respectively. These raises are not optional and must be maintained as part of base salary. 
  • Raises for other staff, too: The SSRA provides roughly $45 per student to raise pay for non-administrative support staff, including aides, clerical workers, custodians, nurses, bus drivers, and more. Districts must use the funds for ongoing salary increases but have flexibility in how they distribute them. 
  • More teachers eligible for incentive pay: HB 2 expands the Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) by adding a new “Acknowledged” designation and increasing maximum payouts. More teachers can now qualify for performance-based pay, which requires systems to manage designations, evaluations, and correct fund distribution. 
  • New incentives for certification: HB 2 encourages teacher certification through the Teacher Certification Incentive Allotment (TCIA), waiving exam fees for bilingual and special education certifications and providing bonuses to newly certified teachers. This adds new responsibilities for HR in tracking, informing, and verifying eligibility and reimbursements. 

These funding streams are valuable, but come with real challenges: eligibility verification, pay scale updates, staff communication, and long-term budget forecasting. 

What It Means for Your Team 

For school district HR, payroll, and finance leaders in Texas, HB 2 likely meant: 

  • Verifying eligibility across multiple roles, service records, and full-/part-time status 
  • Recalculating salaries and revising contracts after board-approved pay structures were already in place 
  • Allocating support staff raises fairly, while staying within SSRA funding limits 
  • Revising budget forecasts to reflect recurring costs, not just one-time adjustments 
  • Ensuring accurate PEIMS reporting, since TEA will use this data to calculate funding and verify compliance 
  • Tracking teacher certification progress to identify eligibility for TCIA incentives and manage internal “grow-your-own” efforts 
  • Preparing for audits or state-level reviews of how allotments were distributed and sustained 

And all of this began shortly after HB 2 was signed into law, leaving most districts to revise their plans quickly, just before or during the new school year. 

Where Frontline Makes the Difference 

Frontline’s tools are built for K–12 finance, payroll, and HR teams, and are designed to handle complex, fast-moving requirements like HB 2. 

Tools that Help You Keep Up 

Frontline ERP: 

  • Run eligibility reports instantly: Pull teacher years-of-experience data and role classifications to see who qualifies for TRA and SSRA, no manual lookup needed. 
  • Configure raises at scale: Apply the appropriate raise types — stipends as part of base pay, scale adjustments, or grade changes — across your workforce. 
  • Identify HB 2 raises (when using stipends): Report HB 2-related raises, helping to ensure visibility and accuracy in financial records.  
  • Stay compliant with state regulations: Use Frontline ERP to make it easier to prove compliance and avoid costly mistakes.  

Frontline Analytics: 

  • Model future impacts: Project how permanent raises will affect your budget over time, test scenarios based on enrollment or funding trends, and prepare long-term plans with confidence. 

Frontline Central: 

  • Track teacher certification in real time: Monitor progress toward certification, identify candidates for incentives, and streamline compliance with TCIA requirements. 

Employee Evaluation Management 

  • Manage performance-based designations: Support evaluation workflows tied to TIA requirements by tracking teacher designations and syncing evaluation outcomes with compensation plans. 

Moving Forward with Confidence 

HB 2 represents a significant investment in public education and a meaningful opportunity to reward and retain staff. But implementation takes more than spreadsheets. It takes systems built to handle policy, payroll, and planning with accuracy and transparency.  

Frontline is already helping Texas districts simplify HB 2 implementation, reduce manual work, and stay focused on what matters most: supporting educators and students. 

If you’re working through HB 2 and want tools to make the process smoother, we’re here to help. Let’s talk about how you can stay organized, stay compliant, and move forward with confidence.  

Want to learn more about Frontline ERP?
You Can Do That Here

Ellen Agnello

Ellen is a graduate assistant at the University of Connecticut. She is a former high school English language arts teacher and holds a Master’s Degree in literacy education. She is working on a dissertation toward a Ph.D. in Educational Curriculum and Instruction.

S.M.A.R.T. Goal Setting in K-12 Professional Development

Last Updated: July 2025

“How can I grow as an educator — and help my students grow, too?”

This is the question teachers ask themselves again and again throughout the year — during planning days, after observations, and in quiet moments between lessons. But without a clear roadmap, even the most motivated educators can struggle to turn that desire into progress.

That’s where S.M.A.R.T. goals come in. SMART goals help K‑12 educators focus their professional development on clear, measurable outcomes that align with school improvement priorities. Whether you’re kicking off a new school year, evaluating mid-year progress, or planning summer PD, intentional goal setting helps educators reflect on their practice, focus their energy, and stay aligned with school and district priorities.

In this post, we’ll explore how to guide teachers through effective goal setting using the S.M.A.R.T. framework, why it matters in K-12 professional development, and how to create a culture of meaningful, measurable growth for teachers and students alike.

What are S.M.A.R.T goals, and why is this goal setting structure important?

S.M.A.R.T stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound; these are the qualities you want to encourage teachers in your districts to prioritize when they are setting goals. For each goal they set, they’ll want to make sure these five qualities are present and specify how they are present.
 
Here’s how teachers can implement the S.M.A.R.T. strategy into their goals. They should consider each of the elements as essentially a part of the outline of an overall goal. Once a teacher has a response to each section, they will combine them all into a goal. If you have a goal in mind beforehand, it’s a good idea to literally write out why your goal is specific, measurable, etc. to make sure it aligns.
 
Here are helpful guidance questions and an example:

S: Specific/Strategic:

  • What is the specific goal you are trying to achieve? Make sure your goal is very clear in the wording of your final goal and think about how it connects to larger goals within your team/school/district.
  • Ex: I want to improve reading outcomes for my 3rd grade students over last year.

 

M: Measurable (Plan!)

  • How will you measure progress and know the goal has been met?
  • Ex: 30% of students moved up a reading level last year – I’d like to see at least 50% move up this year.

 

A: Achievable/Actionable

  • How will you accomplish this goal? What necessary actions will you take?
  • Ex: In a recent training, I learned some great techniques for learning retention around reading in this age group. I will work on a new skill every month, implementing those techniques. Additionally, we’ll build more reading games into the schedule alongside quiet reading and library time.

 

R: Relevant

  • How do these goals apply to your overall responsibilities?
  • Ex: Reading is a key skill to solidify for this age group, and a huge part of the learning students will be doing in my class. Additionally, the school has an overall goal to focus on reading skills this year, and I will be contributing to that goal by taking responsibility for my third-grade class.

 

T: Time-Bound

  • When do you hope to achieve this?
  • Ex: Every three months, we will re-evaluate the students and measure who is moving up and who may need more support. By checking in on this schedule, we should have a good idea at the end of the year how each student is doing and can evaluate the class as a whole.

Goal: 

This year, I will improve reading outcomes in my 3rd grade class by implementing new teaching techniques and checking in on progress on a monthly basis. By the end of the year, the goal is to have at least 50% of students move up a reading level and have all students leave the 3rd grade feeling confident in their reading abilities.


By thinking about all of these smaller aspects of a goal, it ensures teacher goals are achievable and rewarding, and strategically fit into a larger vision for their school, district and career. Teachers get into the habit of creating goals that encourage growth in them and their students and push them toward larger goals.
 
Remember to share these best practices as your teachers work on their goals

  • Personal and student focus: Respond to previous performance feedback as well as student data. Consider where additional support, training or data may help make goals achievable.
  • Keep it simple and organized: Use the S.M.A.R.T goals model to outline your goals, and don’t shy away from stating the obvious.
  • Go for it! Be ambitious with your goal setting; challenge yourself.
  • Check in: Establish opportunities to check in on progress.
  • Get feedback and collaborate when you can: Get feedback from someone who knows the context within which you’re working and can provide insights.
  • Be clear: Make sure goals are clear about what will indicate success! You’ll want to be able to easily check the boxes as you work through the year, rather than have to wade through ambiguous language or unclear finish lines.

Supporting Teachers in Goal Setting: Best Practices for Leaders

To build a sustainable culture of professional growth, school and district leaders can promote these S.M.A.R.T. goal-setting best practices:

Focus on Both Student and Educator Growth

Encourage teachers to reflect on previous evaluations and classroom data. Identify areas where targeted support or additional PD could make a difference.

Keep It Clear and Organized

Use the S.M.A.R.T. framework to create a simple goal-setting structure. Don’t shy away from stating the obvious — clarity leads to follow-through.

Be Ambitious, But Realistic

Challenge educators to reach higher, while helping them set achievable, actionable steps to get there.

Schedule Regular Progress Check-Ins

Help teachers build in touchpoints throughout the year to monitor their growth and adjust as needed.

Foster Collaboration and Feedback

Create space for teachers to discuss goals with mentors, peers, or PLCs. Feedback from trusted colleagues improves accountability and relevance.

Define What Success Looks Like

Encourage teachers to set clear success indicators so they can confidently track their own progress.

Take It Further with Frontline Professional Development

When paired with the right tools, S.M.A.R.T. goals become more than just statements — they become action plans.

With Frontline Professional Growth, districts can bring goal setting to life by connecting it with:

  • Personalized learning paths built around educator needs
  • Blended learning opportunities for flexibility 
  • Collaborative tools for coaching, mentoring, and peer feedback
  • Tracking and reporting to monitor progress at the individual and district level

Your educators deserve more than one-size-fits-all training. Help them turn goals into growth with a flexible, high-impact solution. 

Learn more about Frontline Professional Growth here.
Talk to a Frontliner

Elise Ozarowski

Elise is a writer and member of the award-winning content team at Frontline Education. A former member of Frontline’s events team, she is passionate about making connections, whether that be in person at events, online via social media or directly in her writing.

3 Practical Ways to Bring AI into K-12 Professional Development This Year 

It’s no secret that AI is showing up everywhere, especially in K-12 education. From student use in the classroom to lesson planning, it’s already becoming a part of how schools teach, operate, and evolve.  

Organizations like ISTE are already outlining what responsible, impactful AI use in schools should look like — especially as new artificial intelligence tools for education emerge. 

But while most conversations focus on what AI can do, here’s the question that matters just as much (and maybe even more): Are we preparing our educators to use it well? 

The good news? You don’t need an AI-powered platform to get started. What you do need is a smart, flexible approach to supporting educator professional learning — the kind that builds confidence, encourages curiosity, and helps teachers grow into this new era. 

So, what’s possible right now? Actually… a lot! 

Here are three real ways school and district leaders can start weaving AI into teacher professional development strategies today — without waiting to catch up. 

1. Make Your PD Program the Launchpad for AI Learning 

AI conversations are already happening in your schools. The question is: are you helping guide them? 

Think about it: 

  • Is your district encouraging teachers to explore AI tools like ChatGPT or Claude? 
  • Are curriculum teams piloting AI-supported tutoring or intervention tools? 
  • Are you drafting AI use policies for schools — but haven’t looped your educators into the conversation? 

Instead of launching a separate initiative, explore how you may use your professional learning system to track who’s engaging in AI-focused development, tag those activities to AI goals, and build a learning record that shows growth. 

PRO TIP: Create a category like “AI Exploration” to support intentional, future-ready educator professional learning.

2. Celebrate Curiosity, Without Losing Focus

AI adoption often starts with curiosity. A teacher experiments with a chatbot for lesson planning. A principal joins a webinar about AI ethics. Someone shares a fun use-case article in the educator Slack channel. 

That spark? It’s valuable and worth building on. 

With a little structure, you can turn informal exploration into intentional professional learning. You can use Frontline Professional Growth to: 

  • Approve out-of-district AI trainings and track them alongside in-house PD. 
  • Deliver custom activities — like your own webinar or article discussion group — through blended formats. 
  • Share curated content in the Resource Library to keep things consistent and trustworthy. 

Remember: It’s about creating space for self-directed learning—without losing sight of what matters most to your district. 

3. Start Small, But Start with Intention

Nobody’s asking you to revamp your entire PD program overnight. But if AI is part of your district’s bigger-picture goals this year, it deserves a spot in your professional learning strategy. 

You might consider: 

  • Adding AI-focused reflection prompts to learning journals. 
  • Running an optional “AI in the Classroom” series — and measure attendance, feedback, and next steps. 
  • Tracking how AI-related learning aligns with K-12 district priorities like instructional innovation, digital citizenship, or equity. 

PRO TIP: Even small moves now can help lay the foundation for bigger educator professional learning initiatives next year – and give you the data to show progress and impact.

Let’s Make It Practical: 4 Takeaways 

  1. Give it a label. Tag AI-related teacher learning activities so they’re easy to find, measure, and reference. 
  1. Start a conversation. Use journaling or team reflections to spark deeper thinking and cross-pollination. 
  1. Let teachers lead. Many are already testing AI tools — give them the spotlight to share what’s working. 
  1. Keep it flexible. Online? Asynchronous? In-person? Make space for different educator needs and schedules. 

LOOKING FOR LEGAL INSIGHTS INTO AI IN K-12 PD?

Watch our on-demand webinar with K-12 education law expert Gretchen Shipley to explore policy guidance, risk management, and how districts can lead with confidence.

Check It Out Here

AI + PD: The Frequently Asked Questions 

We know there are still questions — and we’ve got answers. Whether you’re starting small or scaling something bigger, here’s a quick-hit guide to help you take the next step with confidence. 

Asking and answering, so you don’t have to. 

Q: How can school districts support AI-related training for teachers? 
A: Districts can offer AI-aligned professional development through flexible formats like asynchronous modules, in-house webinars, or approved external trainings. You can also track participation and growth using your existing PD tools. 

Q: What are examples of AI-focused PD activities? 
A: Examples include “AI in the Classroom” discussion groups, ethics workshops, deep dives into ChatGPT use cases, and guided reflections on emerging AI tools in education. 

Q: Do you need an AI-powered PD platform to support AI learning? 
A: Not at all. The key is using your current tools to tag, track, and support learning opportunities connected to AI, whether formal or informal. 

AI in K-12 Educator Professional Development 

You don’t need a fancy AI engine to start training teachers on AI. Most conversations are already happening — so focus on how to support educator professional learning where it’s already taking root. 

You just need a plan, a few flexible tools, and a little intentionality. 

And if your professional development system lets you track learning, deliver blended formats, and connect to goals — then you’re already on the right path. 

Ready or not, AI is here. With the right PD approach, your educators will be too.

Want to learn more about Frontline Professional Growth?
You Can Do That Here

Erin Shelton

Erin is a writer and member of the award-winning content team at Frontline Education. With experience in education, she is passionate about creating content that helps to support and impact the growth of both students and teachers.

Tired of Budget Surprises? Meet the Advisor Helping Oregon Districts Plan with Confidence 

Between shifting enrollment, evolving state guidance, and the always unpredictable State School Fund estimates, school finance leaders in Oregon are expected to plan precisely with incomplete information and justify every number along the way. 

That’s exactly why Lindsay Malinowski is here. 

As Frontline Education’s dedicated Analytics Advisor for Oregon, Lindsay supports school business officials with tools and guidance tailored to the realities of budgeting in this state. She’s not a vendor. She’s your strategic partner, someone who’s walked in your shoes and knows what you’re up against. 

From “Doing It All Yourself” to “Getting the Support You Deserve” 

If you’ve ever built your own spreadsheet to track revenue shifts or tried to explain unexpected funding changes to your superintendent or board, you are not alone. 

Lindsay has been there. She served as a business manager in an Oregon district and later at the Oregon Department of Education, where she helped oversee financial reporting, data analysis, and fiscal transparency efforts statewide. 

Now, she’s turning that expertise into hands-on support for districts across Oregon. “I want to help district leaders stop spending hours doing analysis in isolation,” Lindsay says. “You deserve tools that are accurate, easy to use, and designed specifically for your environment.” 

A Real Example: Turning a Known Pain Point into a Powerful Tool 

When Lindsay joined Frontline, one of the first things she tackled was a familiar source of frustration: reconciling the State School Fund. 

“Coming from the Oregon Department of Education, I spent a lot of time with the State School Fund – how it works and how it changes,” she said. “I thought: What if we could create a visual or deliverable that shows the movement of the fund?Something that helps districts project better, spot trends, and reduce manual calculations.” 

So she built it, a side-by-side view of the March estimate, the midyear payout, and the final reconciliation, with district-specific calculations built in. The result? A clear, visual timeline of how the numbers shift and where surprises tend to appear.  

The tool is now available inside Frontline’s Budget Management Analytics platform, where users can view it directly in the State School Fund May Revise section. 

“When I spotlighted it in a recent webinar, districts asked right away, ‘Can I download this?’” Lindsay said. “So now we’re building that out – Excel exports, graphs, visuals they can take to the board. The idea is to give leaders a way to understand where their funding projections stand and avoid surprises.” 

Budgeting in an Unpredictable Landscape 

Of course it’s not just reconciliations causing headaches. 

“This is a biennium year,” Lindsay explained. “The total State School Fund amount is still being decided and even once it’s set, there’s potential for changes. Add to that unpredictable enrollment, weighted ADM shifts, and rising staff costs…it’s a lot for districts to manage.” 

That’s where tools like Frontline Budget Management and Financial Planning Analytics come in.

“Our goal is to take work off the district’s plate. These tools let users build and compare scenarios – base case, best case, negotiation scenarios – and instantly see the impact. You can factor in the latest state data, apply your own assumptions, and avoid rebuilding spreadsheets every time something shifts.” 

Built in Oregon. For Oregon. 

What makes Lindsay different is her ability to translate complex state processes into tools and insights that actually work at the district level. 

Whether you’re tracking trends, preparing for negotiations, or planning for an unpredictable biennium, Lindsay helps you: 

  • Eliminate guesswork from budget development 
  • Forecast with up-to-date state data and district inputs 
  • Create and compare multiple scenarios with ease 
  • Build credibility with stakeholders through clear, transparent visuals 

And she’s just getting started. 

“I want to hear, ‘Wouldn’t it be great if this existed?’ – and go build it,” she said. “That’s how the calculator happened. My goal is to help leaders avoid surprises, spot trends early, and build trust with their communities by making their data more clear and accessible.” 

Ready to Spend Less Time Reacting and More Time Leading? 

If you’re a business official in Oregon, Lindsay is your direct line to expert support, custom tools, and a better way to handle funding uncertainty. 

Have a funding question? Want to see the calculator in action? Looking for support with your next budget cycle?

Lindsay Malinowski

Senior Analytics Advisor, Frontline Education

Lindsay Malinowski is a Senior Analytics Advisor at Frontline Education, where she helps Oregon school finance leaders use advanced analytics to plan ahead, manage budgets, and make clear confident decisions. A former district and state finance leader, she brings practical experience and a passion for making school funding more understandable and strategic.

Interested in working with Lindsay? You can reach her here: lmalinowski@frontlineed.com or LinkedIn  

K-12 School Districts’ Guide to Maximizing Your Inventory Management Software Investment

Developing processes and procedures for inventory management: Get the most out of your software investment, accelerate the time to value, mitigate risk, and achieve better ROI.  

Successfully transforming inventory management in your school district starts well before a software purchase. The spark for meaningful change lies in how well your people and processes are aligned with the challenges you’re solving. If you want your new system to deliver real value, you need more than a good product. You need the right people in the right roles, the trust of those who will use the software every day, and thoughtful processes that support them.  

Set Your School District Up for Success  

Having the right system, people, and processes is a crucial element when managing inventory. Working without a set process is like baking brownies without a recipe: things can get messy very quickly. Creating and maintaining a standardized written process gives you the ingredients you need to manage your assets and make improvements where certain steps aren’t working.  

Processes and procedures regarding K-12 inventory management require ongoing adjustments to remain efficient, maintain accountability, and continuously reflect the district’s growing goals and shifting priorities.  

When it comes to creating and implementing procedures, it’s easy to have too many cooks in the kitchen. 

So who should be included when you develop processes and procedures for inventory management? Include people from every stage: warehouse staff, procurement, and especially the folks who use the system every day. Building processes with them (not just for them) means what you write down actually works in real life, and you get buy-in across the board. 

Here are some of the benefits of creating processes with key stakeholders:  

Ensure Consistency  

When a new hire is brought on and has no written system to guide them, it leads to discrepancies in what steps personnel will take. Putting a plan in place makes performance less subjective and more objective.  

Without a written system in place, outcomes are inconsistent and unpredictable. Standard processes increase consistency and user adoption of software, improving staff efficiency and productivity.  

Creating a process ensures uniformity of the data, and adoption of the software.  

Embrace Change  

Organizational change can be one of the most daunting challenges that districts face, especially when implementing new inventory management software. Change requires buy-in from the top down, and it’s imperative to successfully communicate a strategy and new mindsets to ensure a smooth user and project adoption. 

EMBRACING CHANGE IN ACTION

Suffolk Public Schools successfully brought staff on board with their new inventory system — building transparency and trust from the start.

Read the Case Study

Mitigate Risk of User Error  

Documented procedures for managing and ordering assets and instructional materials will help school districts during audits.  

During audits, what matters most isn’t what you say you do. Auditors want to see clear, written, step-by-step procedures. When your processes are documented, staff always have something to reference, reducing the chance of mistakes or missed steps. This takes pressure off campus teams, since they can go back and check the documentation whenever they need a reminder or need to follow a process exactly.  

Continually Improve Processes  

Continuous improvement is top-of-mind for all districts striving to grow. Over time, it’s important for administrators to continuously analyze district processes, identifying areas of success, risk, and improvement so that they can leverage best practices to increase productivity and balance accountability. 

Important Questions to Ask When Creating Processes  

When your school district sets out to create written processes regarding inventory best practices, these are some critical questions to ask yourself and your team: 

How Often Should I Revise My Procedures?  

Anytime there’s an update to an existing system or a new software adoption, go through your procedure documentation and make revisions where needed. Creating a process to ensure documentation is updated will make your district run more efficiently.  

It’s essential to evaluate solutions and prioritize long-term, actionable plans to address inventory control challenges. As your school district continuously improves, you want to get the most out of your software investments, so preparing for these obstacles is crucial.  

What If Staff are Resistant to Change?  

New software may replace a system with which people were already familiar, so you may encounter some who will struggle with the transition, even if the new inventory management software offers enhanced benefits and increased functionality. Overseeing changes helps avoid project interruptions and fosters better collaboration and trust.  

Evidence suggests that a purely technical approach to introducing new systems is significantly less likely to be successful than one that focuses on the people affected by change. Even the best software won’t deliver value if key stakeholders aren’t on board. Without their buy-in, morale drops and inefficiencies grow. Securing user engagement is essential for the success of new systems and processes.  

How Should I Communicate Change to Stakeholders?  

A strong communication plan starts by introducing new products or processes in meetings with key district leaders so they’re informed and invested from the beginning. When leaders are engaged, information and enthusiasm filter down more effectively. It’s best to over-communicate: set up regular opportunities for campuses to share information, answer questions, and provide frequent training sessions to keep everyone aligned and confident.  

By communicating a clear vision and promoting the project’s goals, leaders can bring clarity with change and help staff understand what is necessary for success.  

What are SLAs and Why are They Important?  

An SLA, or Service Level Agreement, is a defined agreement between the service team and the end user to set clear expectations. For K-12 help desk and ticketing services, SLAs let district administrators create and assign priorities that determine how tickets are resolved. 

Whether you’re tracking operational response time, ticket priority, problem type, or routing rules, SLAs help ensure staff get fast, consistent support. They also help manage time and resources, giving school technology teams a way to measure valuable metrics. 

When your processes and ticket data are consistent, it’s easier to spot trends like compliance with SLAs, common product issues, or technician efficiency, so you can address challenges proactively and deliver better support across the district. 

Bringing all these elements together — people, processes, and the right technology — sets your district up for fewer headaches and better results. When you invest time in clear procedures, include stakeholders, and build a culture of continuous improvement, your inventory management software does what it should: saves time, builds trust, and keeps your assets where they belong. Start with the real-world problems you want to solve, keep your team engaged, and let your processes do the heavy lifting, so the next time someone asks you to account for a device or a pallet of textbooks (or the auditors come calling) you’ll have answers at your fingertips, not another crisis to solve. 

Want to see what this looks like in action?

Here are a few districts already making it happen:

  1. Lessons from a Million-Asset District: Dallas ISD
  2. Cost Savings, Efficiency, and Accountability: Managing Instructional Materials in Keller ISD
  3. How gaining staff buy-in turned Rock Hill Schools’ goals into results

Frontline Education

Frontline Education provides school administration software partnering with over 12,000 K-12 organizations and millions of educators, administrators and support personnel in their efforts to develop the next generation of learners. With more than 15 years of experience serving the front line of education, Frontline Education is dedicated to providing actionable intelligence that enables informed decisions and drives engagement across school systems. Bringing together the best education software solutions into one unified platform, Frontline makes it possible to efficiently and effectively manage the administrative needs of the education community, including their recruiting and hiring, employee absences and attendance, professional growth and special education and interventions programs. Frontline Education corporate headquarters are in Malvern, Pennsylvania, with offices in Andover, Massachusetts, Rockville Centre, New York and Chicago, Illinois..

What’s Hiding in Your Timesheets? 4 Costly Mistakes to Catch Now 

As the school year winds down, the behind-the-scenes work in K-12 districts ramps up. From payroll and summer scheduling to compliance prep and staff changes, this busy stretch is when K-12 time tracking mistakes often slip through the cracks unnoticed; creating downstream issues for Payroll, HR, and Finance.  

Whether you’re part of a large department or juggling multiple roles in a small district, now’s the time to step back and ask: What might be hiding in your timesheets that could create problems later on? 

Here are four common (and costly) mistakes — and how to catch them before they carry over into the new year. 

1. Are You Tracking the Right Role for the Right Time? 

“We have staff working multiple jobs — how do we know they’re clocking into the right one?” 

It’s not uncommon for the same employee to wear different hats throughout the week — or even the day. A classroom aide might shift into a summer tutoring role. A cafeteria worker might help with after-school programs. And plenty of staff are paid from multiple funding sources depending on what they’re doing, when. 

But if all those hours are logged under the same job code, it can throw off everything from payroll to grant reporting. 

  • Blurred roles = misused state or federal funds 
  • Wrong codes = incorrect pay or benefit eligibility 
  • Lack of job-level detail = audit risk 

Catch it now: Your system should let employees select the right job at clock-in, apply the correct pay rules automatically, and track time to the right cost center — so you’re not stuck untangling it later. 

“Before Frontline, we were doing many timesheets by hand. It was time-consuming and overwhelming.”

Lisa Moreland, Mason County Schools

2. Unapproved or Unplanned Overtime 

“Did someone approve all this overtime?” 

Overtime costs often spike at year-end — especially with summer programs, facilities work, or extra duty. But if you discover that overtime after it’s already been paid, you’ve lost your chance to control it. 

  • Missed approvals = financial risk 
  • Surprises = poor budgeting optics 
  • Manual tracking = burnout for Payroll 

Catch it now: Look for a time tracking system that allows real-time approvals, automatic alerts for overtime thresholds, and visibility into trends — before it becomes a finance fire drill. 

“We went from three and a half days of agonizing about payroll errors… to just a day and a half.”

Jeff Swartzentruber, Mid-Prairie CSD

3. Fragmented Hour Tracking for ACA & Compliance 

“Why is ACA compliance still so hard?” 

It’s not a secret that tracking hours for ACA, FLSA, and FMLA can get messy fast — especially for employees working multiple roles or varying schedules. If your data is spread across spreadsheets, paper slips, or siloed tools, you’re setting yourself up for compliance trouble. 

  • Eligibility decisions get delayed 
  • Reports take hours to compile 
  • Inaccurate tracking opens you up to audits or penalties 

Catch it now: Use a system that captures all time data in one place, across roles, calendars, and contracts. Compliance starts with visibility. 

4. Disconnected Systems, Siloed Teams 

“We changed the schedule — but Payroll never saw it.” 

When scheduling, absence tracking, time collection, and payroll systems don’t talk to each other, critical information gets stuck. Updates made by one team never reach another. Data doesn’t flow where it needs to. And your staff is left filling the gaps manually. 

  • Missed or unapproved absences don’t reflect in timesheets 
  • Calendars and time rules are out of sync 
  • Manual fixes slow down payroll and increase the chance of error 

Catch it now: Make sure your Absence Management and Time & Attendance tools are connected—and that your HR and Payroll teams can rely on the same shared data. Without system interoperability, inefficiencies and inaccuracies multiply. 

Time Tracking That Works (Whether You’re a Team of 2 or 20) 

In some districts, one or two people are responsible for everything — assigning jobs, approving time, running payroll, and making sure every hour is funded and documented correctly. In others, those responsibilities are split across HR, Payroll, and Finance teams, each with their own systems and workflows. 

But the underlying challenges are the same: 

  • Too much manual entry 
  • Systems that don’t talk to each other 
  • Errors that show up after the fact—when it’s too late to fix them easily 

Smarter time tracking isn’t just about cleaner data. It’s about giving your team a process that works with the resources you actually have, not the ones you wish you had. 

With the right tools, you can: 

  • Track time accurately across roles, calendars, and locations 
  • Eliminate duplicate entry and reduce payroll delays 
  • Surface issues early — before they turn into compliance risks or budget surprises 

Whether you’re closing out the year or preparing for what’s next, now is the time to take a closer look at how your district tracks time. 

Because in schools, time isn’t just money — it’s people, programs, and peace of mind. 

Ready to learn more about Frontline Time & Attendance?
Get Started Here

Erin Shelton

Erin is a writer and member of the award-winning content team at Frontline Education. With experience in education, she is passionate about creating content that helps to support and impact the growth of both students and teachers.

How Dallas ISD Transformed Inventory Management: Lessons from a Million-Asset District 

If you’ve ever felt your pulse quicken after a teacher emails, “Where’d the laptop cart go?” — congratulations, you’re living the real life of a K-12 inventory manager. On a good day, you’re reporting solid inventory numbers at a board meeting. On a bad day, you’re fielding calls about projectors that seem to have grown legs. In Dallas ISD, Lyn Wilkerson carries this load for 230 campuses and more than a million assets. “A lot of it is managing the logistics, especially in a district our size. When we have roughly 230 campuses, it’s planning out these inventories and getting them accomplished,” he says. 

There’s nothing theoretical about this job. You’re working around audits, juggling late-night emails, and feeling the very real squeeze of a budget that never matches demand. Lose a single laptop, and it isn’t just paperwork — somebody’s lesson stalls. Miss a count, and finance is knocking. 

Centralize Your Inventory Data 

If you’re managing assets with half a dozen spreadsheets and group emails, you’re working too hard — and still missing things. Dallas ISD used to be there. “We had multiple databases with multiple departments managing individual sections, but nothing cohesive across the district,” Wilkerson remembers. Special Ed, IT, Career Technology… each had its own system. No wonder devices vanished or piled up in forgotten closets. 

Lyn puts it plainly: “If you have one campus who’s got an oversupply of devices here and another one’s got an undersupply, no one knows that because no one’s looking at that information in the big picture.” 

Key takeaway: A single, unified system won’t solve every headache, but it’ll help keep you from wasting money and chasing ghosts. It’s breathing room in your day, and your budget. 

Building Accountability & Relationships 

A tracking system is only as good as the people who use it. The hardest part? Getting buy-in from campuses and staff who already feel stretched thin. 

Wilkerson doesn’t wait for compliance — he builds it through relationships. “I’m not afraid to go out and talk to them individually… I like to go out there, do the face-to-face meetings, talk to those individuals if they give me a chance.” 

He meets staff where they are, listens, and makes it clear: the goal isn’t to add work, but to ensure teachers and students have the resources they need. “Everything I have to gain is from having your cooperation. I’m never going to go in antagonistically. I want to work with you, see what issues you have, and help you solve them,” he adds. “If I can help you in those situations, I can usually gain your trust and get you as an ally.” 

Practical steps: 

  • Engage principals, office managers, and teachers early. 
  • Show how asset management supports instruction, not just compliance. 
  • Reinforce that accountability benefits everyone, not just the business office. 

Don’t Make People Jump Through Hoops 

No one lines up for more paperwork. If asset tracking looks like extra work, most staff will find a way to skip it. Wilkerson saw this at Dallas ISD. “You want to show them that it’s not difficult to do and do as much as possible to make it easier for them,” he explains. “If you don’t want to use it, you won’t use it.” 

So the team kept things simple. Training was practical, not theoretical. Processes made sense. When people could see how easy it was and how it actually helped them, not just central office, compliance stopped being a struggle. That’s the difference between a tool and a chore. 

Strategies that work: 

  • Offer user-friendly systems and clear, concise training. 
  • Show quick wins — how tracking helps secure funding, reduce losses, and simplify audits. 
  • Avoid jargon and keep processes lean. 

When inventory feels intuitive, compliance goes up. Staff see tracking as a tool, not a chore. 

Support Schools with Hands-On Help 

Not every school has the staff or bandwidth to tackle inventories alone. Wilkerson’s approach: offer help, not just instructions. “I can’t help them on the staffing level, but I can send some staff over to help them create a disposal of items, help them clean out a portable that’s got a bunch of old devices. I’ll send someone over to help you.” 

This boots-on-the-ground support removes barriers and demonstrates that central office is a true partner. 

How to scale support: 

  • Deploy district staff for large-scale inventories and device disposals. 
  • Celebrate shared wins when schools complete audits or hit compliance targets. 

Find Creative Ways to Repurpose Technology 

Aging or surplus devices don’t have to gather dust. Wilkerson makes asset reallocation an art. “If I find someone has a surplus of items over here that they don’t need anymore, and I know someone has a need, then I’ll find a way to repurpose those items.” 

Dallas ISD once traded Chromebooks a campus couldn’t use for a new marquee, using the devices elsewhere. “We make that exchange and build that relationship, and then it’s easier to get buy-in.” 

Repurposing ideas: 

  • Move eSports hardware to classrooms or admin roles after upgrades. 
  • Reassign devices from low-usage departments to schools in need. 
  • Partner with IT to assess which devices can safely be re-imaged or recycled. 

Automation Means Accuracy 

You don’t need a stack of pink slips or a forest’s worth of forms just to get rid of a busted laptop. Manual, paper-based processes slow you down and breed mistakes. Dallas ISD moved away the binders and sticky notes, transferring everything to a digital system: no more double entry, no more guessing what’s sitting in the back room. Now, they’re automating even more. As Wilkerson puts it: “We’re moving forward now to where the vendor can just go in and pull that ticket themselves from our database and know where to go pick it up.” 

That’s time back in your day, fewer dropped balls, and way less risk of things falling through the cracks. 

Why automate? 

  • Reduces data entry and manual mistakes 
  • Makes audits and reporting faster and more reliable 
  • Frees up time for real work—not paperwork 

If your system still relies on spreadsheets or paper, it’s time to upgrade. 

Measure and Continuously Improve 

Good inventory management is never “done.” Dallas ISD uses scorecards to grade campus compliance, regularly reviews data, and makes process tweaks after every audit cycle. 

“Once you get to that point, it’s easier from there,” Wilkerson says. “You just modify it as you go. You just update it as you progress. But it’s getting them through the first hurdle of just finding where everything is initially.” 

Best practices: 

  • Schedule regular audits and cycle counts. 
  • Use dashboards to spot gaps and trends. 
  • Share results with schools and make improvement a team sport. 

Take the Next Step: Centralize, Empower, and Transform Your Inventory Management 

K-12 inventory management isn’t just about tracking devices. It’s about maximizing resources, empowering staff, and keeping students at the center. The journey starts with centralizing data, building buy-in, and supporting schools every step of the way. 

Ready to make your next audit a win? Start your inventory management transformation today. 
Start here

Ryan Estes

Ryan is a Customer Marketing Manager for the global award-winning Content Team at Frontline Education. He spends his time writing, podcasting, and talking to leaders in K-12 education

3 Key Special Education Priorities for 2025: Staffing, Service Delivery & Early Intervention

As districts prepare for the challenges and opportunities ahead, the latest K-12 Lens 2025 report highlights three major Special Education priorities for 2025: staffing shortages, evolving service delivery models, and the urgent need to reinforce early intervention strategies. From chronic shortages in special education staff to shifts in service models and early intervention strategies, the report offers timely data and actionable takeaways for district leaders. 

Here are three major trends and what they mean for those leading Special Education programs: 

1. Staffing Shortages Persist – But Retention Strategies Make a Difference 

While general teacher shortages have started to ease, Special Education remains one of the most difficult areas to staff. Over half of districts report significant shortages of SPED educators and paraprofessionals. Yet, districts investing in targeted professional development and mentoring for early-career SPED staff are seeing measurable improvements in retention. 

What this means: Leaders should double down on supporting SPED teams through strategic PD, mentoring, and streamlined onboarding. Investing in systems that ease administrative burdens can free HR and SPED directors to focus on what matters most—building and keeping strong teams. 

2. Service Delivery Is Evolving: Hybrid Models and Partnerships Are Key 

Districts are increasingly turning to hybrid staffing models and third-party partnerships to ensure students with IEPs receive timely support. Notably: 

  • In-house mental and behavioral health services correlate with nearly 50% lower chronic absenteeism. 
  • The outsourcing of speech-language and related services has tripled in the past year. 
  • Rural and high-mobility districts are especially challenged in ensuring equity and access. 

What this means: Directors of Special Education should explore creative delivery models and leverage digital tools to manage external partnerships, track compliance, and maintain visibility into service quality. 

3. Early Intervention Tools Work — But Use Is Slipping 

Early warning indicators used in grades 1–5 have proven effective in reducing absenteeism and improving staff satisfaction. Yet, puzzlingly, their use declined 6% this year. 

What this means: Leaders should reinforce the use of data systems and early alerts to proactively address risks. Integrating these tools with broader compliance platforms (such as Frontline Special Programs Management) can make it easier to track interventions and ensure consistent application across buildings and staff. 

Leading Strategic Change: Your Role as a Special Education Leader 

Special Education Directors are uniquely positioned to drive district-wide impact. The most successful leaders in the K-12 Lens study are: 

  • Aligning PD with staff needs 
  • Investing in tools that track service delivery and compliance 
  • Collaborating across SPED and general education 
  • Balancing in-house capacity with outsourced services 

With rising expectations and limited resources, operational efficiency and proactive leadership are more important than ever. Tools like Frontline Special Programs Management can help streamline workflows, ensure compliance, and empower staff through self-service access and real-time insights. 

Dr. Taylor Plumbee

Dr. Taylor Plumblee is an experienced education executive with demonstrated success in education management and marketing. She joined Frontline Education in 2021 and is the Manager of Product and Solution Marketing with a focus on Student & Business Solutions including School Health Management, Special Program Management, Student Information Systems, and Data & Analytics.

Redefining Financial Oversight in K-12: A Data-Driven Approach 

John Espy, Treasurer and CFO of Loveland City School District in Ohio, has long understood the power of data-driven decision-making. With experience in five different districts ranging from 1,200 to 7,000 students, he recognized that school business officials (SBOs) need more than just spreadsheets. They need advanced analytics that accelerate insight and support smarter financial strategies. To keep pace with the demands of financial oversight, he sought a way to analyze trends, track spending, and communicate insights with greater speed and clarity. 

Making Investment Oversight More Effective 

“My board is very, very in tune and wants to have their finger on the pulse of our investments. How are we doing? How is this strategy working?” John explained.  

Traditionally, answering these questions required piecing together data from multiple sources, a slow and cumbersome process. But with the right tools, John streamlined financial oversight. 

Using his analytics software, John demonstrated how in just two clicks, he could pull a year-over-year investment earnings report, visually showing fluctuations and trends. When interest rates dropped in 2025 compared to 2024, he was able to illustrate why their investment strategy was still strong and project where it was heading. 

“I can print a one-page PDF and send it to my board before a finance committee meeting. It’s that simple.” 

Digging Deeper into Purchase Services 

And it wasn’t just investments. Purchase service expenditures – one of the district’s biggest costs – needed closer analysis. 

“When I wanted to review our purchase services, I can quickly see that professional and technical services – the brown section of the stacked bar chart – make up the lion’s share of spending across both years. I just click on that section, and it drills down to a new chart showing year-over-year changes for those specific expenditures”

With one more click, he could break it down further. 

“I can also scroll down and start to look at month-to-month. What happened last year versus what’s happening now? The blue shows last year, the red shows this year. I can scroll down even further and get into the actual detail of that 410 – getting into the next or the third digit of that account code structure.”

Helping a New Business Manager Get Up to Speed 

For John, the benefits extended beyond just tracking numbers. Loveland had a new business manager who came from outside the finance department. 

“Here in Loveland, our new business manager comes from a different administrative background, not directly from the business office. So each week, I sit down with him and use this detailed data to walk through past spending compared to what we’re seeing this year.”

By leveraging data visualization and analytics, John isn’t just improving Loveland’s financial management. He’s setting a standard for how SBOs can lead with data, ensuring financial transparency and strategic decision-making at every level. 

What SBOs Can Take Away From Loveland’s Experience 

John’s experience at Loveland City Schools highlights key takeaways for any school business official: 

  • Spreadsheets slow you down. Static reports require hours of manual work, leaving little time for real-time decision-making. 
  • Two clicks can replace hours of searching. Instead of digging through endless rows of data, interactive analytics allow SBOs to click, drill down, and visualize spending instantly. 
  • Quick insights build trust. Whether it’s answering unexpected board questions or helping new administrators get up to speed, having real-time access to data strengthens transparency and confidence. 
  • The right tools improve forecasting accuracy. According to the K-12 Lens 2025 Report: 
  • 93% of districts using analytics software say their budget projections are very or fairly accurate. 
  • 79% of districts using manual data analysis report the same confidence. 
  • 76% of districts relying on intuition say their projections are accurate. 

Percentage Who Perceived Budget Projections as Very or Fairly Accurate by Data Source They Primarily Use for Financial Decision-Making

k12 accurate budget data
See more findings from K-12 Lens 2025

The takeaway? Access to the right tools matters. As budgets tighten, districts investing in analytics gain a clearer picture of their financial future – without the guesswork. 

A Smart Path Forward for School Business Officials 

John Espy’s story at Loveland City Schools illustrates how advanced analytics can redefine the role of the school business official. With the right tools, SBOs can move beyond static spreadsheets and time-consuming manual processes to a faster, more strategic way of managing district finances.  

Whether answering tough questions from the board, onboarding new team members, or planning for the year ahead, real-time financial visibility leads to stronger decisions and more confident leadership. 

For SBO’s looking to modernize their approach, here’s what matters most:  

  • Speed matters. Rapid access to detailed, visualized data saves hours and supports timely decisions. 
  • Clarity builds trust. Interactive charts and reports help communicate complex financial data to stakeholders more clearly. 
  • Accuracy improves outcomes. Better forecasting, backed by analytics, reduces guesswork and improves planning. 

In an era where districts are being asked to do more with less, financial leaders need more than just information – they need insight. Investing in modern analytics isn’t just a technology upgrade. It’s a strategic shift that empowers SBOs to lead with confidence, transparency, and foresight. 

Hand-picked content for you:

Curious how shifting federal priorities may impact your district’s funding? We’ve rounded up the facts and some ideas you can act on now to get – and stay – ahead.

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Discover the Power of Frontline Analytics  

Frontline Analytics equips K-12 finance leaders with data-driven insights to streamline budgeting, improve forecasting, and make informed financial decisions with confidence. Move beyond spreadsheets and ensure every dollar supports student success.  Learn More

Ellen Agnello

Ellen is a graduate assistant at the University of Connecticut. She is a former high school English language arts teacher and holds a Master’s Degree in literacy education. She is working on a dissertation toward a Ph.D. in Educational Curriculum and Instruction.

The Crucial Role of Mental Health Support and EHR Systems in Shaping Student Success 

In today’s schools, the mission has expanded beyond academics. Educators are now frontline responders to a growing student mental health crisis—and the stakes are high. The demand for services like mental and behavioral health, speech therapy, and occupational therapy continues to rise, while many districts still lack the infrastructure, staffing, and systems needed to meet students’ evolving needs. At the center of this challenge lies an urgent question: How can schools ensure every student gets the right support, at the right time? 

The answer begins with a twofold strategy—prioritizing mental health support and leveraging technology like Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems to streamline service delivery and data-driven intervention. 

Why Mental Health Support in Schools Matters 

The data is clear: students’ mental health directly impacts their engagement, attendance, and long-term outcomes. Chronic absenteeism, which surged to nearly 30% during the pandemic, remains a persistent problem—especially in urban districts. Schools that invest in MBH services see measurable improvements: 

  • 34% chronic absenteeism in districts without any MBH services 
  • 17% average absenteeism across all districts 
  • 14.5% absenteeism in districts with proactive screening and MBH software systems 

The impact is even more profound when schools adopt early intervention strategies. Districts that track early warning indicators in grades 1-5 report lower absenteeism and higher teacher retention, showing that support systems don’t just benefit students—they help stabilize the educator workforce too. 

The Growing Role of External Partnerships 

Many school districts—particularly small or rural ones—struggle to recruit and retain specialists like speech therapists or licensed counselors. For these communities, maintaining a full-time staff member for just a handful of students isn’t sustainable. As a result, more districts are turning to external providers who offer trained, certified professionals without the administrative overhead. 

These partnerships offer several advantages: 

  • Better access: Students are supported faster, without waiting for districts to hire. 
  • Cost efficiency: Services scale with need, avoiding full-time salaries for part-time demands. 
  • Scheduling flexibility: Providers can reduce classroom disruptions and provider travel time. 

Despite this shift, it’s important that outsourcing doesn’t dilute quality or coordination of care—which is where EHR systems play a pivotal role. 

Electronic Health Records: The Backbone of Effective Student Support 

In both in-house and outsourced models, managing health services efficiently and securely is critical. Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems designed for school settings allow educators and service providers to document, monitor, and coordinate student care in a centralized, compliant platform. 

When used effectively, EHR systems help: 

  • Track student progress and service delivery across multiple providers 
  • Monitor early warning indicators by combining academic, attendance, and behavioral data 
  • Ensure compliance with state and federal health regulations 
  • Support Medicaid billing, reducing costs and generating sustainable funding for support services 

Districts that use EHR systems to manage MBH services have significantly lower absenteeism rates—just 14.5%, compared to the 34% in districts offering no such support. This correlation highlights that it’s not just about offering services, but how they’re delivered and tracked. 

From Data to Action: What Schools Can Do Now 

To meet the mental health needs of students and improve key outcomes like attendance, districts must take a strategic, data-driven approach. Here’s how: 

  1. Expand MBH Services 

Whether through in-house teams or strategic partnerships, schools must ensure consistent access to high-quality mental health support. 

  1. Invest in Early Intervention Tools 

Reinforce the use of early warning systems—especially in early grades—to identify issues before they escalate. 

  1. Adopt EHR Systems Purpose-Built for Schools 

Streamline care coordination, compliance, and impact tracking to ensure services are efficient and effective. 

  1. Build Family Engagement into Attendance Strategies 

Outreach programs and stronger school-family relationships are essential for tackling chronic absenteeism. 

  1. Ensure Equity in Access to Care 

Urban districts are now leading in in-house MBH offerings. All districts—regardless of geography—should analyze and adjust support structures to guarantee every student has access to the help they need. 

Final Thought 

The health and well-being of students are foundational to their academic success. As mental health needs grow more complex and service delivery evolves, EHR systems and strategic student support services are no longer optional—they’re essential. The districts that embrace these tools and approaches will be best positioned to boost engagement, reduce absenteeism, and create a stable, supported environment where both students and educators can thrive. 

Want to dive into more data?
Read the K-12 Lens Here

Elise Ozarowski

Elise is a writer and member of the award-winning content team at Frontline Education. A former member of Frontline’s events team, she is passionate about making connections, whether that be in person at events, online via social media or directly in her writing.