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. 

• Offer on-demand help during crunch times like end-of-year collections. 

• 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.