Frontline Blog

Want to get in on a few secrets?  Most people know the basic premise of time and attendance software systems: electronically capturing employee time, clocking in and out, reporting on employee time.   But we wanted to go further and find those "hidden nuggets" – little-known features that can bring a lot of value to school districts! So we pulled some statistics from VeriTime, our time and attendance management system, to see how districts are using the tools available.    The following is our list of the Top 10 little-known features that offer the biggest opportunity for increasing accuracy and efficiency in your time-keeping.  

Across the country, districts nationwide have noticed an issue this school year: a substitute teacher shortage. In fact, in a recent survey by STEDI.org, nearly 50% of respondents said they are facing a somewhat or very severe shortage of substitutes.

Two weeks until Christmas: this is when we all discover what types of holiday shoppers we really are! Maybe you blitzed your way through the madding crowds on Black Friday and crossed everything off your gift list in one fell swoop. Or maybe you're one of the smart ones who's been buying presents all year long, and now you're sitting in front of the fire, sipping hot cocoa, while the rest of the world floods the Walmart parking lot, scours Amazon, and finally gives up and buys gift cards in bulk. The good news is that buying software isn't nearly as stressful as Christmas shopping. But here are some tips from holiday shopping that will help make any software decisions for your district easier this year!

We surveyed more than 1,000 district professionals to find out what their districts are planning to do about the Affordable Care Act, substitutes and part-time employees. Is your district ahead of the pack, right on track – or behind the eight ball? 

School's back in full swing – and we've got a quick quiz for you!  #1: What percent of your district budget is made up of labor costs?  #2: What's the average percent of errors made in payroll?  #3: How much did the DOL collect in FLSA backwages in 2008?  #4: How much do districts spend on paper timesheets?  Find out the answers – and why they matter for your district!  

Can you believe it's almost back to school time? As administrators work feverishly to get ready for another year, teachers are also gearing up for school – and in a recent survey, gave us some insight into challenges they expect in the 2013-2014 school year. Do you know what challenges your teachers are facing – and how you can help?

Are you building your online Personal Learning Network (PLN) to help you find and share great ideas? Many people in K-12 have discovered that building an online PLN is one of the fastest and best ways to ask questions, find answers and get inspired by what others are doing. Here are a just a few of the influential voices in K-12 that will give you a great start for your PLN. Find and follow them on Twitter or their blogs to start learning, sharing and growing!

"Because things are the way they are, things will not stay the way they are." – Bertolt Brecht This quote sums it up when it comes to the Affordable Care Act! Since the proposed regulations were released in February, some changes have occurred and we anticipate more – but many districts are still taking steps to address the coming mandate.

More than half of Americans in 2012 were using a mobile device to access the Internet, according to a Pew Internet survey. Out of these, 31% were using mobile as their primary way to get online. Many districts are taking advantage of mobile technology by getting iPads or other mobile tablets into the hands of both students and administrators. Here are some of the ways they are using it!