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A Journey to Modernizing Professional Learning, Approvals, and Evaluations
Pontiac, MI
3,659
800
Pontiac Schools manage professional development and evaluations for roughly 800 employees across roles, all while striving to meet Michigan’s stringent state reporting requirements. For years, the district relied on paper sign in sheets, printed evaluations, and manual follow-ups. There was no centralized view of what PD had been offered year-to-year, which led to repeated sessions, heavy administrative rework, and growing frustration from teachers who couldn’t see what they had completed or why hours were missing.
As Bryan Schuerman, District CTE Supervisor, explained, “Prior to Frontline, we were tracking on physical paper for sign-in sheets and evaluations. I do not even think we had a spreadsheet at one point. It was literally fly by the seat of our pants.” And as for Professional Development options, without clear data, he explains, “We were offering the same things over and over again.”
Pontiac expanded its use of Frontline, whom they already trusted for absence management and hiring, to include Professional Growth, Employee Evaluation Management, and Learning Center Resources. The district launched Professional Growth midyear to phase out paper gradually, starting with central office and principals before rolling out to staff.
To drive adoption, Pontiac required staff to register and complete evaluations for recurring activities like monthly faculty meetings, building consistent habits. In year two, the district digitized evaluations and delivered required Charlotte Danielson rubric training through Frontline, giving teachers flexibility while maintaining compliance.
Frontline also became home to operational workflows beyond PD, including conference and workshop requests and walkthrough feedback, replacing thick paper packets with transparent, trackable processes.
“I was listening to the staff who had no clear visibility of PD hours completed or why hours weren’t showing up. I said to our assistant superintendent of C&I, ‘We need to go digital with this.”
With Frontline, Pontiac gained a holistic, yearlong view of professional development, making it easier to reflect, plan, and improve offerings. Paper sign ins and evaluations were eliminated, reducing administrative burden and data loss. Teachers now have clear visibility into their completed hours and approval statuses, while HR, finance, and grants teams benefit from centralized routing and fewer follow-ups.
“Human resources were very happy…we’re getting rid of all the paper,” “PLM moved our district into the 21st century and streamlined our offerings and tracking of professional development…it has made our lives easier.”
Pontiac continues to expand internal ownership of the system, refine state reporting workflows, and refining evaluation processes as adoption matures, building on a digital foundation designed to support the district for years to come.
“Frontline now gives us a much more holistic view of the trainings we offer, professional development, PLC meetings, and tracked data. And it provides a roadmap of what we have done so we can plan professional learning for the next school year.”
