Minnesota District Makes SIS and ERP System One-Stop Shop

Case Studies > Minnesota District Makes SIS and ERP System One-Stop Shop

Sartell-St. Stephan ISD 748 takes advantage of the customizability and convenience of Skyward solutions.

Edtech can be complicated, but it doesn’t have to be.

With the right strategy and edtech partner, districts can avoid cluttered and complex processes by keeping ease and accessibility top of mind. It’s the difference between popping into your local convenience store vs braving the mall.

Sartell-St. Stephan ISD 748 (ISD 748) in Sartell, MN, uses their SIS and ERP solution to create a one-stop shop for their employees and families. Director of technology Keith Breitkreutz and his team do this by taking advantage of the many modules within their Skyward School Management System, leading to saved time and money along the way.

"[This module] compiles all of the forms families need into the forms families need into one spot, including making any necessary deposits, saving time necessary deposits, saving time for our business office staff."

Ease for district staff

ISD 748 has been using Skyward since 1992. As long-time users who utilize both the SIS and ERP sides of Skyward software, the district appreciates having an abundance of modules to keep essential functions within one platform.

“Back to school online registration is one of my favorites,” said Breitkreutz. “It compiles all of the forms families need into one spot, including making any necessary deposits, saving time for our business office staff.”

One tool ISD 748 uses is Skyward’s True Time kiosks, which eliminate paper timesheets in the office by allowing employees to badge in and out. Students also use the kiosks for positive attendance — badging into the kiosk if they’re tardy to school — making the process less time-consuming and disruptive.

Another favorite module for the district is Fee Management, which automates payments for activities, athletics, and food service. To make food service even more convenient, students scan their badge to draw funds from their accounts.

“Scanning for lunch came about during COVID in an effort to make this process contactless,” said Breitkreutz. “After implementing, we found that it helped students get through the lines much quicker. Our lunch crew saves a lot of time this way.”

ISD 748 isn’t just dedicated to making their internal processes easier — they want families at their district to experience greater convenience as well.

"One tool we implemented to save crucial time and energy for families was the online conferences module."

Ease for families

School is a busy time for students and their families. Between class, clubs, sports, and social activities, knowing what your student is up to and where they are can be overwhelming.

To make communication easier with parents and guardians, ISD 748 uses Skyward to create one hub for scheduling and notifications, avoiding the need to check various emails, texts, or apps.

“One tool we implemented to save crucial time and energy for families was the online conferences module,” said Breitkreutz. “This module allows families to schedule parent-teacher conferences right in Skyward, making communication with teachers a breeze.”

Another way ISD 748 improves communication with families is with Skylert, which serves as their main messaging service.

“We use Skylert for daily communication, but we also have implemented special notifications for special occasions, such as prom,” said Breitkreutz.

ISD 748 realized they needed to be extra accountable when students were on campus during prom, so they created a process using Skylert to inform parents when their students were and were not on school grounds. It looks like this:

1. Before the dance, parents are told that they should expect a call from the school if their student is going to prom.
2. Students check in to the building with their badge when arriving at prom.
3. Students check out with their badge when they leave.
4. When students check out, Skylert is prompted to call the student’s parents to let them know that they have left prom. Calls go out to parents every 30 minutes.

“The goal wasn’t to take the fun away, but it was certainly important for us to let parents know that we’re responsible for their children on school grounds and when they leave,” said Breitkreutz. “Parents love that they are notified of their student’s whereabouts, and we love that we were able to customize our in-place Skylert system to fit this unique need.”

"Everything is conveniently in one place, and anything that isn’t already convenient can be made convenient by customizing modules as needed."

What’s next for ISD 748?

Although it may seem like a lot of moving parts, ISD 748 is dedicated to using modules that Skyward provides rather than purchasing additional software that takes longer to implement and learn.

“Everything is conveniently in one place, and anything that isn’t already convenient can be made convenient by customizing modules as needed,” said Breitkreutz.

Looking ahead, ISD 748 looks forward to finding ways to continue to make their Skyward system a one-stop shop.

“We are always brainstorming ‘What’s the easiest way to get all of the information I need in one place,’” said Breitkreutz.

For other districts looking at Skyward, Breitkreutz suggests taking a similar approach to the software as they do.

“Skyward is robust, so make sure you understand it well,” said Breitkreutz. “Make it a point to attend conferences to learn about how Skyward is expanding and implement those new modules often.”

Skyward and Sartell-St. Stephan ISD 748 look forward to continuing to evolve together and make lives easier for their staff and families.