Recently, I had the chance to meet with Cathy Anderson, Assistant to the Superintendent of Yorkville Community Unit School District. In search of a new payment provider, Cathy discovered MySchoolBucks through her district’s use of Synergy for their Student Information System. Their district is a new MySchoolBucks customer and we were excited to hear from her about the experience so far. 

Did you know MySchoolBucks now has over 25 key integrations and partnerships with other top K-12 vendors? These integrations allow MySchoolBucks customers to manage the entire fee collection and payment process across existing district systems, which provides district staff and parents with a more seamless user experience.

As every new school year begins, so do all the back-to-school to do lists! Districts nationwide are preparing plans for their school programs and the collection of fees that come along with them. From class fees to parking passes, schools are managing countless student programs that require payments. Many schools still rely on physical cash and check payments, even though parents may prefer to pay electronically. By leveraging an online School Commerce Platform, like MySchoolBucks, schools can simplify how they collect and manage fees district-wide.

Here's the top 5 fees we see schools managing each year and how to collect them more efficiently:

In a survey by the District Administration at the start of the 2023-2024 school year, 45% of schools surveyed reported insufficient staff as an ongoing issue. As districts grapple with the downstream effects of limited resources, it becomes even more important for schools to find technology partners that can create efficiencies and help them overcome operational challenges.

It’s time to register for Connect 2024! Meet the Heartland team in Durham, NC for our biggest training event of the year, where you can hear about all of our products and what’s coming in the year ahead.

Take a look at what you’ll have the chance to learn more about at this year’s conference:

I had the opportunity to have a conversation with Ryan Miller, who serves as the Chief Financial Officer at Leeds City Schools in Alabama. Ryan brings a unique perspective to the table as a certified public accountant (CPA) and has been utilizing MySchoolBucks for some time now. As a self-proclaimed MySchoolBucks lover, Ryan shared his experience with the platform and the benefits and features he finds most valuable.

Since 2012, GivingTuesday has been a global initiative that encourages people to do good during the holiday season. This year on November 28th, join the movement and help your community get involved by supporting the causes that matter most to your school district!

In summer 2022 universal free meal waivers expired and, due to this change, many school nutrition programs are again faced with the challenge of managing student meal debt. In a November 2022 survey of school nutrition directors conducted by the School Nutrition Association, districts reported meal debt as low as $15 and as high as $1.7 million with an accumulated debt totaling over 19 million dollars nationwide. 

Connect 2023 is almost here! Join us in Nashville March 21-22 or virtually March 27-30 for our largest training conference of the year. This is your chance to learn more about your Heartland products, connect with peers, meet with product experts, and so much more. Here are a few things to look forward to:

As districts start planning for the return of students in the new school year, ensuring the health and safety of staff and students is more important than ever. This new mindset requires schools to rethink some of their policies and procedures, in particular, the way they collect and manage school payments. 

Contactless payments can play an essential role in helping to limit in-person interactions and reducing physical cash handling. Many schools have already adopted an online payment solution that gives parents a convenient way to pay online, while giving staff an easy way to manage those payments.

Here are four key areas where schools can reduce cash handling: