Most district budgets can’t stretch as far as they need to go. As a result, there has been more demand for transparency and accuracy in managing district resources.
Public schools are generally funded with local property taxes, state funds and federal programs, so naturally every taxpayer wants to know how their money is being spent. Also, states regularly audit their districts to assess whether or not districts are good stewards of public resources. District accounting departments need dependable information, and a centralized system helps them become audit-proof.
So, the answer to the question is that the call for accountability is coming from multiple directions – district administrators, state auditors, and the public. Districts want to replace their manual process of asset management with an integrated system that:
• Reduces financial losses by assigning assets to specific individuals, locations or departments.
• Identifies and circulates each and every individual item, 24/7.
• Responds to funding audits by knowing exactly where assets are and who is responsible for them.
• Knows the value of assets from purchase price to current depreciated values.
• Conducts and reports inventory status and value at any time.
• Shares assets across the district as needed.
• Ensures proper asset maintenance by setting schedules.
• Records asset disposition at the end of its life cycle.
• Maintains a secure audit trail history
• Provides a help-ticket system.
• Collects fines & fees.
Mark Choi, instructional application analyst for the Bellevue, Washington school district, reports that they are in year four of using Destiny Resource Manager to track technology assets.
Choi recalls, “The district wanted more accountability for electronic devices. They now have a higher level of confidence in the inventory of assets. Before our system was cumbersome, time consuming, and not necessarily accurate.”
Bellevue is currently implementing a 1:1 initiative. Destiny helps them check devices in and out to the students. They plan to roll out the 1:1 initiative in all middle and high schools over the next two years.
Now that the district has experienced “good” audits of their mobile devices, they want to expand their asset management program to include other assets that are assigned to students such as textbooks, instruments, uniforms, and lab equipment.
Expanding their use of Destiny allows Bellevue to realize all of the aspects of good fiscal management detailed above. Efficient management of resources means that savings can be allocated to other district needs.
In the world of perpetual budget constraints, this alone is a reason to transition to an integrated resource management system.
