Districts Save Paper, Time, and Money with Paperless Governance Solutions

If you're reading this, you're probably interested in reducing your school's carbon footprint. It turns out your whole district can not only cut paper use drastically, but can also save thousands of dollars, and hundreds of hours, in staff time, paper, printing and mailing costs while increasing transparency and public access to school policies. How? 

Emerald Data Solutions has recently introduced the "all new BoardDocs," an improved Web 2.0 paperless school governance solution that is saving school districts time and money, while saving trees and reducing energy use.

Initially developed in 2000, BoardDocs can revolutionize the way a school district deals with previously cumbersome Board agendas and meeting packets, while increasing transparency and public access to school board and district information. 

BoardDocs staff includes a former superintendent, a former school district technology director, and other former school district and board personnel, who have detailed knowledge about how districts operate. To support districts adopting the new system, BoardDocs offers project management, on-site training, and 24/7 technical support with each subscription.

BoardDocs is a relatively young company, but it has already earned lots of fans. Thousands of school board members, school district staff and administrators have been trained to use the software, and those we spoke to raved about the ease and simplicity, the cost and time savings, and the pleasure of knowing that this paperless solution is helping them reduce their district's carbon footprint.

BoardDocs charges an annual fee to districts along with a 1-time start up fee, which includes a 2-day training.  In many instances, the system more than pays for itself within the first year. The company offers a full-featured solution as well as a less-expensive "lighter" version.
Click here to see a side-by-side comparison of the two.

Sandra Smith of Sweetwater Union High School District in Chula Vista told us that her district has used BoardDocs for five years. A Board member learned about the service at a conference and recommended it to save paper. But it has also saved the Sweetwater District mailing, staff time, and other expenses. Ms. Smith reports that the district has easily recovered the annual fees in multiple cost savings -- for example: "We used to keep policy manuals at all 23 district schools. We don't have to do that any more. If anyone wants to know about a policy, they can just go online and see it." She reports that in the first year, the district saved an estimated $25,000 in paper costs; the savings are believed to be more than $30,000 this year.

We also spoke with Chris Grove of Escondido Union High School District in Escondido. She was equally thrilled with the simplicity, savings, and transparency BoardDocs offers. Escondido UHSD has used BoardDocs for 2 1/2 years, and is pleased with the amount of time saved -- no more printing, assembling and distributing 100-300 pages of agendas and attachments for each board meeting -- and with customer support: "The trainers are great, and the customer support is really helpful; usually someone answers the support line, but if not, I've never had to wait more than an hour for a response." She also believes BoardDocs has increased transparency and ease of use for the whole community: "Anyone can look up the Board meeting agenda, or go back in the archives and search for policies or documents; people feel better informed."

Learn more about how BoardDocs can help reduce your district's carbon footprint.