New management system to be used on local schools
School officials and business leaders got a look at a school management system Monday morning that will be operational in two local school districts when classes resume later this month. Fay-Penn Economic Development Council has been working with The Logic House, a Tarentum company that developed the system already used in several Allegheny County districts.
Michael Krajovic, Fay-Penn president and CEO, said Logic House has been working with Fay-Penn for two years to bring its program to Fayette County to improve communication.
“With No Child Left Behind, there are more demands than ever on schools, and people can’t afford to waste time doing things the old way,” he said. “A system like this will improve efficiency and productivity in the time that is so valuable.”
John Paul Pascasio, company CEO, said the Web-based, open-source software allows students, parents, teachers and administrators to communicate more often, and provides resources for each group.
During his presentation, Pascasio showed how students, parents, teachers and other school personnel would access information online.
The system provides “virtual desktops” for each user. For teachers, the system offers online gradebooks, lesson plans, attendance records and other tools, he said.
Parents can use the system to receive an alert via e-mail or text message on their cell phone when their child scores below a certain percentage or does well on a test. He said parents can get real time information whenever they want it by logging on to the Web site with a unique login and password.
“The real time element is critical,” Pascasio said. “It can eliminate the need for report cards four times a year because parents can log on and see where their kid is that day.”
Brownsville Area and Connellsville Area school districts will go live with Logic House when the school year begins. Brownsville Area received grant funds and start-up money from REACH, the educational arm of Fay-Penn, while Connellsville Area has received some money to pay for the costs.
Pascasio said the typical cost to school districts is one percent of a school district’s annual revenue to pay for hardware and software, on-site installation, training and deployment. After the initial set-up, districts pay an annual maintenance fee.
He said it takes about a year for all pieces to be put in place.
Kim Dillinger, workforce/education development specialist, said systems like the one presented by The Logic House can work within school districts that are willing to make the commitment. She said integrated systems can help districts run more efficiently and help improve the lines of communication between parents and schools about student achievement.
“We have two pilots in the county that are very pleased so far,” she said. “We think that all districts need to be looking at technology like this.”