In south-central Pennsylvania, the Capital Area Intermediate Unit (CAIU) stands as a beacon of innovative support and service for its 24 member school districts, vocational-technical schools, non-public schools, and charter and cyber schools. Dedicated to facilitating cost-effective programs and services, CAIU plays a vital role in connecting local school districts with the Department of Education.
As one of the 29 regional educational service agencies in Pennsylvania, CAIU recognized the need to modernize its processes and reduce paperwork bottlenecks. Administrators searched for a solution that offered a comprehensive solution to address these challenges and would align seamlessly with CAIU's mission to provide innovative support and services in partnership with schools, families, and communities.
CAIU's engagement with InformedK12 began with a targeted approach to automate 10 processes, including employee reimbursement, request for invoice, and purchase requisition. These processes, essential for daily operations, were burdened by disparate data sources, communication bottlenecks, and the absence of a centralized information hub.
The success story of CAIU, narrated by Daren, the Director of Business and Operations, in CAIU’s “All-in!” newsletter, highlighted the transformative power of InformedK12 in revolutionizing operational efficiency. The CAIU Business Team collaborated to make it easier to do business with the organization, freeing up valuable time to focus on students' needs. InformedK12's data analytics and reporting tools proved invaluable, empowering administrators to gather, analyze, and visualize data in meaningful ways.
CAIU embraced InformedK12 wholeheartedly. Over 2,000 individual forms were successfully submitted through the platform, saving on paper and time. With access to electronic forms, administrators and employees no longer have to spend hours searching for paperwork on their desks or in their email inboxes.
The task of automating and digitizing several processes was strengthened by the support of the Informed K12 implementation team. The team at Informed K12 provided training sessions, offered best practices, and responded quickly to provide support for any issues that administrators and employees ran into at CAIU.
According to Daren, “the ripple effects of InformedK12's implementation reverberated throughout CAIU, fostering an atmosphere of innovation and collaboration.” The tale of success evolved into a compelling illustration of how embracing technology can effectively enhance education, motivating CAIU to explore collaborations with member districts encountering comparable challenges related to paperwork bottlenecks.
