How Glendale USD Reinvested in Efficiency After Budget Cuts

Glendale Unified School District's Human Resources department struggled with manual board report creation and lack of visibility into approval processes. After partnering with Informed K12 for just over a year, the partnership was severed due to continued budget cuts. While the district attempted to implement another product as a workflow solution, the hidden costs of slower processes, lack of visibility, manual data entry, and diminished accountability led them back. Glendale USD then decreased the time to process Personnel Requisitions by over 50%, recognizing the long-term value of cost-effective and efficient operations.

Challenge

Manual Board Report Creation

Every month, the Human Resources department prepares information for the board, including updates from the Personnel Action process. For a larger school district like Glendale Unified School District (Glendale USD), there could be dozens of changes and updates to include in one board report. All the information was gathered through paper forms, meaning the information needed to be transcribed and summarized from the form submissions into the board report. The manual transfer of information increased the chances of errors, mistakes, and missing information.

"We have two people that put together our board report, and they had to hand type everything on the paper form they received into the board report."

Margie Fester, Executive Secretary, Glendale Unified School District

No Visibility into Approval Processes

Tracking the information was difficult because there was no visibility into the approval process. Secretaries from each school site or department would send information to the central office. It was unclear where the forms were until forms made their way to the Human Resources office for approval. Providing answers to the status of forms was difficult, and it was cumbersome to address bottlenecks by holding approvers accountable.

Budget Constraints

The district was also facing serious budget cuts. The Human Resources department at Glendale USD needed a cost-effective solution to address visibility and accountability issues.

Solution

Short-Term Relief

Dr. Kyle Bruich, Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources, and his Executive Secretary, Margie Fester, found immediate relief after partnering with Informed K12 and gaining access to tools that would provide the necessary visibility. When asked about the impact of the district's partnership with Informed K12, they both emphasized the importance of being able to track forms. Tracking, for them, means so much more than knowing where the form is at any given time. Through the Informed K12 platform, administrators can see how many forms are waiting at each step, with which approver, and for how long. Margie uses this information to hold her team accountable and keep the process moving forward.

Return to Partnership

The relief seemed to last only a moment. After partnering with Informed K12 for just over a year, the partnership was severed due to continued budget cuts.

"We didn't want to move away."

Dr. Kyle Bruich, Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources, Glendale Unified School District

Hidden Costs

While the district attempted to implement another product as a workflow solution, administrators were forced to rely again on manual, paper processes. Frustrations continued to rise as the same mistakes and issues began to plague the district once again. The district continued to struggle with the cost of ineffective processes. The hidden costs of slower processes, lack of visibility, manual data entry, and diminished accountability outweighed the direct costs of platform support.

With increasingly limited bandwidth and accumulated hidden costs, it was time to revisit the district's partnership with Informed K12.

The first processes the district brought back to the platform were the district's Personnel Action and Personnel Requisition forms, two critical processes for the Human Resources department.

Outcomes

Over 50% Reduction in Processing Time

Now, with a click of a button, Margie can add notes and send reminders to expedite the process, never having to leave her desk. And after returning to Informed K12, Margie and Kyle were reminded of how important it is to be able to track the status of forms. If secretaries have questions about the status of their Personnel Action forms in the board report, Margie can provide exact details on when the submission was received and where it is on the approval route. Additionally, they had significantly decreased the time to process Personnel Requisitions by over 50%.

"It is amazing to use the tracking to see and address the bottlenecks. Now, our Personnel Action forms are flowing through the approval route very well."

Dr. Kyle Bruich, Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources, Glendale Unified School District

Cost-Effective Solution

Budget constraints initially forced Glendale USD to move away from its partnership with Informed K12. Districts across the country are continuing to struggle with changes in enrollment, which, in turn, affect funding.

So, how did Glendale USD make its way back to Informed K12?

Change compelled the district to look at budgets and spending differently. Informed K12, for Glendale USD, is a cost-effective and cost-cutting solution. Inefficient operations are costly for the district.

"Our new budget office team understands the cost of staff time. It made the decision to reinvest in Informed K12 much easier."

Dr. Kyle Bruich, Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources, Glendale Unified School District