Software Switch Would Save District $30,000

Making the switch from the district's current accounting software package to one more suited to the Bethlehem Area School District's needs will not only save money in yearly licensing fees, but also improve productivity and efficiency in the business office.

Superintendent Joseph Roy said Monday the move is part of the district's following the 31 recommendations made by the Davision Group, which conducted . On the priority list was a review of the district's financial software choices.

“The ultimate goal is to get software that is our friend and not an obstacle,” Roy said.

Switching from the current Sungard product to one developed by the Susquehanna school system, used by about 260 districts in the Commonwealth, will save the district about $30,000 annually in licensing fees too, said Stacy Gober, board secretary in charge of the district's finances.

While administrators are still looking into other options, the Susquehanna system offers “ease of use, clarity of reporting, a lower cost (to the district) and a large support network,” she said.

Staying with the current system, which costs $111,000 annually and has never fully met the needs of the district, is not an option, Gober said.

“No one was recommending we stay with the software we have, not even the vendor,” she said.

The financial software package does not include payroll software, which the district will tackle next, Gober said.

She added she hopes to also have a new solution implemented for the payroll system by early next year.