Tag: Frontline Education

Frontline Education Has Acquired Hayes Software Systems

Chris Cantz

Leading provider of school administration Frontline Education software adds advanced asset management and inventory control with integrated help desk to enhance partnership with K-12 districts

Malvern, PA – June 17, 2021 – Frontline Education, a leading provider of K-12 school administration software, today announced that it has acquired Hayes Software Systems (Hayes) from Transition Capital Partners (TCP). Hayes Software Systems, including TIPWeb-IT, TIPWeb-IM, and GetHelp, provides solutions for asset management and inventory control with integrated help desk capabilities for K-12 schools. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.

Hayes has served educators for nearly 30 years and currently supports school districts in 40 states. Hayes’ technology solutions support asset tracking and inventory planning for district technology, physical assets, textbooks and other instructional materials.

“We are thrilled that Hayes has joined the Frontline Education team. Their expertise in asset management and inventory control addresses critical operational needs for schools, especially today, with remote and hybrid models putting more technology and instructional materials in circulation,” said Mark Gruzin, CEO of Frontline Education. “Bringing Frontline and Hayes together allows us to provide K-12 school districts connected solutions that meet a broader set of administrative needs.”

Hayes’ TIPWeb-IT, TIPWeb-IM solutions complement Frontline’s ERP, SIS and HR systems by enabling the purchase, funding and financial management of assets and providing more targeted distribution and management of devices and instructional materials used by staff and students. GetHelp offers seamless help desk integration to provide end-user support for those assets. As the combined companies move forward together, Frontline and Hayes will drive additional operational effectiveness and efficiency for K-12 schools, enhancing the client experience through continued product innovation and connectivity.

“We are thrilled to join Frontline Education and are looking forward to continued employee growth, expanded customer support and enhanced innovation as part of the Frontline family,” said Matt Winebright, CEO of Hayes Software Systems. “This is an exciting day for the Hayes team and our clients as we begin to realize the synergies gained from our combined organizations. Together, we will explore opportunities for further integration and alignment of our asset management, instructional material management and help desk solutions to Frontline’s ERP, SIS and HR systems, to provide additional value to our collective clients.”

Transition Capital Partners (TCP) was the majority owner of Hayes Software Systems and Thoma Bravo is the majority owner of Frontline Education.

About Frontline Education:

Frontline Education is a leading provider of school administration software, connecting solutions for student and special programs, business operations and human capital management with powerful data and analytics to empower educators. Frontline partners with school systems to deliver tools, data and insights that support greater efficiency and productivity, enabling school leaders to spend more time and resources executing strategies that drive educator effectiveness, student success and district excellence.

Frontline’s broad portfolio includes solutions for proactive recruiting and hiring, absence and time management, professional growth, student information systems, special education, special programs, Medicaid reimbursement, school health management, payroll, benefits and financial management. Over 9,500 school districts representing millions of educators, administrators and support personnel have partnered with Frontline Education in their efforts to develop the next generation of learners.

Frontline Education’s corporate headquarters is located in Malvern, PA, with Location Hubs (physical offices) in Roseville, CA, Naperville, IL and Austin, TX. In addition to Frontline’s Location Hubs, Collaboration Hubs – flexible locations in areas where Frontline has a concentration of team members, have been established across the country and Remote Location Hubs – designed to drive remote employee engagement through intentional and common use of tools and processes, have been established as part of a company-wide effort to reimagine the work environment.

About Hayes Software Systems:

Based in Austin, TX, Hayes Software Systems provides SaaS solutions to empower K-12 school administrators. Schools partner with Hayes to address their asset management, inventory control and integrated help desk needs with simple, easy-to-use solutions, including TIPWeb-IT, TIPWeb-IM and GetHelp.

Offering software and services that are optimized for the unique needs of the education community, Hayes has helped over 10,000 schools across the country implement asset management and inventory control solutions. Today, the company supports hundreds of districts in 40 states across the country and serves district-wide deployments in 37 of the nation’s largest 100 school districts.

About TCP:

Transition Capital Partners (“TCP”) is a Dallas, TX-based private investment firm affiliated with the Patterson Thoma Family Office. TCP was founded in 1993 and has successfully invested in over 45 lower middle market companies spanning a diverse array of industries. TCP partners with management teams to build sustainable value in businesses over the long-term, without the artificial constraints fundraising cycles create for traditional private equity funds. With more than twenty-five years of proven success, we have a long track record of collaborating with our partners to accelerate the growth of lower middle market companies.

About Thoma Bravo:

Thoma Bravo is a leading private equity firm with over $78 billion in assets under management as of March 31, 2021, and a focus on investing in software and technology companies. They pioneered the buy-and-build investment strategy and applied this strategy to the software and technology industries 20+ years ago. Since then, Thoma Bravo firm has acquired more than 300 software and technology companies representing over $85 billion of value. Their investment philosophy is centered around working collaboratively with existing management teams to help drive operating results and innovation, taking a partnership-driven approach supported by a set of management principles, operating metrics and business processes. Thoma Bravo supports their companies by investing in growth initiatives and strategic acquisitions designed to drive long-term value.

Frontline Education Announces Market-Leading Enhancements to Human Capital Management Solutions

Chris Cantz

Frontline Education Announces Market-Leading Enhancements to Human Capital Management Solutions with Advanced Connectivity and Visibility to Reduce Administrative Burden for K-12 Districts

Centralized data and streamlined processes reduce complexity and give leaders and staff more time to focus on student growth and outcomes

Malvern, PA – May 25, 2021. Frontline Education, a leading provider of K-12 school administration software, today announced significant enhancements to Frontline’s human capital management solutions with a focus on connectivity and employee lifecycle management. Frontline’s human capital management suite provides powerful and connected solutions, replacing complex and time-consuming processes that required districts to access data across multiple disparate systems. With this release, districts leveraging Frontline solutions can manage critical employee information across their recruiting and hiring, absence and time management, professional growth and human resource management solutions in one central location.

“K-12 districts across the country continue to face unprecedented challenges including learning loss, teacher shortages and funding decisions that add complexity to their existing roles and responsibilities. Now more than ever, adaptability as well as proper time and resource management is critical to every district’s success,” said Mark Gruzin, CEO of Frontline Education. “Frontline’s human capital management solutions help districts maximize their resources, increasing the impact and effectiveness of each HR interaction and support the enhancement of their programs from recruitment to retirement.”

Frontline’s human capital management solutions provide K-12 leaders with improved functionality and greater visibility into the most important activities across schools and districts, increasing efficiencies in employee records management, mitigating risks and ensuring compliance for educators and school staff. At the heart of the suite is Frontline Central, a connected workflow and form automation solution that enables data-driven decision-making and reduces time spent on manual administrative work. Frontline Central makes it easy to onboard new employees and manage employee records with a single point of entry for demographics shared across all HCM solutions. Additional value to Frontline Education clients includes eliminating duplicate entry and discrepancies, managing the annual contract renewals, and providing employees with self-service capabilities.

“We had to generate many complex reports and spent a lot of time going back through individual employee files to make updates. We needed a more efficient, connected system to maximize our resources and expedite our processes,” said Amy Vaughan, Human Resources Clerk and Marlee Bertram, Deputy Payroll Clerk of Grayson County School District. “Frontline gives us a comprehensive view of all employees and staff with proactive notifications to keep our records current as well as comparative data and historical information to support our budget and planning needs. We are excited to get everyone on the same page and significantly cut down our time to input and manage our employees.”

Frontline Education continues to anticipate and adapt to the evolving human capital management needs of the K-12 education community, including more than 9500 districts nationwide. As the centralized hub for employee information and workflows across Frontline’s human capital management solutions, the enhancements to Frontline Central streamline employee lifecycle management and allow district leaders to spend more time engaged with their educators, students and staff.

“We are committed to continuous innovation across Frontline’s human capital management solutions, further strengthening the capabilities and functionality in Frontline Recruiting & Hiring, Frontline Absence & Time, Frontline Professional Growth and Frontline HRMS (human resources management system) to address critical K-12 needs,” said Kevin Haugh, Chief Product Officer of Frontline Education. “By eliminating inefficient workflows and duplicate data entry, expediting form completion and facilitating compliance, our goal is to streamline school administration processes, return time and resources to school staff and help place a qualified teacher in every classroom to support student growth and improve outcomes.”

 

At the core of Frontline’s human capital management suite, Frontline Central provides K-12 administrators

and education leaders with a connected view of school employees.

 

Jodi Dickinson Joins Frontline Education as Chief Human Resources Officer

Chris Cantz

Frontline Education Leadership Team Gains Over 25 Years of Expertise in HR Leadership, and Engagement

Malvern, PA – Frontline Education, a leading provider of school administration software for K-12, today announced that Jodi Dickinson has joined the company’s executive team as Chief Human Resources Officer. Jodi brings over 25 years of progressive HR leadership and expertise in growth, culture and engagement to Frontline.

“As we work to continuously enhance our culture and our company, having a dedicated focus on human resources and employee engagement at the leadership level is key to our success and the success of our team members,” said Mark Gruzin, CEO of Frontline Education. “We are excited to have Jodi as a steward of our core values and a voice for our employees as we support their needs and provide them with the environment and resources necessary to grow and continually enhance the value we bring to our K-12 partners.”

Jodi comes to Frontline from Certara, where she has served as Chief Human Resources Officer since 2019. Prior to Certara, Jodi gained deep HR leadership experience in the education sector.  She was SVP of Human Resources at Nobel Learning Communities (now Spring Education), leading all aspects of human resources and people strategies, and held senior HR leadership roles with Aramark Education and Laureate Education.

In addition to her dedicated human resources career, Jodi previously served on the Board of Directors for Penn State Brandywine, CityLit, and Philly SHRM and taught HR Technology Solutions as an Adjunct Professor at Villanova University’s Graduate Human Resource Development program. Jodi holds a B.S. in Psychology from the Pennsylvania State University and an M.S. in Human Resource Development from Villanova University.

“I am thrilled to join such as a collaborative and mission driven organization,” said Jodi Dickinson, new Chief Human Resources Officer for Frontline Education. “Frontline is truly a company that believes in and is dedicated to achieving its vision, mission, and core values. I am honored and excited to join the Frontline Family.”

Jodi’s role as Chief Human Resources Officer for Frontline Education is effective immediately.

 

The State of EdTech : Thoma Bravo Q&A with Frontline Education CEO Mark Gruzin

Chris Cantz

Massive change. Political and societal pressures. Issues of equity and access. The future of education. Thoma Bravo managing partner, Holden Spaht, sat down with Mark Gruzin to discuss how EdTech vendors are working with communities and educators to adopt their teaching strategies in the New Normal. Mark is CEO of Frontline Education, a leader in school administration and HR software for thousands of school districts representing over 80,000 schools and millions of educators, administrators and support personnel across the United States.

 

Holden Spaht: What are the biggest challenges educators are facing as they head back to school?

 

Mark Gruzin: Very appropriately, attention has been focused on the challenges of providing rigorous academic experiences to students in a remote or hybrid model. From a school administration perspective, there are important additional operational challenges that school districts are facing as they reopen schools. Whether in-person or virtually, information and documentation will need to be shared and archived across systems and stakeholders without sacrificing privacy or data.

Historically, teacher shortage and engagement have been important issues across school districts. Many districts are making adjustments to their recruiting and hiring process to fill their openings virtually. Recruiting and Hiring technology will support districts to proactively attract and hire qualified educators for their open positions.

Another practice that will need to be adjusted is tracking time and attendance. Many schools have staff clock-in and clock-out to record attendance. This becomes difficult in a virtual environment requiring basic processes to be accommodated without relying on a physical location.

 

Holden Spaht: What are schools and communities doing to prepare for the school year?

 

Mark Gruzin: We covered a lot of this in The Path Back to School, a webinar series in partnership with AEI, Bellwether Education and the Pepperdine School of Public Policy. The series brought together education leaders, administrators and policy makers with diverse perspectives to discuss the challenges, successes and best practices we have seen and will see as schools reopen.

 Districts are leveraging virtual communication and software tools that support their school administration and classroom needs. They are transitioning from manual processes and disparate technology to integrated virtual platforms that allow them to manage and share data and work across multiple functions and departments. The goal is to save time and resources and connect formerly siloed departments and functional areas that must now work together to support an efficient and effective learning environment.

 

Holden Spaht: What have been your favorite stories about digital learning or virtual district administration so far?

 

Mark Gruzin: Districts have been incredibly proactive and creative in their approach to dealing with the broader impact of the pandemic. One of the main concerns early on was how to support students who rely on services and resources from the school beyond the academic classroom—such as mental and behavioral health support or free and reduced meals—especially as issues of equity and access came to the forefront.

One creative approach that was used by a school district leveraged the vacancy feature in Frontline Absence Management to quickly hire substitutes to help distribute meals at 45 sites for their 100,000 students. The students were able to receive three meals a day, five days a week and substitutes continued to work in an essential capacity and support their community in an impactful way while their schools were closed.

Educators in another district spent time creating short videos within Frontline’s Resource Library to help instruct their fellow teachers on ‘how to guide parents on setting up a quiet area for their kids to read.’ They are sharing these videos amongst themselves as self-directed professional development in this virtual learning environment.

 

Holden Spaht: How have you had to adapt or change your services under COVID-19?

 

Mark Gruzin: As a SaaS company, our clients were able to continue managing their operations virtually through Frontline’s school administration software.

That said, there are unique challenges that managing a remote workforce introduced, and we responded by enhancing functionality to support new requirements. We have introduced new capabilities within Frontline’s School Health Management solution and made critical enhancements to Frontline’s solutions for Human Capital Management, Business Operations, Student Information and Special Education.

We have also created resources and webinars to assist in training and for the critical thinking and necessary planning around the reopening of schools. Enhancements across all Frontline solutions have focused on adding greater flexibility to reduce administrative burden, allowing administrative functions to be easily and securely managed and adapted to a variety of virtual and in-person models.

 

Holden Spaht: Will any changes brought on by COVID-19 end up being permanent?

 

Mark Gruzin: COVID-19 exposed areas of need within the education system in terms of accessibility, equity, operations, logistics and more. Though these changes may vary as far as the degree of necessity and permanence, COVID-19 will definitely have a lasting impact on the way we run our schools and our communities.

In addition to having teachers rethink how to deliver instruction in a virtual environment, the pandemic has also challenged educators on how to provide effective professional development. The initial needs centered around delivering virtual training to teachers on how to most effectively teach remotely. District needs are expanding in staff professional development on a wide variety of topics. Online professional development is being re-envisioned through virtual cohorts and unique opportunities for teachers to provide peer feedback and coaching without the traditional limitations of needing to be in a physical classroom.

COVID-19 has also resulted in an expansion of Health Office responsibilities to include students and staff. It requires improved and more rigorous health tracking, reporting and data management for regulatory compliance and a need for cross-functional collaboration from the health office, facilities and HR to improve health and safety. Moving forward, these practices and requirements may likely become part of a permanent process as schools move towards more proactive prevention of spreading illness.

 

Holden Spaht: What will the future of education be like and how will Frontline enable or empower these changes?

 

Mark Gruzin: The future of education should focus on flexibility and adaptability that allows educators and administrators to support continued growth and learning for students and staff while staying agile and proactive as issues and opportunities for advancement arise.

School districts will benefit from the adoption of technology in the classroom and the administrative office—leveraging data across multiple systems to facilitate communication and collaboration, prevent interruptions to learning and uphold safety and compliance regulations. This will set the infrastructure for educators as they focus on providing effective learning opportunities for all students and advance their professional growth.

Our focus, long before COVID-19, has been to provide a comprehensive administrative technology suite hosted in the cloud and purpose-built for K-12 education. This has enabled us to support our clients as they transitioned to alternative work environments. Thousands of school districts representing more than 80,000 schools using our innovative solutions for their human capital, school health, business operations and special education needs were able to maintain continuity of operations. We continue to enhance our solutions to support education leaders as they adapt and evolve their operational and administrative requirements.

As school districts go virtual, a Malvern edtech company is stepping up

Amanda Nardi

As millions of students and teachers make the massive shift to online learning amid the COVID-19 pandemic, administrators are left with a hefty task of their own — remotely managing all of the complex back-end operations that keep their schools running.

More than 80,000 schools nationwide use Malvern-based Frontline Education’s software, which has applications that allow districts to manage human resources, recruiting and hiring, professional growth, payroll, absence and time tracking, student information systems, special education requirements, school health operations and finances.

Read more.

Balancing the Equation: How Talent Data Can Lead to Better Decision-Making for K-12 Leaders

Amanda Nardi

Tim Clifford, President and CEO, Frontline Education
Frontline Education is an integrated insights partner to K-12 school districts nationwide.

Every day, technology is transforming K-12 education. In-classroom applications and devices are a marvel, persistently advancing new and smarter ways of teaching and learning. And the use of data on student learning is helping educators guide and differentiate learning experiences, support deeper learning across ability levels and even predict whether students are at an increased risk for failure or dropout.

Still, K-12 use of mission critical administrative and human resources technologies and data have been playing catch up. In the last decade, there’s been tremendous progress with school districts rapidly embracing software like our solutions that facilitate easy placement of substitutes, provide and manage professional growth and streamline special education processes to name a few. But opportunity remains to make a leap from the core functionality of these and other myriad solutions to using the data. Effective use of data can enable better, more strategic decisions about all kinds of K-12 operations including managing the single most important district asset: talent.

Once an administrative task, attracting and retaining educators is now a strategic imperative. The confluence of circumstances that have contributed to a shrinking teacher talent pool have made it so.

Unbelievably though, while we’ve been doing a good job proclaiming the merits of data for K-12 education, we haven’t been nearly as diligent in helping district leaders tap this valuable information then do something with it. That’s true when it comes to talent data and HCM.

Our new white paper “Balancing the Equation: How Talent Data Can Lead to Better Decision-Making for K-12 Leaders” offers guidance on how districts can access data to unlock insights from the educator talent pipeline. It also advocates districts use these five principles to drive HCM strategy:

  1. All data are not necessarily useful or relevant.
  2. The translation of data into action requires thoughtful planning, training and practice.
  3. Data that are collected must be trusted.
  4. Data collection and use must be a part of an interactive cycle that involves testing hypotheses, measuring outcomes and making course adjustments.
  5. Data systems must have the flexibility to help gather, measure and focus on the things that matter most.

The paper further urges districts to organize data systems according to a theory of action and that data must transcend departmental boundaries and silos. Our supposition is that with connected data systems, a coherent theory of action and cross-departmental collaboration, school systems can create a new future where data are rigorously collected and evaluated to support educators from hire to retire.

Frontline’s vision for strategic human capital management characterized by a holistic approach to building and maintaining a high-performing employee culture, can help leaders make data-driven decisions aligned to the school system’s strategic objectives. Ultimately, it is our hope that the right lens on human capital management can help turn the tide on teacher recruitment and retention.

For more information or a copy of the white paper, please visit www.FrontlineInstitute.com.