As more school districts continue to streamline their daily operations by using Skyward software, many districts are taking it one step further by offering online payment options for parents.

Many districts are now accepting online payments for a number of reasons:

·        Cash and checks get lost in transit from home to school.

·        Too much staff time is spent counting cash or processing checks.

·        Parents want the convenience of being able to pay from anywhere at anytime.

·        Districts are looking at ways to improve cash flow.

·        Districts want to improve internal controls.

·        Districts are looking for ways to reduce bad debt.

·        Districts are looking for ways to do more with less.

Do any of the reasons listed above apply to your school district when it comes to accepting payments?  If so, you may want to consider offering an online payment option at your school.

A Case Study

In 2003, Minnetonka Public Schools, a district in the western suburbs of Minnesota,  began offering parents the option of paying for school meals online with RevTrak, Inc.  Minnetonka Public Schools is a Skyward customer with an enrollment of approximately 7,800 students. 
 
RevTrak is a leading provider of eCommerce solutions to school districts in 31 states.  They provide school districts with the tools necessary to safely and conveniently accept online payments for school fees.    
 
As part of the implementation, RevTrak and Skyward partnered to create an interface between the Skyward Food Service module and the RevTrak web “store.”
 
A question often asked by district administrators is, “Will parents use this service?  Will they pay school fees online?”  As you will see from the graph below, parents in the Minnetonka district have welcomed the opportunity to pay online with open arms.  Over 38% of the money collected in Minnetonka food service is now collected online.  And this money does not have to be touched—it just shows up in your bank account!  Can you imagine not having to count or process 40% of the money you collect?  How much time would that free up for personnel assigned to count money?   
 

 
 
Because of the success Minnetonka, Skyward, and RevTrak have achieved with online payments for food service, the school district now collects money online for a variety of other school-related fees such as parking permits and activities.  To take a look at the Minnetonka web store, click on www.RevTrak.com/Minnetonka.
 
Skyward and RevTrak are continuing to work together to streamline the acceptance of payments for school-related fees.  If you are interested in finding out more about how Skyward and RevTrak work together to accept online payments, you can contact RevTrak at 800.323.5953 extension 110.