Case Study: Wichita Public Schools

Capitalizing on extended data management capabilities.

Wichita Public Schools (USD 259) is the largest and most diversified education institution in Kansas. USD 259 delivers basic education for grades K-12, preschool and adult students. The district operates over 100 regular, alternative magnet, vocational and specials schools, and provides instruction at several institutional and off-campus sites.

  • 5,650 full time and 4,000 part time employees
  • Over 51,000 enrolled students for the 2014/15 school year
  • Largest school district in the state of Kansas

The Challenge

USD 259 had an existing ImageNow document management system that was no longer meeting their needs. Ready to expand the system throughout the school district, USD 259 needed a partner with the products, capabilities, services and support to meet all of their requirements. USD 259 issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) to a variety of service providers to identify, purchase and implement an enterprise-wide scalable Document Management System (DMS) that would allow for secure, fast and easy archival and retrieval of documents and files.

Requirements:

  • Integrate with PeopleSoft, Oracle E-Business Suite, and Synergy student information systems
  • Convert approximately 800 – 100’ rolls of 16MM Microfilm (estimated 1,915,200 images) to digital file format and imported into the DMS
  • Convert approximately 1,000 sheets of jacketed fiche with 60 images per sheet (estimated 60,000 images) to digital file format and imported into the DMS
  • Import approximately 199,000 electronic PDF files of student transcripts into the DMS – estimated at 570,000 pages to parse and upload
  • Convert approximately 748,000 existing files currently stored in Image Now
    The requirements of the project – implementation, conversion, integration – were ideally suited to the strengths of Imaging Office Systems.

Why did Wichita Public Schools choose IOS?

“We had a lot of requirements and this project had a fairly large scope that included not only migrating to the new software, but also professional services, integration services, and several different conversion services. Imaging Office Systems was able to offer a complete turnkey solution where everything was done in-house and not sub-contracted out to a 3rd party.

The Imaging Office Team brings a tremendous amount of expertise and because of this we’ve been able to overcome every challenge and meet all of our goals. The IOS team is very professional, cooperative and responsive and has been a pleasure to work with.”

Matt McGuire
Project Manager, Information Services & Technology

The Solution

Collaboratively, Imaging Office Systems and USD 259 end users planned the system implementation including process automation opportunities now possible with the OnBase product.

Key OnBase Features:

  • Oracle EBS and PeopleSoft integration
  • Microsoft Office integration
  • Unlimited security roles and groups
  • All files stored in native file format
  • Unlimited application interfaces so USD 259 can integrate future systems using Application Enabler
  • Mobile App for viewing files
  • Unlimited file retention rules; permanent retention to auto-purging based upon document
  • Easily configurable workflow without scripting
  • Electronic signature functionality

Future Plans

USD 259’s vision for a dynamic, scalable enterprise-wide DMS is already taking shape with additional projects:

  • Integrating with EduPoint Synergy student information system and the LessonVUE module, so teacher resources are stored and managed in OnBase instead of the Synergy system.
  • Tracking and maintaining Campus Crisis Response Plans using OnBase Workflow. Workflow helps manage the overall process and automatically sends out the blank plans at a pre-determined time every year, sends email reminders to users who haven’t submitted their plans (this escalates the closer the due date gets), tracks the completion of received plans, and runs custom queries on every field in each plan to pull and create custom reports.
  • Storing and managing bond projects, new construction, ADA compliance, architectural drawings, blueprints, etc. for our Design and Construction and Architectural Services departments.
  • Converting five years’ worth of SPED Individual Education Plans (IEPs) out of old legacy student information system and uploading to OnBase (approximately 54,000 IEPs).

The Bottom Line

Imaging Office Systems delivered the comprehensive data management solution USD 259 envisioned. More importantly, IOS provided USD 259 with flexibility and potential for growth by pairing powerful software with expert professional services.

More About ImageNow vs OnBase

While ImageNow, a capable Enterprise Content Management Suite, is often used in government and higher education, OnBase proved to be the superior choice for USD 259. Key characteristics that differentiated OnBase:

Flexible Licensing Model

USD 259 was able to buy the modules it needed – no bundled waste. As USD 259 expands its use of the system, OnBase’s model can scale up to handle the growth. When new functionality is needed, it will be out-of-the box not custom development.

Reliable Integration Tools and User-Friendly Configuration

The many integration capabilities of OnBase help USD 259 capture and share information across applications more effectively. OnBase is also built to be functional and easy for users to configure, helping USD 259 avoid costly and lengthy scripting projects.

Lower Total Cost of Ownership

No scripting means less overall system maintenance, less bolt-on functionality, fewer change orders, and fewer support issues.

Return on Investment

From an end-user resource perspective, the OnBase system is a lot more efficient than ImageNow. The USD 259 HR department used to take an entire day to process a stack of files that needed to be imaged and archived. Now by using PSIGen and OnBase together, they can process the same batch in 30 minutes, which is a tremendous time saver. End users also utilize the built-in email capability and the print/upload function, which saves a lot of time and eliminates the need to print and scan hard copies.

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