Board reviews Skyward renewal, student-information RFP plans and expanded website translation capacity

District staff summarized technology items scheduled for the 2025–26 school year at the April 7 work session, including a Skyward annual renewal, a planned request for proposals (RFP) to evaluate student-information platforms, and a contract amendment to expand website translation capacity.

Staff told the board the current Skyward module is an on-premises product purchased in 2006 and that Skyward’s modern, web-based product (Cumulative) is the current offering for new clients. The district plans to issue an RFP within the next month or two to evaluate modern student-information systems (which could include an upgraded Skyward product or a different vendor). Staff said course-selection and scheduling would run in parallel during any transition: Skyward would be used for fall 2026 scheduling while the new system’s enrollment/scheduling tools would be phased in over subsequent months.

The board was also told of a translation-service contract add-on that would expand current coverage from five languages and 200,000 words to seven languages and 500,000 words; staff said the district will complete a study to identify which two additional languages to add and that the add-on’s contract period runs through June 30, 2028 with an extension alignment to the district’s fiscal year calendar.

Other technology items noted in the agenda included a Learning A–Z renewal for K–6 special-education students, a Hegarty subscription for literacy supports, and an NWEA quote to add MAP reading-fluency measures for grades 1–2, funded in part by grant dollars.

Ending: Staff said it will return with RFP timelines and detailed transition plans for any student-information-system change; board members asked for clarity on parallel operations and timeline impacts to scheduling and family communications.