Sarasota officials detail ERP rollout problems, forecast and staffing moves as district eyes fall budgets

Sarasota County Schools’ finance leaders told the board on July 22 that the district’s transition to a Skyward enterprise resource planning (ERP) system has produced “significant challenges” but also tangible gains in account structure, online approvals and consolidated purchasing. They also described ongoing budget pressures and staffing adjustments as they build the 2025‑26 budget.

COO Bonnie Pinner, who led the presentation, said the district launched Skyward on Jan. 1, 2025, and cited two areas of ongoing work: migrating historical data into new fields and finishing user training and testing. “The primary issue that we've dealt with relates to just a lack of project plan, testing and training of all users in the implementation plan that was provided by our ERP company,” Pinner said, adding that the district has taken a pause and retooled its approach with the vendor.

Operational effects and fixes

Pinner said the new platform has already enabled bank reconciliations, integration of purchasing‑card transactions, dashboards and a mobile approvals app. She described planned follow-ups that will reduce manual work: time‑tracking for employees who clock in/out, online leave requests, and asset‑tracking for inventory and depreciation.

Payroll preparer workarounds and recognition

Because timesheets in Skyward reflect pay rather than strictly hours worked, Pinner said payroll teams have had to change how they enter time and reconcile leave. She publicly recognized payroll staff — naming Anita Barnes — for keeping paychecks on schedule through the transition.

Budget forecast and pressures

Pinner and board members discussed recent budget actions and a preliminary closeout projection of a 12.72% general‑fund balance for fiscal 2024‑25 (the number was published with the tentative budget), with a preliminary target of 9% for 2025‑26. Board members asked why the year‑end projection rose from a budgeted 9.5% to 12.72%; Pinner explained conservative initial assumptions, better‑than‑expected revenues such as interest and underspending in some object codes can raise the realized balance.

Superintendent Connor and board members emphasized continuing cost pressures. Connor said federal pandemic (ESSER/ARP) dollars had masked some structural needs in past years, and that continuing costs — health care, Florida Retirement System contributions and mandated teacher pay increases — leave districts exposed if state operating increases are small or flat. He also reiterated that capital funds built recent schools and are separate from operating funds.

Staffing adjustments and approach

The district described a summer staffing process intended to minimize disruption at the start of the school year. Connor said the district focused on non‑roster positions and vacancies, regionalized some technology support roles and sought to place affected employees into suitable roles where possible. The board was told that every impacted person was offered an alternate position or other accommodation in the June staffing actions.

Uncertainties: state fourth calculation and federal grants

Pinner and Connor also warned of two outstanding uncertainties: the Florida Department of Education’s fourth funding calculation (delayed) and pending federal grants (titles 2, 3 and 4 and adult education) that total roughly $3 million in the district’s view. Both items could alter final 2024‑25 results and the 2025‑26 budget.

What board members asked

Members pressed district staff on the causes of fund‑balance swings, the specifics of the Skyward migration, and whether credit‑card processing fees (for school payments and lunch accounts) could be reduced, including exploring ACH or alternative processors. Pinner said some fees are pass‑through network charges and options will be investigated.

Ending

Board members praised staff for keeping payroll and core services running under difficult conditions and asked the administration to continue proactive communications as budget assumptions firm up this fall.