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OKCPS to replace two-decade-old ERP with Oracle 'INSPIRE' platform; implementation underway
Summary
Finance and HR staff told the board the district selected CRC/Oracle to replace legacy SAP (in place since ~2001) with a new cloud ERP called INSPIRE; the implementation has completed initial design workshops and CRP1 and will proceed to data conversions and further testing ahead of phased rollouts.
Finance and human-resources leaders briefed the board on Feb. 24 about a multi-year replacement of the district’s enterprise resource planning (ERP) platform. The district selected CRC to implement Oracle-based software the team is calling “INSPIRE” (Integrated Network for School Performance Information and Resource Excellence) to replace a two-decade-old SAP system that will be unsupported after 2027.
Brad Herrscher (presenting for the finance team) and Clint Everhart (controller/executive director of finance) described the rationale for the change: the current SAP system dates from 2001, the vendor’s legacy product is being sunset, and modern cloud ERP platforms offer integrations and interfaces that district staff say will reduce manual work and make payroll, procurement, fixed assets and HR operations more efficient.
Clint Everhart summarized the procurement and implementation steps taken so far: an RFP process produced multiple vendor proposals, CRC/Oracle was selected, and the project moved through design workshops and a requirements traceability matrix. The team completed a Conference Room Pilot 1 (CRP1) using sample converted data to validate core processes (procurement, payroll, benefits, time management and other modules). Current work includes broader data conversions, system integrations (banking, SchoolBucks, inventory) and preparations for CRP2, system integration testing, user-acceptance testing, payroll-parallel testing and end-user training prior to go-live.
Everhart framed the change as modernizing core business systems: “We’ve gone from the Flintstones to the Jetsons,” he said, summarizing the expected leap in capability. The district also noted implementation risks, including staff vacancies that could affect project resources and organizational-readiness work that remains to be completed; CRC’s organizational-readiness lead will be onsite to accelerate communications and training.
Presenters said the ERP change should reduce manual cross-system work (for example, duplicate entry between recruiting platforms and payroll) and will provide cloud-based access for employees to see pay and leave balances on phones. They described the project timeline as moving through CRP2, integration testing, parallel payroll testing and staged rollouts; no firm district-wide go-live date was announced in the presentation.
Board members thanked finance and HR staff for the hours invested in design workshops and pilots and noted the indirect effect on student services: improved back-office systems support pay, food service, transportation and other operations that affect schools. The finance team stressed that payroll parallel testing is a priority to ensure employees are paid reliably when the district transitions systems.
