Craven County Schools plans Tyler ERP conversion; DPI to fund half of implementation costs

Craven County Schools staff recommended an enterprise resource planning conversion to replace the district's aging AS/400 (SunPACK) and HRMS systems, presenting Tyler Munis as the district's recommended path and summarizing expected costs and state support.

"We know the AS/400 is going to sunset in June 2028," Finance Officer Heidi Daley said, describing options accepted by the Department of Public Instruction and noting that DPI offered a memorandum of understanding to cover implementation and travel costs.

Daley said DPI would cover about $218,750 toward the district's one-time implementation and travel costs under the MOU. After the state contribution, the district's share of implementation was estimated at roughly $165,000 in first-year costs under the DPI/Tyler master services agreement; Daley said annual software costs for Tyler would be lower than continuing the AS/400 ($88,000 projected for Tyler vs. $136,000 on current systems).

To reduce implementation risk and staff burnout, Daley recommended hiring a dedicated project manager for an estimated 18 to 24 months to oversee the conversion and help realize long-term efficiency gains across finance and HR. She told the board she planned to present a contract for approval at the April 14 work session.

Board members expressed support for starting early to avoid the implementation "rush" as other districts also face a 2028 sunset. One member said the project manager role is crucial to avoid repeating earlier problems when the district piloted a conversion without a dedicated manager.

Next steps: Daley said staff will bring a contract and implementation timeline back to the board at the April 14 meeting for further consideration and likely approval.