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District 214 staff recommend switching financial and HR systems to Skyward, citing improved reporting and long-term savings
Summary
District 214 administrators recommended switching from Infinite Visions to Skyward, saying the phased, 18-month conversion should improve payroll, reporting and integrations. Staff estimated implementation at about $667,000 over six years and said long-term annual costs could be lower than current contracts.
District administration recommended that Township High School District 214 move its finance, payroll and human-resources operations from Infinite Visions to the Skyward enterprise system, saying the change would address persistent reporting and payroll workarounds.
Dr. Adaway, presenting the cross-functional evaluation, told the board that Skyward offers "greater flexibility in financial and HR reporting, stronger position management, better integration across our existing systems," and that the district planned an 18-month phased implementation. "The total cost is about $667,000 across six years," Dr. Adaway said, adding that the largest expenses occur in the first two years for implementation, data migration and training.
The recommendation matters because administrators said Infinite Visions requires manual workarounds that complicate payroll continuity and internal workflows. The proposed phased timeline is intended to allow staff training, careful validation of historical data and continuity of payroll operations during the transition.
Board members pressed staff on practical details. One asked whether Skyward can ingest historical data from the district’s legacy systems; Dr. Adaway said Skyward can accept financial imports but cautioned that the level of transaction detail preserved (for example, whether purchase-order line items would be available) remained to be validated. Another member asked whether secure cloud hosting changes the cost comparison; staff responded that even with hosting the projected ongoing costs would be lower than current agreements.
Members also raised broader revenue concerns tied to county-level tax collections. Administrators said the fiscal-year 2027 budget projections will factor in the Cook County Treasurer’s recent software and timing issues but noted limits on how much the district can flex payment timing when bills are due.
Next steps: the board authorized administration to develop the FY27 budget and continue its procurement and implementation planning for Skyward; no final procurement vote on Skyward was recorded at this meeting.
