Higley Unified School District Improves Communications While Reducing Costs With Schoolwires Centricity2

STATE COLLEGE, Pa., Nov. 10, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- By implementing Schoolwires Centricity2, Higley Unified School District has greatly improved communication with its community while significantly reducing costs. Schoolwires Centricity2 is designed to be a transformational and unifying platform that goes beyond website and community management to address some of the most pressing challenges facing K-12 education today.

"Within one year of implementing Centricity2 and creating an interactive, online community, we have increased our communications with our district; extended learning beyond classroom hours; and achieved significant, ongoing cost savings in school supplies," said Justin Greene, Executive Director of Systems Services, Higley Unified School District. "As a result, our parents are more involved in the classroom, and our extended learning environment supports student success."

One hundred percent of the district's approximately 500 teachers, as well as its departments and schools, are actively maintaining web pages that provide resources and information, and a host of interactive Web 2.0 tools.  For example, teachers post classroom rules, calendars, projects, homework, notes, and articles on their pages, and blog and interact with students on assignments outside the classroom. The district posts course curriculums and class syllabuses and their alignment to the state standards; and the next quarter's material. Surveys and student elections are executed online, while eAlerts enable mass communications to targeted audiences, sending registered recipients only the information they want to receive.

Another direct benefit of using Centricity2 as the district's online communications hub is a considerable cost savings in reduced supplies, printing, and postage costs. Prior to implementing the platform, the district budgeted $25 per student allocated to principals to manage school supplies.  Over the past year, the district made a concerted effort to go green by using the many features in Schoolwires Centricity2 for greater electronic communications. As a result, for the 2011/2012 school year, the principals were allocated $15 per student, to realize an overall school supplies savings of about $100,000.

"Storing documents electronically and communicating through our website is helping the district save money, which is critical in this economic climate," said Susan Powell, Principal at Gateway Pointe Elementary School.

"We applaud Higley Unified School District for leveraging the Centricity2 environment to strengthen communications and engagement with their district community," said Christiane Crawford, CEO and President, Schoolwires.  "And by maximizing the online communication tools, they are able to put more money into the classroom where it can have the most impact."

About Schoolwires, Inc.

Schoolwires is a leading provider of community-based solutions and safe social learning environments designed to accelerate K-12 district and student success. Centricity2 is its unifying Web content management platform designed to help K-12 districts more deeply connect and engage with their communities. The Schoolwires Nimbus™ Safe Social Learning Environment provides a secure environment where teachers can inspire student engagement and interest in developing 21st century learning skills. Through its numerous, long-term district relationships, Schoolwires works with an estimated 8 million users across the nation. Schoolwires was recognized by Inc magazine as one of the Top Education Companies on the 2011 Inc 500|5000 for the fifth consecutive year.  Schoolwires Inc. (www.schoolwires.com) is headquartered in State College, Pennsylvania, USA.

SOURCE Schoolwires, Inc.

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