The principal of the school, on a daily basis, has to coordinate multiple activities concerning a multitude of people over a wide range of time covering the expanse of a campus. School facilities management software, an example of enterprise resource planning (ERP), can greatly expand the principals ability to recall what events are scheduled to happen and who is supposed to be involved.

Computers and modern communication equipment working together allow the principal, teachers and staff members the ability to keep in touch with one another instantly and to keep records of all the transactions.

The school management software contains many programs that cover the different areas that must be managed in a school system: schedules and attendance, teachers and their activities, bus schedules, library check-outs, safety protocols, cafeteria menus, office paperwork.

Schedules

A review of the schedule is a screen-touch or mouse-click away for teachers and students. Any change of schedule can be made by the principal, and an automatic, electronic note is sent to everyone on the contact list. Notes and warning of upcoming events can be scheduled and sent automatically to all the people involved.

Attendance

Little Susie is home with a cold. Mother calls the school, and with a short entry into the schools database, notes are automatically sent to any teacher who is scheduled to work with Susie that day. Attendance reports can be quickly entered and stored in the schools database.

Teachers and activities

Teachers can use the internet to bring in videos to help teach concepts in class which assists in researching needed materials on their computers and send electronic requests to management. When a teacher discovers a problem in the classroom, a quick note on the computer can send out for help. If the problem is a down computer, a quick note sent from the teachers cell phone will also do. Teachers can pool information and share with one another what has worked for them and what has not.

Bus schedules

If buses or a single bus is going to be late, the parents of all the children can receive a note generated by the computer and sent out at the same time.

Library check-outs

A complete list of library books and who has checked them out is available for the school administrators. Notes can easily be sent out to parents of children who have overdue books.

Safety protocols

The safety protocols can be recorded on the computers and in an emergency, cell phones can help teachers review the protocols and stay in touch with the main personnel where ever the teachers are. Teachers can keep track of any medical need of their students and quickly alert the authorities of any medical emergency that arises.

Cafeteria menus

The cafeteria manager can plan menus on the computer, and request supplies needed. Request for maintenance repair and replacement of equipment can be done quickly, with electronic copies of all transactions saved for review.

School properties and buildings

The management software can help design the use of spaces in the school, making sure spaces are not wasted and efficient use of the spaces there are on the premise. The software can also keep track of routine maintenance of the school and its grounds.
Office paperwork

In the area of bureaucracy, computer programs can be especially helpful. With the computers ability to store and transmit data, reports are more efficiently created and sent and stored. Payroll is quickly tallied, and plans are more easily made, stored and sent to whoever needs to read them.

The school facilities management software not only works to coordinate one school, but can link several schools in one education sector, and multiple education sectors, so that the local government can be better aware of what is going on in its schools. Most of these programs mentioned above are spreadsheets or databases specifically designed to cover one area of school administration.

The school facilities management software coordinates the programs used in different areas of the school, performing routine tasks automatically, freeing up the people to supervise other aspects of having lots of kids in one space.