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The article focuses on the vendor transitioning process in schools districts which work with supply and service vendors. Topics discussed include vender review for consideration of changing vendors to improve quality of service, bid process which is required for specific contracts within a school district, and maintenance of interpersonal relations with district staff members and vendor management.

An excerpt from the article "Change Doesn't Need to be Disruptive" by Robyn Stirmell in the March 2017 issue of "School Business Affairs" is presented which focuses on changing vendors within a school district.

The article reports on efforts by U.S. school districts to promote interoperability standards between digital education tools and resources. Accounts are given describing moves by several counties to refuse business with vendors without such features to better unify and streamline educational technology use. Additional topics addressed include the extent to which publishers and vendors are working to meet this demand and the features of several prototype software platforms.

The article reports on the efforts to improve interoperability in educational technology in the Highline School District in Washington. It presents the comments of chief technology officer Mark Finstrom on the work the district has done to manage its data, the challenges when dealing with vendors, and the standardization of data collection.

The article offers suggestions on development of procurement expertise in school districts for better technical solutions and price negotiations. Topics include the views of Jeff Mao, senior director for nonprofit Common Sense Education's Learning Solutions Program, on procurement expertise's benefits, role of procurement expertise in getting technological advantages from the vendor, and steps for developing procurement expertise such as evaluating a district's need.

The article presents some suggestions for chief information officers of schools on how to make successful service-level agreements (SLAs) with vendors. It is opined that one should make sure that management-level end-users are there during SLA development. According to the author, one should clearly understand what service level to expect and then cost and practicality issues should be analyzed. It is opined that it is critical to know vendor's average tech-service response time. It is recommended that while making a deal with any vendor, a district should have key people that the vendor contact routinely.

The article presents information on how vendors can create a long-term relationship with school business officials. It states that vendors must be competitive and are willing to take full responsibility for their products. It mentions that a vendor should have a knowledgeable sales team who know the product and the client and can help school officials see how the product can benefit the school district.

The article examines the risk that fraudulent shell companies pose to U.S. school districts. It notes that such shell companies do not engage in legitimate business practices, have little or no assets, and are typically used to hide bribery payments, launder money, and conceal corporate income. Information is provided on scams used against school districts in locations including New York City, the Toms River Regional School District in New Jersey, and the Cuyahoga Heights School District in Ohio. Suggestions on preventing fraud from shell companies are included, such as evaluating administrators' vendor approval guidelines, inquiring with district attorneys, and requiring full disclosure of previous business dealings.

The article discusses the Back-to-School/Back-to-Business Community Expo program at the Osceola School District in Kissimmee, Florida which brought together vendors who provided services such as backpack giveaways, physicals, and reduced-price meal applications. According to the article, the program was created to help parents with questions about the school district and to locate necessary resources at the start of the school year.

BALTIMORE COUNTY SCHOOLS in Maryland remained closed after the Thanksgiving break as the school district scrambled to respond to a cyberattack. The result was cancellation of virtual classes for more [...]