Dive Brief:

• In Consolidated Unit School District 300 in Algonquin, IL, the use of a new asset management tracking software has streamlined the difference between schools' inventory accounting and actual inventory by using a function of an ed tech platform — Follett Learning’s Destiny Resource Manager — already utilized by the district.
• The district started by doing a full inventory of assets, eSchoolNews reports, and eventually hired a staffer to oversee all asset management and allocation for its 26 schools, ultimately saving "hundreds of thousands of dollars." 
• Meanwhile, in the Dallas Independent School District in Texas, a similar asset management process led to the elimination of antiquated devices like fax machines, streamlined requests for new assets, and simplified overall communication.

Dive Insight:

"Dallas ISD’s textbook inventory management solution handles functions like the requisition of instructional materials, the return of instructional materials to the warehouse, campus textbook inventory, a repository for lost and used books, and an easy way to transfer materials among campuses," eSchoolNews reports. "All of the activities take place online and can be access 24/7 on an as-needed basis."

With a huge amount of potential time saved on top of clear economic advantages, more and more districts will likely turn to tech solutions to help with the tracking and managing of assets like books, projectors, software, and computers. Although Dallas ISD serves 150,000 students and 230 schools, it's clear that the benefits apply to both large and small districts. Dallas was able to hire a software vendor to design a bespoke online solution, while Algonquin's solution was using part of their pre-existing resource manager in a new way.