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Roy Public School District #74
Ragan Donsbach
School Secretary
Roy, Montana
52 Students

Roy Manages 52 Students Successfully Using Infinite Campus
Roy Public Schools has the same data management needs as any district, even with enrollment of only 52 students. Because Roy has limited staff, it wanted a system that could maximize efficiency. When the state of Montana chose the Infinite Campus State Edition, Roy implemented the Infinite Campus District Edition and discovered they could streamline processes, provide new instructional tools and improve parent involvement.

Needing Change
Roy had been using Schoolmaster for 12 years. Information was not integrated or easily accessible to staff, teachers and parents, and records and grades were recorded by hand. When the Montana OPI selected Infinite Campus, Roy knew it was time to upgrade. Within a few months of using Infinite Campus, they realized they were saving a lot of time and acquiring more accurate data.

Dustin Sturm, Roy’s Superintendent, made it mandatory that everyone in the district use Infinite Campus. Teachers were a little apprehensive at the beginning. They had concerns about the security of a web-based program and about losing data if the computers failed. However, after the first few weeks, teachers and staff at Roy became familiar with the system and realized its capabilities and potential.

“Report cards are a breeze to create and print, or parents can check on grades any time with access to the Campus Portal,” says Ragan Donsbach, Roy School Secretary. “Before having Infinite Campus, report cards were hand-written. Infinite Campus has made our life much easier.”

One-stop Shop
Roy, Montana has a population of about 400 people. Ranching is the primary industry and the nearest large city, Billings, is more than 100 miles south. Roy has a handful of teachers and administrators. In this environment, everyone is called upon to manage several cross-functional activities and perform student management tasks on several levels.

“With all of my office duties and daily tasks, I feel like I work at Grand Central Station,” said Donsbach. “I quickly realized how important it is to have Infinite Campus. I can juggle morning announcements, attendance, transcripts, report cards, student schedules and so much more with just a few clicks of a button. I can then tend to my other duties of lunch count, state reporting, extra-curricular accounting, tracking staff absences, providing parental communications, and even drive bus as a substitute bus driver, when needed.”

Big Time Benefits
With the Montana OPI selecting Infinite Campus, Roy wanted to streamline their state data reporting. Infinite Campus allowed for real-time transfer of information from the district to the state. It was a tremendous benefit for the limited staff.
The Campus Grade Book and Lesson Planner were a great help to teachers, especially communicating what was going on in the classroom. Integrated data eliminated duplicate data entry. The web-based, real-time information kept teachers and parents more informed about student academic progress.

Donsbach is assured that the data is automatically and continuously saved in a central database so information is accurate and up-do-date. “Last year was my first time using Infinite Campus,” she said. “As the person responsible for knowing everything about the system, I have a lot on my plate. But I also had the opportunity to see how much Infinite Campus can really do. Every day I find out something new that makes my job easier.”

Parents Find Added Value
Roy opened the Campus Portal in September 2007, giving parents and guardians access to information that can guide and support their students. The portal is designed to help parents stay current with student assignments, activities, and academic progress and is used as a tool to communicate with teachers.

This is especially helpful because of the long distances students travel to get to school each day. They can’t just run back to school to get a forgotten assignment. Rather, they check the Campus Portal to see what is due tomorrow. It is a secure, confidential link between schools, teachers and parents.

Roy also posts announcements, important notices, meetings, and other “backpack” type messages quick and efficiently onto the portal, allowing busy families to schedule, plan, and stay informed.

“Parents really like the Campus Portal,” says Donsbach. “They find it easy to navigate and appreciate seeing their student’s assignment and grades. They can then be proactive in helping manage student success.”

Looking Ahead
Roy’s enrollment has not limited the need for a comprehensive data management system. In some ways, it’s even more essential for a small district with limited resources. Infinite Campus has made it easier for Donsbach to take attendance and run reports. Teachers post grades easily and with consistency in how grading is done.

“Each year we are looking for new ways to use Infinite Campus. Next year we hope to use Infinite Campus to take lunch counts right in the lunch room, using my laptop and giving the Montana OPI access to this information right from our site in real time. I see so many possibilities with Infinite Campus.”