A new Mat-Su district tech tool replaces some school apps – but not all

What you need to know:

• The Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District is implementing ParentSquare, a new platform designed to replace about a dozen school apps and programs, including Blackboard, Remind and ClassDojo. The platform aims to reduce the number of tools parents must use and lower administrative costs for the district.
• ParentSquare will not replace all programs. For example, ParentVUE, StudentVUE, Google Classroom alerts, BigTeams, SchoolPay or PickMyKid will still be used. Charter schools may choose whether to adopt the platform.
• The new system will cost the district about $6,500 per year and is accessible via web or mobile app. Invitations to register were sent to parents by email and text message.

PALMER — A new school district tech tool is replacing about a dozen of the estimated 20 individual platforms used by schools and teachers across Mat-Su, reducing the burden on parents to download, set up, learn and use a parade of apps, officials announced last week.

The new program, ParentSquare, is designed to replace most parent and student communication programs districtwide, including Blackboard, Remind and the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District mobile app, officials said. It will also replace many apps or programs used on a school-by-school basis, including ClassDojo, SportsYou, Band, Smore and Bloomz, they said.

All district neighborhood and alternative schools, including Mat-Su Middle College, will use the new app, district spokesperson John Notestine said. Charter schools will have the option to participate, he said, and parents should contact their individual programs for more information.

ParentSquare will not replace ParentVUE or StudentVUE, which are used to track grades and manage enrollment, or the automated Google Classroom alerts used by some teachers, Notestine said.

Programs used to manage sports registration, student technology and dismissal will also continue. That includes BigTeams, which manages sports registration; PickMyKid, which handles elementary student dismissal; SchoolPay, which manages fee payments; and GoGuardian, which provides oversight of student Internet use.

While the new app will also help district officials streamline the distribution of weather-related school closure or delay announcements, it won’t change how parents receive those alerts, Notestine said. Notices will continue to be sent via text, email and phone call.

The platform is intended to reduce the number of apps parents must use to stay informed and cut down on the number of individual app contracts the district manages and pays for, Notestine said. The platform is already in use in the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District, he said.

District officials estimate the program will eliminate at least a dozen apps used either districtwide or at individual schools, resulting in overall cost savings, he said.

ParentSquare will cost the district about $6,500 per year, or roughly $2.55 per student. Total spending on the replaced apps was not immediately available, as many are funded at the school level and not tracked by district administrators.

District leaders began researching ParentSquare last year but couldn’t move forward at the time due to existing contracts with other providers, Notestine said.

The program can be accessed via its website or through a mobile app available for both Apple and Android devices. Parents of students enrolled in the district last year can register using an invitation sent by email and text message on June 30. A follow-up invitation was sent by email on July 3.

Parents who did not receive an invitation can contact the district help center at (907) 761-HELP or email Notestine at John.Notestine@matsuk12.us.

-- Contact Amy Bushatz at contact@matsusentinel.com