The Need for Transparency: Imagine Charter School Transitions to Online School Payment Solutions with OSP by Edlio
As the business manager at Imagine Charter School, Michele Triana aimed to make payment processing more accessible and transparent for families and staff. Previously only able to accept cash payments, Imagine Charter witnessed another school in their district’s success with OSP’s online solutions. By switching to OSP by Edlio, Imagine Charter School now has a secure means of accepting payment that is trackable, efficient, and allows effortless payments and funding processing.
THE CHALLENGE
A Need for Contactless Payment Options
Imagine Charter relied on school funding and scholarship donations, so the school leaders began their search for an electronic payment system. The main purpose of the new system would be to provide families with an easily accessible way to pay for school activities while students and families were away from campus.
“We didn’t use credit cards before, and when everything happened last year [with COVID], we needed a way to collect payments electronically,” Michele revealed.
Each year, the school also wanted to provide certainty and reliability to families and auditors about payment reports. In order to provide this, Imagine Charter needed a cashless payment option.
“Cash is one of those things in any school, and in any business, that requires extra tracking,” Michele discussed. “Cash can disappear, so if you're creating opportunities for parents to pay for things wirelessly or without the use of cash, it's more secure. As a public school, we get audited every year, so having exact amounts is critical.”
THE SOLUTION
A Neighboring School Offers a Solution
Imagine Charter searched for solutions to make payments more accessible and provide families transparency, but it wasn't until they saw one of their sister school’s success with OSP by Edlio that they were inspired to revamp their payment system.
“We found Edlio on Google when we looked online for options and noticed that one of our district schools used OSP,” Michele disclosed. “We saw their school store and instantly knew that we wanted to look into it further.”
THE RESULT
Tracking Funds Securely & Easily
Imagine Charter found that OSP proved beneficial to the school through its security and ease of use. The Online Teacher Receipting (OTR) feature was a real standout, as it ensured that all money coming through the system was trackable.
“Processes are a lot different because now there's a paper trail, whether it be by credit card or by check,” Michele continues. “We can receive payments and there's less opportunity for loss.”
With OSP, parents are not limited in where and when they can make payments. “Parents like the convenience of credit card payments that they can make from their homes,” Michele says. “We can also call parents on the phone and collect information to make payments quickly.”
Imagine Charter School also receives funding every month, and that process involves various bank visits with individual staff members being responsible for deposits. Now, using OSP, Imagine receives their funding automatically. “The school can receive our funding in a more streamlined way because we get our funding twice a month, simplifying it into only two transactions,” Michele praises.
