TO: Superintendents and Business Managers
FROM: Rebecca Holcombe, Secretary, and Emily Byrne, Chief Financial Officer
SUBJECT: Shared School District Data Management System (SSDDMS) Project Status
DATE: January 29, 2018
This message is to provide all State of Vermont Supervisory Unions and School Districts with a general update on the Shared School District Data Management System (SSDDMS) Project as a means to comply with legislative requirements for a Uniform Chart of Accounts (UCOA).
We want to begin by acknowledging that this is a major change in the operations of school districts. We know it is also a strong priority of the General Assembly; AOE was asked about this work in five separate committees recently, and there was noticeable legislative interest in mandating a common system.
We also want to acknowledge that any change will pose challenges for some systems, as each of you are in different stages of UCOA implementation, have different levels of resources and as a group, work with a variety of vendors. Some will be relieved to move onto the SSDDMS, as they currently manage budgets in spreadsheets, while others have the resources to have recently invested in new systems. There is no time or way to do this that does not work well for some, while posing challenges for others.