Case Study: Lewistown Public Schools

Managing 62 printers spread across six buildings encompassing three elementary schools, a junior high, and a high school — plus the often-unheralded lynchpin to all primary and secondary education, the bus barn — is a job ripe with what some professionals spend most of their careers avoiding at all costs: responsibility. But responsibility, and accountability, are Luann Schrauth’s strong suits.

“I’m the main contact between Kelley Create and the district,” explained Ms. Schrauth. “So I have to know which printers are working and which aren’t. Even if a teacher says they’re low on ink, it’s dire straits because the bottom line is, in education, what teachers need printed simply must be printed. It’s for the students’ benefit.”

But as Ms. Schrauth mentioned, not only does she need to ensure the district’s equipment and supplies aren’t holding students back, but she also must gain a bird’s eye view of the overall spending of those taxpayer dollars.

“It’s actually pretty complicated,” laughed Ms. Schrauth. “One of our schools has a copy/printer in every classroom, and let’s just say sometimes they do more color printing than they need to.”

That’s where Kelley Create’s Managed Print Services comes in handy. We know our K-12 partners need smooth print workflows that check chaos at the door, so teachers and administrators can focus on students’ learning. But our education partners also require an unadulterated view of expenditures for financial transparency – the key to gaining support for continued local (and federal) funding.

Not to mention, school districts want to be confident reinforcements will arrive when things don’t work as they should.

“We love our tech Frank,” said Ms. Schrauth. “Kelley Create has a fast response time. If we have a problem, I hear from Frank within a couple of hours. If I need service, he’s onsite the same day or the next. Frank is not allowed to retire.”

And we offer more than fast, effective emergency response. We help school districts keep an eye on the future of their students’ education. Planning ahead is underrated, and the bottom line is that forecasting printing needs does future student success some good.

“If we have machines ready to conk out, or their parts are becoming scarce, Kelley Create helps us plan the upgrade,” said Ms. Schrauth. “The nice part is, they don’t push to upgrade right away, because they know if I don’t have the cash flow to do it, I won’t. So I don’t want to be pushed to do it.”

That’s why we’re here. Not so our partners take our path, but so we can help them find their own. Then, if we can help take them where they want to go, we’re all-in.

“I’m most proud of our great students. That’s who we’re here for. And we have an excellent staff that help create really, really good students. Oh, and kudos to Frank. Give that man a raise,” concluded Ms. Schrauth.