Quarterly Business & Operations Networking Cohort

Thank you to everyone who joined our February 19 Business Operations Networking meeting focused on Tech & AI in the Back Office. As schools continue to grow and complexity increases across finance, HR, procurement, and operations, this session centered on how to move from people-dependent systems to sustainable, scalable infrastructure.

A special thank-you to our guest speakers:
- Ailish Maheras, Director of Public Charter School Partnerships at Cariina, for her presentation on Building Legacy Schools
- Aditya Kaddu, Founder & CEO of Edstruments, for his presentation From Spreadsheet Survival to Workflow Modernization

Key Takeaways:
- Reduce institutional knowledge risk. When processes live in people instead of systems, schools become vulnerable to turnover. Codifying workflows and centralizing information protects long-term sustainability.
- Start where the friction is highest. Focus first on manual, repetitive, and spreadsheet-dependent processes that create bottlenecks, audit risk, or limited budget visibility.
- Modernize to elevate finance. Integrated systems and real-time data shift finance from transactional processing to strategic partnership.
- Plan for iteration. Implementation is not static. Expect processes to evolve as better systems and clearer data reshape how your team works.

Meeting Resources
Slides: Both slide decks are posted in the Documents tab

Recording: View Recording
Passcode: i.bv22=M

Annual Conference Reminder
We look forward to seeing many of you this week!
Schedule
Workshops
Recommended Cross-Track Sessions
Conference App

Next Up
Feb 26 - Operations & Finance Cohort Breakfast at the Annual Conference
7:45am - 8:30am MT | Denver Marriott Tech Center - Pikes Peak Room
Mar 10 - Operations & Finance Monthly Meeting: Budget Development

We appreciate your continued engagement as we explore how strong operational systems directly support student success and long-term school sustainability.

Created: February 23, 2026 05:02:10 PM