North Coast Shared Services Alliance
The work of the Educational Service Center (ESC) of Northeast Ohio continues to evolve to anticipate unprecedented service and funding needs of school districts and other partners. To this end, the ESC of Northeast Ohio, ESC of Lorain County and Medina County ESC have joined efforts to establish the North Coast Shared Services Alliance (NCSSA).
THe NCSSA is a regional shared services entity for assessing local and regional needs and developing shared services across multiple systems, including education, government, social agencies and businesses. In addition to the three ESCs, additional members of the Executive Board include:
- Connect,
- Ohio Schools Council,
- Greater Cleveland School Superintendents' Association,
- First Ring Superintendents' Collaborative,
- Cleveland Metropolitan School District,
- Cuyahoga County Office of Regional Collaboration, and
- County Commissioners from Lorain and Medina Counties.
Initial efforts of the NCSSA committees include shared services in:
- Technology,
- Purchasing,
- Transportation, and
- Human Resources
They will continue to expand to meet the needs of districts and agencies by increasing efficiencies and reducing costs. In addition, districts and agencies will have ongoing opportunities to partner in the development of shared services to ensure we continue to deliver essential, high-quality services.
NCSSA Substitute Management Services
The NCSSA has partnered with Rachel Wixey & Associates to deliver Substitute Management Services to districts across the tri-county region. This region provides districts cost-effective and efficient management of all of the Human Resource responsibilities for substitutes, including recruitment, hiring, placements and payroll needs. All substitutes are hired regionally through the ESC of Northeast Ohio.
Connect
Connect, formerly known as North Coast Council, is leading the way to a new vision for Information Technology Centers serving schools and other educational entities in Ohio. The governing Board of Directors of the Educational Service Centers of Northeast Ohio, Lorain and Medina County and the Ohio Schools Council have accepted the ownership, responsibility and liability of Connect in order to provide expanded exemplary service to member districts.
As a true regional shared-service operation, Connect will build on the capacity of the four governing entities to expand services and respond quickly to district needs. Connect members will have greater access to a more diverse range of expertise and shared services through the partnership of these owner agencies. There are many benefits to Connect being led by trusted service agencies such as the Educational Service Centers and Ohio Schools Council. Most importantly,
Connect members will experience an increased strength and unwavering service that can reduce costs and make their information technology more effective and efficient, with the ultimate benefit of providing the greatest educational experience possible for students.
NCSSA/OSC IT Purchasing
The NCSSA and Ohio Schools Council worked together to complete a bid process for workstations, monitors and laptops for member districts. As a part of this process, NCSSA partners worked with school districts and the Cuyahoga County Office of Regional Collaboration to develop common specifications and aggregate the necessary volume to receive competitive quotes. In a unique collaboration with our vendors, multiple orders will be tracked and costs will continue to be reduced for all participating entities as more districts and governments purchase the equipment.
Pupil Transportation Study
Our shared service work continue t expand in studying and developing services for Regional Student Transportation. Supported by funding from the Local Government Innovation Fund, the ESC of Northeast Ohio is bringing together school districts in the County to study potential shared services in student transportation. we have also developed a quarterly Regional Transportation Network to provide an opportunity for all Transportation Services Directors to gain insight from each other and guide the ESC in developing some additional potential services that can be implemented in the near future.