Clay County District Schools is currently the only district in Florida utilizing our existing Student Information System (SIS), which poses unique challenges in keeping pace with frequent Florida Department of Education (FLDOE) reporting requirements and compliance changes. With increasing budget constraints, it is more critical than ever that our SIS delivers the cleanest, most accurate data to maximize state funding and support district operations effectively. Currently, district staff are spending significant paid work hours manually adapting the current system to meet evolving state mandates—time that would be better devoted to directly supporting schools and staff.

The Focus SIS offers a flexible, modern platform that aligns with Florida’s reporting requirements and provides automation and integration to reduce administrative burden and improve data quality.

The Focus SIS offers a modern, customizable, and integrated platform that will streamline grading, attendance, registration, scheduling, and reporting processes. It includes built-in integrations with state platforms such as PEER, Florida Shots, and FASTER, enhancing data accuracy and compliance. This hosted solution supports high availability and disaster recovery, and will be implemented with a collaborative, transparent, and systematic approach beginning July 2026, ensuring stakeholder input throughout.  This implementation will allow us to create more efficient processes for all stakeholders.  

As the only district using this system in the state of Florida, we face increased difficulty accessing timely, accurate reports and automating workflows critical to data integrity and funding capture. Staff must expend valuable time customizing workarounds, diverting resources from core educational support functions.

Focus SIS addresses these gaps by providing a dynamic, state-aligned system that updates to the latest Florida-specific requirements, automates reporting, integrates key state platforms, and enhances data governance—allowing staff to focus on serving the district’s schools and students. Focus SIS is currently utilized in more than 45 districts out of the 67 Florida school districts. 

Previous incremental upgrades and internal process improvements have not fully met the district’s needs for comprehensive data management, reporting flexibility, or operational efficiencies. Stakeholder feedback consistently highlighted frustrations with report accessibility and manual workflows, prompting this full system evaluation and proposed transition.

• A flexible SIS that stays current with FLDOE reporting changes, ensuring ongoing compliance without manual system adaptations

• Simplified grade posting, attendance tracking, and scheduling for teachers and administrators

• Cleaner, more accurate student data that maximizes state funding capture for the district

• Reduced staff time spent on manual system fixes, allowing greater focus on supporting schools and instructional needs

• Automated reporting and workflow processes that improve overall operational efficiency

• Improved data governance through streamlined, integrated data management

• A cost-effective solution with projected savings compared to current system maintenance and upgrades

Goal 5 - Fiscal and Operational Efficiency

Strategy 5.4 Continue to provide all students and staff ubiquitous access to approved online applications, resources, and tools necessary for teaching, learning, communications, and operations.

The Technology Department recommends the Board approve the agreement to purchase and implement the Focus Student Information System at a total five-year cost of $2,259,227.61.

The School Board authorizes the School Board Chair and/or the Superintendent to finalize the written contract.