New WCS Financial Software Up and Running

Published January 11, 2007

Williamson County Schools is now working with a more user-friendly software package that should improve the accuracy of financial reporting. The MUNIS system is used for both finance and human resources. It will be used for things like payroll, accounts payable, and financial reporting.

The first round of paychecks cut by the new system will be out this week. The system will keep better track of the paycheck information and vacation/sick leave balances. In the future, it will also allow employees to check the information online.

"The information for employees will be right at their fingertips," says Williamson County Schools Budget and Finance Director Leslie Holman. "It's putting the responsibility for checking the accuracy of paycheck and leave information on the employee. Plus they'll eventually be able to check pay history, change their address, and request time off."

The MUNIS system also means budget information can be directly entered into the system by department heads and can be accessed much easier than before. Human resources will also benefit greatly from the new system. If a prospective employee applies for a job online and gets hired, the information entered during the application process will be pulled into the financial system. It eliminates the need for double-entries.

The system isn't foolproof, and Holman says certain aspects will have to be tweaked as time goes on.

"We've taken baby steps, so it's taken some time," says Holman. "We're going to continue to baby step as we go along so we don't get overwhelmed. It's a canned package, so we've lost the customization we had with our old system. But it also has more features, and that is more beneficial for us as a growing system."

Those working on the financial front lines are optimistic about MUNIS's capabilities and are hoping it will make their lives easier as they cut about 4,000 paychecks every two weeks.

"We hope its going to increase the accuracy of our reporting," says Chief Payroll Officer Ann Leslie. "It also will hopefully be a big timesaver for us as it will cut down on a lot of our paperwork."

Assistant Budget and Finance Director Vickie Robbins helped lead the financial teams through the long process of getting the system rolling, which started in November 2005.

"I think it's going to really help out our department," says Robbins. "It will increase accuracy and because pay statements will be emailed in the future, it will hopefully save us time and money when it comes to paper, folding, and courier services."

"I'm proud of what Vickie, the financial department, and human resources have done," says Holman. "They've made every target date set. The payroll department has worked every weekend since Thanksgiving to make sure that happened."

Williamson County Schools employees wanting more information on these changes can go to the intranet site, click on "forms," then "budget/finance," then "paycheck detail."