Building and developing a school website using CMS is an easy exercise and one which is most enjoyable. The fun of imagining what’s going on with all the old classmates and the enjoyment of being part of the technology which will allow people who may have lost touch with each other over the years to get in contact again is a big part of volunteering to be the person who actually does the work.

Often school administrators do not have the resources to accomplish the work involved in building a school website using old fashioned methods. The time involved in writing programs, determining format and accessing needed files and records amounted to an insurmountable effort. Even if some volunteer had the knowledge and skills to do all the desktop publishing, site management and development and data management involved, they might not have the time to do the job right. This means that often a school web site could appear very amateurish and not representative of the talent needed to have a site the alumni could be proud of.

Since web site open source publishing is available. the modules that can be selected to plug into the website are professional quality. They represent millions of hours of work to date in designing and programming module which other people will find helpful. The great part about using open source is that it’s free to use. This means that schools and individuals don’t have to use pinched resources in order to pay for a professional quality site. Alumni will be happy to visit the site and add to the content.

Because the modules available to do the various tasks associated with publishing a website are open to the public, you need only download the portions which you need. This means that components of the website can be selected and combined with other desired features in the morning and have parts if not all of the website up and running in the afternoon.

There’s no time wasted in test drives of components; that has already been done. You simply make your selection, download the module and it’s ready to use immediately.

Once the web site is set up and running, if others want to add modules or components to the web site, it’s easy to do. You don’t need to worry about conflict between one module and the next. They are designed individually, but they are also part of a unified whole, thanks to the dream of the CMS staff.

Although schools and churches were quick to see the benefits of using CMS Web publishing, the software modules are also very appropriate for small businesses, service organizations, non-profit agencies and others where the importance of having a web presence is recognized, but the skills and abilities to construct such a site may not have been available previously. Now, the programming is already done, so even the person who doesn’t know much about the subject of web publishing can choose from a web site loaded with programming options and have a web site put together in a matter of hours

There are many benefits which can accrue to a school when the take advantage of Content Management Systems in order to prepare the school web site. These are both financial and other benefits which are more difficult to measure, but nevertheless are part of the positive results which accrue when the school takes the steps of planning, designing and implementing a school content management system.

FINANCIAL BENEFITS

The web site may save money for the school as a result of various components included within the web pages. Specifically, one of the components or modules included in the CMS is a place where fees can be collected. Many private schools have monthly fees for student tuition. By arranging to have a collection page on the web page, a great deal of money could be saved each month. No longer would the school be required to send out notices of the monthly student account. For the parents that were agreeable, the information could be placed in an email and sent to the parents in that way. Parents may even choose to be more prompt in making payments if they could go online with a credit or debit card and make payment. The parent saves a little money during the transaction as well.

In addition to collecting on student accounts, there may be other collection type emails and letters that could go out over the internet. For instance, an annual alumni drive is a fairly common project in many schools, both public and private. This campaign could easily be handled through the school website thus saving costs of mailing.

The costs of mailing and marketing expenses would be much reduced due to the use of the internet. No more mailing out letters reminding parents of influenza shots, or that the child needs to bring a permission slip and field trip costs during the next few minutes.

NON FINANCIAL BENEFITS

In addition to the financial benefits of the web presence, there are many non financial benefits for the school web site as well. The web site allows students and faculty, whether current or prior to know something about what’s going on in the school, even though the person is no longer part of the structure.

The school can use the web site to increase its standing in the community. The school web site which is open and straightforward about its mission, policies and regulations will have the respect of even those who don’t agree with the policies because of the honesty.

The school can be come a facilitator for community campaigns and activities. Not only is it good for the community as a whole, it’s a perfect training ground for the students to learn that they do have a responsibility to the community.

With increased knowledge of school activities, more people in the community are likely to come out for school activities. Instead of the school being a unfamiliar place, thanks to the internet, it has become a familiar and friendly location.