Introducing The Best Time Tracking Software for K12 (It's Time to Put Down the Pencil)

It may be 2021, but a shocking number of school districts still use paper and pencil to track and manage employee time. And while it may feel like "the way it's always been done," manual time tracking is like the dial-up of the internet. Or the MySpace of social media. In short, it's time for it to go.

While employee time tracking systems have often been clunky and not built for the needs of K-12, technology has (thankfully) evolved, and school districts have much better options now for employee time tracking.

Why Pen and Paper Time Sheets Aren’t the Best Time Tracking Technique

Pen and paper time sheets have been used by school districts for decades. Unfortunately, there’s just too much room for error—not just for administrators, but for the employees who fill them out, the administrative assistants who track down late time sheets, the supervisors tasked with interpreting illegible handwriting, and the payroll staff who use accounting software to enter the information.

Paper time sheets also have a proven history of time fraud, inefficiency, and human error. Payroll managers bear the brunt of these issues, and efficient payroll is crucial to any district; 80 percent of its budget goes to compensating employees. 

Thankfully, there's a better way!

Red Rover: a Modern Time Tracking Software Solution

Red Rover is helping school districts move employee time tracking into the 21st century, with a modern, easy-to-use system built for K-12.

Red Rover was conceptualized by experts with more than two decades of experience in the education and technology fields; our chief customer officer has worked with thousands of school districts to learn and understand your needs!

Red Rover’s time tracking management software: 

• Provides a simple and intuitive workflow for all users, which creates more useful output and efficient payroll operations
• Ensures staff members are paid correctly and on time
• Allows employees to log in and manage their time on desktop “kiosks,” which are placed in convenient locations in the school
• Ensures financial resources are allocated and used correctly
• Provides insight and transparency into how employees spend their time
• Categorizes employees—such as food service workers, permanent teachers, subs, custodial staff, bus drivers, and so forth—based on district needs 
• Utilizes electronic time sheets for fast and easy time tracking that can be submitted and approved quickly
• Provides optional state-of-the-art ID card readers that allow employees to swipe cards when coming and going, simplifying the clock in and out process
• Is accompanied by a user-friendly and free app that allows employees to request time off from home while also allowing administrators to approve or deny time off
• Is simple to set up and can be learned quickly by administrators and teaching staff
• Rolls out new updates regularly based on customer feedback

Phew! Excited about electronic time tracking yet? Here's a few more reasons to get excited. 

Red Rover time tracking can be implemented on any scale for any group of school employees. That means you can test out Red Rover’s time tracking software with a small group of employees first to see how well it works before implementing a full-scale rollout. 

Unlike most time tracking software platforms, Red Rover works cohesively with other software systems that you're currently using.

And unlike the majority of time and attendance software, it was designed for K-12 schools and the unique nuances around positions, contractual obligations, ever-changing schedules, and multiple locations. 

“After seeing what Red Rover did with absence management, we couldn’t be more delighted to extend our partnership to include Red Rover’s time tracking solution,” Gary Kennedy, director of operations for Riverview Community School District, said. “We believe this could save us a significant amount of time and allow us to accurately track time.”

Ready to Modernize Time Tracking?

Paper time sheets and other outdated methods can waste time or resources and are susceptible to error—but the best time tracking software can bring your school district into the 21st century.