Case Study: Heartland Area Education Agencies achieve timely, transparent line-item budgeting with PowerSchool BusinessPlus

BusinessPlus Promotes Collaboration & Results Between Heartland AEA and West Des Moines Community Schools

Heartland Area Education Agency and West Des Moines Community Schools teamed up to solve a persistent budgeting problem: West Des Moines—one of Iowa’s largest districts—couldn’t produce a detailed line‑item budget until months after the fiscal year began, leaving spending unclear and taxpayer funds hard to track. Heartland, which had long used BusinessPlus for finance and HR reporting, recommended a collaborative approach to address the timing and transparency issues.

The district implemented PowerSchool Unified Administration BusinessPlus Position Budgeting with guidance from a PowerSchool consultant and hands‑on support from Heartland staff. The tool automated year‑round HR and salary data collection, allowed scenario modeling during negotiations, pushed final budgets into the general ledger, enabled drill‑down detail for transparency, and ensured taxpayer dollars were properly allocated—resulting in a detailed line‑item budget ready at the start of the fiscal year.

Heartland Area Education Agencies

Rebecca McCreary

Accountant