Overview

When Sara Helms transitioned from school bookkeeper to Internal Auditor at Stanly County Schools, she brought over 20 years of firsthand experience with school finance processes. 

Like many districts, Stanly County Schools was under pressure to modernize its financial operations. Reliance on cash and manual processes not only consumed valuable staff time, but also left the district exposed to risk. 

By implementing KEV Group’s school finance platform, the district transformed from cash-dependent manual processes to a fully digital operation that eliminated risks and turned audits into stress-free experiences.

The Challenge

Manual processes and mounting risks

With a mission to ensure all students achieve their full potential through high-quality educational experiences, Stanly County Schools serves 8,800 students across 22 schools in Stanly County, North Carolina.

Each school processes nearly $2 million annually, yet the district relied on paper-based ledgers and handwritten entries — an error-prone system incapable of providing the real-time visibility needed to safeguard such large sums. Despite Sara’s deep experience, the district struggled with manual processes that created both operational inefficiencies and significant risk.

Manual ledger systems required handwritten entries for every transaction. “When I was a school bookkeeper starting out, we had something called a McBee Ledger,” Sara recalls. “Everything was handwritten: all the debits and the credits, and the checks. So you had to keep ledgers of every account and everything that was being spent from those accounts.”

Meanwhile, school bookkeepers were overwhelmed, wearing multiple hats in the school offices while managing complex manual processes. They handled student medications, daily administrative tasks, and financial entries, all while worrying about missing key numbers that could throw off entire account balances. Without a single source of truth, the district lacked a clear picture of its financial health.

The Solution

A purpose-built K-12 finance platform

Sara implemented KEV Group’s school finance platform to address inefficiencies and reduce risk, recognizing the need for a system capable of managing the district’s large financial volume while providing real-time visibility and control over every dollar.

The platform unified financial management across all schools — covering everything from athletics events and field trips to technology fees. “Moving to SchoolCash Online has been the best thing we’ve ever done to eliminate handling so much money,” Sara states. “The money flows straight through the platform, not through the doors of our schools.”

Seamless implementation with zero downtime

The transition exceeded expectations in both simplicity and reliability. “The implementation was very simple,” Sara explains. “We did a penny test. I could see it hit the bank. I could see it come back out… We had no days without any work. Everything just kept rolling. It was very smooth.”

“We moved to KEV Group onto SchoolCash Online and that has been the best thing we’ve ever done as far as helping our schools to eliminate handling so much money. The money is now flowing straight through SchoolCash Online, not through the doors of our schools.”

– Sara Helms, Internal Auditor, Stanly County Schools

District-wide consistency and payment convenience

The district’s implementation approach included moving all activity fees and fundraisers online. Parents enjoy the convenience of instant receipts, while schools benefit from ACH deposits directly into accounts. District leaders now have integrated financial management and standardized processes across all 22 schools.

The Results

Paperless audits and high parent participation

Stanly County Schools’ shift to KEV Group’s school finance platform delivered measurable improvements across every dimension:

Dramatic cash reduction

The district reduced cash handling by 98%, with some larger schools now refusing cash entirely. “Some of our larger schools don’t even accept cash. If they do, they tell parents you can use a card and they come back with a card,” Sara notes. Students now carry debit cards instead of cash, and bookkeepers rarely make bank deposits due to the shift to digital payments.

Massive time savings for bookkeepers

Bookkeepers gained back up to 80% of their time. “They’re no longer counting cash, building spreadsheets, or running to the bank — the system does it automatically,” Sara explains. The biggest gains came in middle and high schools with large athletics programs.

Paperless audits

Audit preparation, once a dreaded process requiring banker boxes, is now nearly paperless. “This is our first year going almost 100% paperless for an audit,” Sara explains. “Our auditors this year did not require any banker boxes where in the past, schools were bringing two to three banker boxes.”

 “This is our first year going almost 100% paperless for an audit.” 

– Sara Helms, Internal Auditor, Stanly County Schools

Sara can now audit schools remotely from her central office, providing real-time oversight without physical visits. “All of the reports that they would normally be sending to me are all uploaded, which means I can stay on top of it and audit them from my office on a daily basis. I can go into any school or any issue and look at it versus having to physically drive out to that school to go through their books.”

Parent adoption and positive feedback

Parent participation soared, reaching 89% district-wide, with inner-city schools improving from 45% to 71%. Low-cost activities like $1 ice cream days drove adoption, and parents now praise the platform’s convenience. One parent told Sara: “I was able to pay all of my children’s tech fees with no problem.”

The impact of technology supported by a trusted partner

Sara’s 20+ year journey from handwritten ledgers to district-wide digital transformation highlights what schools truly need from K-12 financial technology: efficiency, simplicity and trusted support.

“Our bookkeepers’ time is valuable,” Sara emphasizes. “They have so many things to do, so many things going on in the school, and with the KEV Group programs we have, it’s flawless. The platform communicates with our SIS program and with our families.”

Just as important, Sara emphasizes the partnership behind the technology. “I am honored to be able to work with the KEV Group, the teams that I’ve worked with, even Kim, the co-owner. She personally contacts me and other people as well and she’s so helpful and wants us to succeed. And that’s hard to find in the business world.”

Stanly County Schools’ experience shows that when the right technology is backed by the right partner, districts can save time, reduce risk, and strengthen trust with their communities.