Sharpen Your Pencils and Your Purchasing Plans
We’re Headed Back to School!
Summer tans are fading, the scent of fresh notebooks is in the air, and your inbox is probably brimming with schedules, supply lists, and … oh yes … budget reminders. That’s right: it’s back-to-school season. And while the students are sharpening their pencils, it’s time for you to sharpen something else... your purchasing plans.
$30 Million Spent, $11.5 Million Saved
Yes, you read that right. Independent schools using the MISBO Purchasing Consortium spent just over $30.7 million in fiscal year 2025 and racked up an impressive $11.5 million in savings. That’s like budgeting for pencils and finding you’ve got enough left over for professional development. Translation: For every $1 spent, schools saved nearly 38 cents. Now that’s some math we like.
379 Schools, One Powerful Network
Across 379 independent schools, MISBO members flexed their collective buying power like the dream team they are. From furniture to flooring, facilities to financial software—you’re not just buying supplies. You’re making strategic, budget-savvy moves.
The Takeaway
This school year, don't just sharpen your pencils—sharpen your strategy. The MISBO Purchasing Consortium is here to help you stretch those dollars, streamline your purchasing, and sip your coffee a little more peacefully knowing you didn’t overpay for those 25 new Chromebooks.
Get Analyzed
If you’re not taking full advantage of MISBO’s buying power, it’s time to change that. Because nothing says “head of the class” like saving thousands without lifting a finger. Need to know where to start? Let MISBO perform a Vendor Analysis! Email Susan Kimmel, Director of the Purchasing Consortium, and let her know “MY SCHOOL NEEDS TO BE ANALYZED”. A simple download of the vendors your school has paid over the last 12 months will give her everything she needs to know to get you on your way to increased savings!
Email Susan for a Vendor Analysis
Familiarize students with their learning environment to maximize efficiency
Classrooms serve as the epicenter of learning and growth for pre-K–12 students. These spaces influence students’ academic progress, social development, and overall well-being. To optimize educational environments for effective learning, it is crucial to introduce students to classroom layouts, teach them how to manage furniture, and instill best practices for engaging with the furnishings, tools, and storage found within the space. Learning environment orientation should be an integral part of the pre-K–12 educational experience, and it will optimize learning and ease instruction.
Empowering Education on Windows on Arm Devices
Transforming the Educational Experience: Senso.cloud is the ultimate cloud-based solution for classroom management, device monitoring, and student safety, designed to transform the educational experience. Built on Microsoft Azure, it scales effortlessly from a single classroom to thousands of devices across multiple sites, supporting Windows, ChromeOS, macOS, and iOS including compatibility with Windows on Arm devices, unlike many other solutions.
Sharpen Your Pencils—And Your Book Fair Plans
Why It’s Time to Rethink the Fair and Switch to Literati Book Fairs
As an elementary book fair coordinator, you’ve got a lot on your plate—scheduling, organizing, communicating, and most importantly, inspiring young readers. So when it comes to planning your next book fair, here’s a tip: sharpen your pencils and your expectations. Because not all book fairs are created equal.
First Impressions Matter - Let’s Get It Right
As we gear up for a new school year, you likely have some new faces joining your team. It's crucial to ensure your onboarding and orientation are welcoming and thorough. While HR technology has streamlined many aspects of onboarding, the role of the manager remains essential in delivering a meaningful and engaging experience for new employees.
A successful onboarding process goes beyond completing checklists. It requires managers to set clear expectations, define early goals, facilitate key introductions, and stay actively involved during a new hire’s first months. Building trust, offering personalized support, and asking for feedback are also critical in helping new employees feel connected and set up for success.
White Glove Device Service
With the ProLogic ITS White Glove Device Service, you will receive planning, setup, and end-to-end management of your deployments. All devices will be up and running quickly, as our service ensures that each unit is pre-enrolled with activated user accounts. Based on our broad experience with complex deployment projects, we have optimized our approach to focus on the tasks required for success. The White Glove Device Service program was designed around critical deployment activities that drive success by
integrating systems quickly and seamlessly into your environment while also identifying areas where cost control opportunities are available.
White Glove Deployment Services with ProLogicITS
Grow Your Reading Culture This School Year
Level up your Library with Mackin
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Meet Your Match (for Purchasing, That Is!)
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Find Referrals Our new tool, School Scout, lets you search for partners and see which member schools are using them. Looking for real connections? Want insight before reaching out to a partner? Curious if your neighbor school is working with the same partner? This tool also allows you to filter by school size and state! |
See Your Savings We’re making it even easier for you to see the value of your MISBO membership! Welcome to our brand-new Benefits Report Download Tool! With just a click, you can instantly download your quarterly or annual benefits report, packed with insights like your savings, event attendance, and more. |
Director of the Purchasing Consortium
susankimmel@misbo.com
404.920.8844
Susan curates the MISBO Purchasing Consortium by maintaining and enhancing current partner relationships and pursuing new partnerships based on the needs of our members. Susan educates on and informs members of the benefits of utilizing the MISBO Purchasing Consortium. She facilitates communications with partners concerning contracts and product offerings and assists in providing optimal partner exposure. Susan has a bachelor’s degree in business administration, an MBA with an emphasis in MIS, and a certificate in Social Media Marketing and Leadership Excellence. In her spare time, Susan is a mom to four grown kids, Gigi to five adorable grandbabies, a personal growth junkie, crochet hobbyist, travel enthusiast, dog lover ... cat tolerator, DIY wanna-be, outdoorsy-ish, and an occasional binge watcher.
You want the best products and services at the best value. MISBO is here to make that simple. Whether you're looking for a trusted partner, have questions, or want expert guidance, our team is ready to help. Let us know what you need, we're just a message away.
You can reach Susan at the number and e-mail above, or set up a Zoom call with her here: MEET WITH SUSAN