Your Back-to-School Purchasing Cheat Sheet
The buses are getting tuned up, the pencils are being sharpened, and school teams everywhere are officially back in action! Behind every smooth start is a whole lot of planning, purchasing, problem-solving, not to mention a LOT of caffeine.
This back-to-school edition of Fun with Purchasing is packed with timely ideas, helpful resources, and smart solutions from MISBO Consortium Partners ready to support your classrooms, employees, facilities, and everything in between. Consider it your back-to-school cheat sheet!
Grab your Trapper Keeper, because we’ve sorted these resources by subject!
Business Office, HR & Employee Benefits
Support for the people, programs, and processes that keep schools running behind the scenes:
School Operations, Reimagined
FACTS offers an intelligence-driven framework designed around the family experience and powered by data. With advanced analytics and insights, FACTS Intelligence provides data in context, increasing clarity and helping schools plan more effectively.
Welcome to a world of school technology and K-12 SaaS solutions that connect
you to a unified ecosystem.
Is Your School HR-Ready for 2026-2027?
A Back-to-School Checklist for Independent School Leaders. A new school year brings new HR challenges. From compensating faculty competitively to managing complex staff leaves, independent schools need the right people, policies, and partners in place before the bell rings.
Back-to-School HR Checklist
As your staff head back to school, many of them are still carrying student debt they don't realize could be forgiven. SavvyFi helps school employees - teachers, coaches, and staff - navigate federal student loan forgiveness, including Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF). One music teacher we recently worked with had no idea he already had 160 of the 120 qualifying payments needed and is now on track to have his loans forgiven by the holidays.
Here's a pre-recorded webinar to help inform your team of their options, plus a quick look at how your school can support them with a benefit that really matters.
And, Save the Date! Join us for a Lunch and Learn on September 15 for administrators and staff covering the latest federal student loan updates and guidance. Everything teachers and staff need to know about recent changes to repayment plans, PSLF, and more.
Give Your Benefits Program a Back-to-School Report Card
The start of the school year is a good time to evaluate how well your benefits program is supporting your employees, administrators, and your school's broader goals.
Rate your school in each category and identify where attention may be needed.
The ISBC Health Hub
The ISBC Health Hub gives members exclusive access to a dedicated service line, along with monthly updates packed with valuable health resources, tips, and information.
To learn more about the ISBC partnership, contact Mark Catanzaro at Mcatanzaro@unisonriskadvisors.com or 516.987.0263.
Modern Human Capital Management Built for K-12
Most HR platforms weren’t designed for schools; they were adapted. Red Rover was
created for the way districts actually work, with five purpose-built solutions that are
natively integrated. No workarounds. No disconnected systems. Just modern HCM
designed specifically for K–12 from the ground up.
Facilities, Operations & Transportation
Solutions for keeping campuses safe, clean, functional, and moving in the right direction.
Keep your school clean, stocked and prepared!
Your commitment to meeting expectations for a clean, prepared school has
never been stronger. Make sure you exceed those expectations, and give
your students and staff peace of mind, with the help of essential products
and scheduled service visits from Cintas.
Are Your Facilities Ready for School to Start? Tradesmen International can help!
Tradesmen International provides skilled trades workers of all types (electricians, plumbers, carpenters, HVAC technicians…) as needed, allowing institutions to accomplish more by increasing their capabilities while controlling costs. Tradesmen International has 170+ offices with local team members to serve you and have been an industry leader for over 30 years.
Learn More
K12 Cleaning: How Schools Can Save Labor in a Budget Crunch
As K12 schools across the country grapple with tighter budgets, operational efficiencies have become more crucial than ever, especially in facilities management. One of the most labor-intensive and costly components of facilities management is cleaning and custodial work. Fortunately, schools can reduce labor costs and improve cleanliness outcomes by adopting these three key strategies:
OperationsHERO provides simple but powerful solutions that help you manage: Work orders, Scheduled Maintenance (PM), Inspections, Inventory Management, Event Management and Community Use, Energy Management, and Capital Planning.
Better solutions for MISBO members!
Join Pro Xtra to save time, save money and unlock exclusive MISBO member benefits, such as:
Save 20% on paints, stains, & primers*
Unlock Lower-Than-Shelf Pricing
PO Ordering and Invoicing with net terms
Big playground improvements don’t have to mean big-budget headaches! From quick upgrades to complete playground solutions under $25,000, Korkat offers smart, affordable ways to bring more fun, fitness, and fresh air to your school community.
Easy Playground Upgrades
Under $25,000 Playground Projects
Classroom, Arts & Hands-On Learning
Creative supplies, classroom essentials, educational products, and hands-on experiences.
Build stronger math skills today and prepare students for the careers of tomorrow.
Kai’s Education provides a complete coding and robotics pathway, beginning with screen-free learning through KaiBot and progressing into advanced robotics, automation, artificial intelligence, and career-connected learning through KaiLab.
Blick Essentials:
Tempera Cakes; 34 New Sets & 20 New Colors, More Creativity, less cleanup!
Use code QD20MIS when ordering from Blick to receive MISBO contract prices.
Books, Curriculum & Digital Learning
Resources to keep students reading, learning, exploring, and engaged.
AccessScience® is the most trustworthy, broad-based, online scientific reference available today. An award-winning gateway to scientific knowledge, it offers exclusive articles with links to primary literature, related news and videos, plus textbooks to
support undergraduate science curricula. With these and other integrated features, AccessScience is continually expanding how it can demonstrate and explain core, trustworthy scientific information that inspires and guides users to deeper knowledge.
Rosen Digital welcomes you to the 2026/2027 school year. Here are some great tools to make the most of your subscriptions. Posters and bookmarks found in the Librarian/Educator Resource sections can be customized with your school’s information and a QR code direct to the resources.
Start the school year with more “aha!” moments and less time searching! BrainPOP’s new learning tools and built-in curriculum alignments help teachers deepen understanding, spark collaboration, and connect engaging content directly to their ELA and science lessons.
Kick off the new school year with classroom activities that help students build
connections while exploring PebbleGo. From collaborative icebreakers to creative
projects with the Creation Tool, these first-week ideas make it easy to foster community, encourage inquiry, and introduce resources students will use all year long.
Keep books on the shelves, and out of the repair pile, with Bound to Stay Bound! Their durable, library-grade books deliver lasting value, while keeping it simple to replace lost or damaged titles, helping schools stretch their budgets.
The Bound to Stay Bound Difference
Support our Library
The Value of Bound to Stay Bound Books
Lesson planning just got a whole lot easier! MISBO members have free, unlimited access to Scholastic Teachables, with more than 30,000 expert-vetted, printable resources that help PreK–6 teachers quickly find, print, and teach.
FactCite’s 13 award-winning (and affordable) databases cover all grade levels and reading proficiencies. All content is original, written to support curriculum: biographies, American history, countries and cultures, mythology, science, primary sources, and more!
Susan Kimmel
Director of the Purchasing Consortium
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 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, Leadership Excellence, and AI Prompting. 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: