Lexington Public Schools Implement Online Payment Center

In an effort to conform to the standards of consumer protection law, the Lexington Public Schools this fall implemented a new online payment center with a goal of promoting convenience, peace of mind and immediate access for parents, school officials said.

Parents can pay for anything from field trips to athletic fees to overdue books through the system, said Mary Ellen Dunn, assistant superintendent for business and finance.

"We believe that a centralized revenue collection and recording system will provide efficiencies, consumer privacy protection and transparency to parents and the community regarding the money being requested for families for programs offered by the Lexington Public Schools," Dunn said.

With the online payment center, parents have the option of paying by cash (although not preferred, the system can track this type of payment), electronic check (which carries no fee) or by credit card. At this time, the credit card option does carry a convenience fee, depending on the amount of payment made. However, Dunn noted that the district is actively reviewing the data to see how this fee can be absorbed. 

Last year, 300 families volunteered to use the system and provide feedback on it. The changes currently in place that resulted from that feedback include getting rid of an electronic check fee. 

Dunn said a huge benefit to the new system is the centralized information. The online payment center is connected to the student database X2, allowing information to remain confidential by giving automatic deductions on payments to families who receive free and reduced lunch as well as notifying schools of families who also need to receive paper notifications about fees because they do not have electronic access.

It is also important to note that all information in the system is bound by confidentiality laws, and therefore although it is managed by an external company, information and e-mails cannot be shared with outside sources.

Any employee assessing a fee to a student MUST use the online payment center, notifying the parent and tracking the fee. Fees are entered into the system by the Student Activities Record Keeper and they, along with the Finance Department, can access the system.

Dunn believes that this concentrated system will be easier for parents, as they will only need to deal with the department assessing the fee and the Finance Office, should an issue arise.

Last year, the district was left with $8,000 in uncollected fees. At the end of the year, the district is responsible for any outstanding fees.

With the new system in place, Dunn believes that it will be "a mechanism to keep honest people honest." The district will be able to see where the shortfalls are and which employees are collecting enough money for field trips. 

This information can then be passed along to the taxpayer by spotlighting the fees that they are responsible for and will also allow for financial assistance to be budgeted in.

The online payment center can accessed at:  http://lps.lexington.org/index.shtml. Currently, a public payment kiosk is available at the Business Office at the Central Administration Building, 146 Maple Street (access via 328 Lowell St) from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.