GHCHS Automates with Helios
GHCHS is an independent public school that seeks to create lifelong learners and productive citizens of its student body. Since its conversion to charter in 2003, the school has seen its API score increased 115 points to 876. It has over 5,000 students and 2,000 more on the waitlist and over 500 employees.
In Brief
- Granada Hills Charter High (GHCHS) has been using Helios since 2010 for credentialing, HR tracking, CalPADS state reporting, evaluations, document management, and automated reminders.
- GHCHS has automated HR in a true sense with many reports and previously manual tasks such as sending credential reminders automated.
- Karla Diamond, HR Manager at GHCHS, is excited about existing features and new possibilities with Helios.
- GHCHS has saved many weeks of manual work and reporting time per year thanks to the quick reporting and automated features in Helios.
- GHCHS and Karla Diamond received a certificate of recognition from California Department of Education for complete accuracy in their CalPADS staff reporting.
Challenge
Before Helios, Granada had their HR data in paper files, spreadsheets, and scattered databases. They wanted a solution that can track all of their HR and personnel information and do reporting on that.
Helios as a Solution
“What used to take us 2 weeks to do now takes us 2 hours or less with Helios. We import the CalPADS staff info directly into the CalPADS system. Automatic TB and credential renewal emails save me lots of time and mailing costs,” said Karla Diamond, HR Manager, GHCHS.
Oversight Visits and Audits
GHCHS is now prepared for oversight visits and audits, even if they are at a moment’s notice. All the information needed is organized, and reports are easily and readily accessible. They can be exported to Excel, PDF, or other formats and printed quickly.
Automatic Reminders “Invaluable”
Automatic notifications for credential renewals and TB tests have been very helpful for GHCHS. Instead of going over manually the list of employees whose credentials or TB tests have expired, GHCHS just saves all time because Helios automatically emails them out directly to teachers and employees every month.
CalPADS and Other Reporting Made Seamless
“Helios has made GHCHS’s CalPADS reporting go much more smoother than it ever has,” said Ms. Diamond. Now, the CalPADS reporting process is streamlined – once the information is entered into Helios, it’s just a matter of pressing a button and exporting the CalPADS report in Helios. This alone has saved Karla and her staff 2 to 3 weeks of work.
In 2015, GHCHS and Karla Diamond received a certificate of recognition from California Department of Education for complete accuracy in their CalPADS staff reporting.
Evaluations and Observations
The evaluations module in Helios has enabled GHCHS to have tailored, customized templates to evaluate teachers and staff. This also helps the teachers get an email and printed copy of the evaluations so that they can refer to it in their email inbox whenever they want.
“I would greatly recommend Helios, it feels much more legitimate and professional to be able to keep all of the important data in one place,” exclaimed Ms. Diamond.