Agenda Item
g. Approval of Finalsite Website Content Management System (Not to exceed $240,000)
Summary: Presented by: Dr. Kermit Belcher, Chief Information Officer, Division of Information and Instructional Technology
Request: It is requested that the DeKalb County Board of Education approve the website content management system with Finalsite in an amount not to exceed $240,000.
The cost includes $63,000 for implementation and district CMS for 2025-26 and $177,000 for set-up costs and schools and district CMS for 2026-27.
Why: The purpose of this agenda item is to support the Division of Information and Instructional Technology (DIIT) and district leadership in improving communication and family engagement through a unified website platform for the district and its schools. The current mix of different school websites results in inconsistent branding, varying accessibility levels, and high support requirements. This initiative will ensure a modern, secure, accessible, and centralized website experience for families, students, and staff.
Details: Finalsite provides a comprehensive website content management system designed specifically for school districts. The CMS platform will serve the district website and up to 140 school websites, replacing the existing fragmented web environment with a standardized solution.
Key Services:
CMS Core software for district and school websites
Two Theme Flex web designs to align school branding with district standards
Full content migration from current school websites prior to launch
30 hours of virtual instructor-led training for district staff
80 hours of Virtual Webmaster services to support content updates during implementation
The requested approval includes the initial year of services in the amount of $63,000 and authorization to renew for the next fiscal year in the amount of $177,000 to support project continuity and reduce implementation disruption across schools.
Financial impact: $240,000
General Fund
100.1000.553200.00011.7600.9990.0308.070.0000
Contact: Dr. Kermit Belcher, Chief Information Officer, Division of Information and Instructional Technology, 678.676.1274
Effective: March 2026
Status: Approved by the Office of Legal Affairs
Chronology Finalsite
The Division of Information and Instructional Technology (DIIT) seeks approval to modernize and
standardize website communication across the DeKalb County School District through the
implementation of the Finalsite Content Management System (CMS).
The Finalsite CMS will serve the district website and 140 school websites, offering a centralized
system to create, manage, and publish content. This effort will reduce variation between
schools, support equitable access to information, strengthen family engagement, and increase
efficiency in maintaining online communications. The transition includes district-wide design
standardization, full content migration, staff training, and implementation support to ensure a
smooth launch.
Implementation is planned to begin during the 2025–2026 school year, with Finalsite
responsible for configuring the CMS, migrating existing content, and launching the new
websites for the district and schools. The first year of the project includes CMS licensing for the
district and the first phase of school site setup. The initiative also includes 30 hours of virtual,
instructor-led training for district personnel and 80 hours of Virtual Webmaster services to
support initial content updates and ensure the platform is deployed efficiently.
Finalsite will provide the following services as part of the districtwide CMS implementation:
● CMS Core platform for the district website and 140 school websites, giving all locations
the same website system for publishing content.
● Two Theme Flex web designs to establish consistent branding across district and school
sites.
● Full content migration, meaning Finalsite will transfer existing site content into the new
CMS before launch.
● 30 hours of virtual instructor-led training to ensure district and school personnel are
prepared to manage the platform.
● 80 hours of Virtual Webmaster services to support content tasks during implementation;
this allows Finalsite staff to make updates on behalf of the district as needed.
● Technical setup and configuration of the CMS, with launch support for both district and
school sites.
The district is making the shift to Finalsite to unify school and district websites under one
modern platform, improve family communication, ensure consistent branding and accessibility,
and reduce the operational burden of maintaining multiple web systems.
Financial Impact:
Year Description Cost
2025-26 District Content Management System $50,000
2025-26 Setup Costs $13,000
2026-27 School Content Management System $120,000
2026-27 District Content Management System $50,000
2026-27 Setup Costs $7,000
TOTAL $240,000