When you’re hiring across 70 schools and serving 41,000 students, clunky systems and paperwork aren’t just inconvenient—they create real bottlenecks. At Fayette County Public Schools, outdated processes slowed hiring, onboarding, and evaluations.
Over a multi-year rollout, Dr. Marty Mills, Director of Human Resources Systems and Processes, led the transition to PowerSchool Talent Solutions, which helps the district speed up tenure notifications, digitize 100% of staff evaluations, and create a smoother experience for every new hire.
We asked him to walk us through the district’s journey—what drove their decision, how they approached implementation, and what’s changed since they started using PowerSchool.
Why did FCPS choose PowerSchool?
Dr. Mills noted that features alone weren’t enough. One of the top priorities for the district was “working with a company that was innovative in their thinking, progressive, and willing to help customize the product to meet our needs.”
“That’s what we have found with PowerSchool. Over the past two years, I’ve worked very closely with customer service and different reps, and one of the things that I have found is I’m either connected with somebody or [support] has already fixed the problem or given suggestions on what to do next,” he shares.
How did you approach the rollout?
FCPS now uses four PowerSchool Talent Solutions: SmartFind Express, Perform, Records, and Applicant Tracking. Dr. Mills knew from experience that rolling out multiple systems at once would overwhelm staff. Instead, the team paced implementation to match district needs.
“We started with SmartFind Express because it was summer, and we felt that was what schools needed immediately,” he explains. “Then we implemented Perform because of the evaluations later that fall.”
Stakeholder buy-in was key. He noted that waiting to launch Applicant Tracking gave them “time to do a lot of planning and training sessions with all of our hiring managers,” which led to stronger adoption.
Using this approach, the district “could be more intentional and more focused on each product as we unveiled it,” he continues.
Internally, a dedicated PowerSchool Core team within HR helped drive alignment and consistency. By bringing together diverse perspectives from across the department, the team ensured each solution rollout was grounded in real-world needs—and guided by a shared commitment to doing what’s best for the district’s students and staff.
What impact have you seen?
The new systems began to deliver impact quickly.
Faster Tenure Processing
With faster access to key HR data, FCPS no longer leaves staff in limbo. “Instead of having to wait until October or November to let them know who has tenure, we’re now able to let them know that in August,” says Dr. Mills.
Stronger Evaluation Compliance and Insight
The digital evaluation process ensures accountability. “It makes it very difficult for a supervisor to not complete evaluations. Now it’s almost impossible just because of the way the technology is set up and the reminders.”
Every district employee—certified and classified—is evaluated through Perform, and the process is now fully paperless, streamlining oversight and reducing administrative overhead.
Smoother Onboarding and Task Tracking
New hires now get clear, timestamped instructions. “When we onboard new employees, they receive their task list. We love that it timestamps it. They can see things that they need to complete,” Dr. Mills explains.
What advice would you give other districts?
Dr. Mills encourages districts to “really assess what your needs are.” He also encourages leaders to speak with peers who’ve implemented PowerSchool. His conversations with other Kentucky leaders have helped identify common pain points and solutions.
Modernize your HR operations
For Dr. Mills, the real win was building a system that reflects how the district works. With PowerSchool, the district has a scalable talent strategy that's more inclusive, more efficient, and fully aligned with their goals—from onboarding to retention.
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