Savannah-Chatham Digitalizes to Faster, Smarter Staffing

By adopting PowerSchool’s Applicant Tracking System (ATS) and Employee Records solutions, Savannah-Chatham County Public School System (SCCPSS) in Savannah, Georgia, modernized its hiring and onboarding process—saving time, increasing application volume, and enhancing data-driven decision-making.

With more than 55 schools to staff and nearly 36,000 students to serve, the HR professionals at Savannah-Chatham County Public School System are constantly hiring, onboarding, and supporting employees. Before implementing PowerSchool, Savannah-Chatham County Public School System relied on a fragmented applicant tracking solution that lacked contract functionality. “They had control over our contracts, and retrieving and seeing our data was not easy,” recalls Dr. Michel Pantin, Executive Director of Talent Services at SCCPSS. “That’s what made us seek out a product that offered applications and a contract solution together.” 

Since making the switch to PowerSchool in January 2019, the HR team has benefited from the seamless integration of PowerSchool’s solutions. These tools brought all parts of the hiring process—recruitment, personnel actions, onboarding, and signatures—into one digital ecosystem. 

More applications, less manual work  

The system’s ease of use has made a notable difference for applicants. “Once you’ve completed a profile, it’s easy to go back in and apply for multiple jobs without retyping your information,” says Dr. Pantin. “We’ve definitely seen an increase in applications.” 

This increase hasn’t just helped with staffing—it’s also given the district more insight. “One of the features I really like is that you can run reports to see how many applications you’ve received over a period of time,” Dr. Pantin explains. “We compare year over year from January to December, even though that spans two school years.” 

The team also saves significant time by using bulk communication features. “To sit there and send individual emails to everyone who applied for a job could take hours,” says Dr. Pantin. “Now I can use the email feature in ATS and send one message that goes out individually to every selected applicant—it’s time saving at its best.” 

Electronic records that power HR 

Records transformed the district’s HR workflow well before remote work made it essential. “It positioned us well during COVID,” says Dr. Pantin. “While the rest of the world was trying to figure out how to onboard people, we already had a fully electronic process. All the forms we needed were ready to go.” 

The district now uses Employee Records not just for contracts, but also for employee letters, signature requests, and notifications any document requiring staff acknowledgment. “We use it throughout the year now, not just during contract season,” she notes. 

One of her favorite features? “The reporting features—being able to run reports on who’s done what, who hasn’t completed a task, and send reminders. That in itself is time saving.” 

Easy implementation—even for non-IT teams 

The transition to PowerSchool was straightforward. “We’re HR people, not IT people,” Dr. Pantin says. “But we were given great step-by-step guides. We’d sit in training, follow the steps, and configure the system to our needs.” 

She adds that PowerSchool’s online community and dedicated support were crucial during implementation and beyond: “Having a support team we could email or call—especially during peak contract season—was invaluable.” 

Supporting strategic goals with real-time data  

PowerSchool’s solutions don’t just make life easier for HR—they help the district meet its broader goals. “We are focused on our strategic plan and key performance indicators,” said Dr. Pantin. “PowerSchool helps us reduce vacancies by showing us things like time-to-fill and where applicants are coming from. That data supports our decision-making.” 

Whether it’s identifying hard-to-fill roles or optimizing hiring timelines, having that data at their fingertips allows the district to stay ahead. 

A real return on investment 

With PowerSchool, Savannah-Chatham County Public School System has built a streamlined, data-informed HR process that’s scalable, user-friendly, and aligned to district goals. “The system pretty much does exactly what you tell it to do,” said Dr. Pantin. “And we’re getting a real return on investment.”