Southern School District Blows Print Budget By Nearly $1 Million...Again!

Posted by Rob Errera on 01/31/2019

With its cobblestone streets and waterfront views Charleston, South Carolina embodies the heart of the American South. But the Charleston County School District is also a prime example of the wastefulness of school boards across our nation. When will school leaders learn there’s a better way to handle printing costs!

Million-Dollar Mistake

According to Charleston’s Post and Courier, the Charleston County School District will overspend its printing and binding budget by nearly $900,000 unless district leaders take corrective action. This is the second consecutive year the CCSD has exceeded its print budget by nearly $1 million. The overage in printing costs is part of an $18 million budget shortfall from last school year that went undiscovered until this fall.

What Happened?

Interim Chief Financial Officer Glenn Steigman blamed the budget shortfall on poor budget-making decisions and a lack of tools to monitor print costs at the school.

Printer vendor Ricoh has not publicly responded but said it would work with Charleston to help reduce the school district’s printing costs.

No Surprises

These numbers aren’t surprising. Schools are one of the nation’s largest print-centric industries, with each school employee printing/copying an average of 20 pages per day. Our figures show school districts can save big money on prints costs — some as much as 40% — by switching to Toner Buzz.

Recent educational reports show the benefits of decreasing paper use in classrooms, pointing out that typical teachers spend 10% of their time copying, collating, and stapling, but only 1% of their time on evaluating curriculums, fundraising, and professional development. Offering ebooks as an alternative could save time and money!

Conclusion

While supplier agreements and outside print vendors are designed to save businesses and school districts money, they can easily have the opposite effect unless closely monitored. The Charleston School District should reconsider its contract with Ricoh and get its brand-name ink and toner cartridges for a lot less from Toner Buzz!

Rob Errera

Rob Errera is an award-winning journalist embedded in the world of printers and printing supplies. Rob has nearly two decades of experience writing about cutting edge technology, business trends, and the ever-evolving industry of printing.