Empowering Education: NJ Charter School Boosts Tech with Cooperative Purchasing

Uncommon Schools North Star Academy is dedicated to preparing every student for success in college and beyond. With a focus on joy and rigor in the classroom and a supportive environment, students receive the foundation they need to achieve their dreams. As one of New Jersey’s pioneering charter schools, they remain committed to providing students with an exceptional learning experience to propel them toward successful futures.

In order to make sure students continue to grow and thrive, Director of Operations Nick Yugo began working towards updating the technology at one of their campuses.

Keep reading to learn how he selected a supplier partner and worked with them to complete the project efficiently.

Need: Updated Technology

Nick recognized the importance of meeting students where they’re at in terms of technology in the classroom, and the powerful impact that can be made from upgrading something as timeless as the classroom projector.

With new wireless projectors from B&H Photo, teachers would no longer be tethered to the machine. Instead of a lecture format, teachers would be able to walk around the room and easily display student work with a few taps on a screen.

This new technology would further improve the learning experience by utilizing and integrating technology present in the world students experience outside of the classroom.

The Solution: Cooperative Purchasing Contract

In compliance with the New Jersey mandates, Yugo began exploring his options when it came to replacing the projectors within cooperatives. He ultimately decided to use B&H Photo through OMNIA Partners for this project.

“Using cooperatives is nice because there is set pricing whereas other avenues might not show accurate pricing, your quote may end up being higher than what’s on the website.”

Yugo worked with the B&H Photo team to select which projectors to purchase, and then worked with a 3rd party team for installation. His students now have a better learning experience, and the teachers can more efficiently do their jobs.

Strategic Purchasing Process

As a K-12 School in New Jersey, Yugo is required to use cooperative purchasing. This requirement helps the district manage finances and ensure compliance.

“Using a cooperative certainly helps the compliance aspect and gives us some peace of mind as we work with our finance department and ensure everything is reconciled and accounted for.”

Beyond cost savings and compliance, cooperatives, like OMNIA Partners, work to help school districts streamline their purchasing process and help them make the best procurement decisions to offer the best possible learning experience for students across the nation.

B&H Photo and OMNIA Partners

B&H Photo is the source for all your Audio/Visual and IT equipment needs and OMNIA Partners is proud to offer this unique program to help you streamline your purchasing process through an easy-to-use portal. They offer contracted, cost effective, and easy purchasing options on the full line of technology products, including photo, video, pro-audio, surveillance, computers, drones and peripherals. Their dedicated team of B2B account representatives dominate through commitment to service, knowledge of the products they offer, and close partnerships with vendor partners.

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