Important changes to Alpine School District’s technology systems for the 2026-27 school year will affect the way parents access their students’ information and pay fees. There will also be a change to the way secondary students access district Chromebooks.
The district’s new student information system, Skyward Qmlativ, also known as “Skyward Q,” went live July 27. It replaces the old version of Skyward that Alpine School District has used for the last 18 years.
Darren Draper, Alpine School District Administrator of Technology and Digital Innovation, said the transition is designed to provide a more modern system while also preparing the district for its upcoming reconfiguration.
“Qmlativ is Skyward’s current-generation platform and provides a more modern and intuitive experience than the system we have used for the past 18 years,” Draper said. “It also gives us a more sustainable platform moving forward, with improved access to accurate and timely student information and a system that can continue to evolve as Skyward develops new functionality.”
While the new system may take some adjustment for families and employees who have used the previous platform for years, Draper said the district expects the change to provide long-term benefits.
“There will certainly be an adjustment period for families and employees who have used the previous version for many years, but we believe the long-term experience will be an improvement,” he said.
Parents can use their existing Skyward username and password to access Skyward Q. Parents who use the Skyward mobile app will need to delete and reinstall the app so it connects to the new system.
The district is asking parents to log in and complete the Annual Student Information Update for each student as soon as possible.
As part of the update, parents will also review and acknowledge the district’s Acceptable Use Policy. That acknowledgment must be completed before a student’s district technology accounts, including Google and Chromebook access, are fully reactivated.
“Probably the most important thing we would ask parents to do right now is log in to the new Skyward Q system and complete the Annual Student Information Update and Acceptable Use Policy for each of their students before school begins,” Draper said. “This will ensure that their students can log in to the various technology systems their teachers will ask them to use during the first weeks of school.”
Alpine School District is scheduled to transition to three independent school districts beginning in July 2027. As part of that process, each new district will need its own student information system. Draper said the district determined that moving to Skyward Qmlativ during the 2026-27 school year would give staff time to learn and establish the new system before the three districts begin operating independently.
“In many cases, the changes are actually happening because we are preparing for the district reconfiguration,” Draper said.
Rather than carrying the older Skyward system into the reconfiguration, the district decided to make the transition while its existing teams and expertise are still together.
“This gives the three new districts a much stronger starting point,” Draper said.
Families will also see a change in how they pay school fees this year. Alpine is moving from MySchoolFees to SchoolCash Online for the 2026-27 school year. The change comes after MySchoolFees discontinued the district’s previous payment platform. “MySchoolFees was discontinued, so a replacement was necessary regardless of the reconfiguration,” Draper said.
Draper said families should receive an email invitation from SchoolCash Online with instructions for creating an account. Parents can then associate their students with the account. Families who do not receive an invitation can contact the front office of the school their students attend.
Depending on the school, some course-related fees may appear at different times as schools complete the process of setting them up.
Another technology change students and families may notice this year involves the way secondary students access their district Chromebooks.
Alpine is transitioning from Clever to ClassLink as a single sign-on ed tech integration platform. Students will continue using the same district username and password, but the login screen and application dashboard will look different.
The district is also continuing to expand resources for parents concerning student technology use. These resources include information about internet filtering, monitoring, digital citizenship, and tools parents can use to understand better and manage their children’s school technology experience. The resources are available through Alpine School District’s “Navigating Technology: Partnering with Parents” page.
Draper encouraged parents to review the district’s technology resources and complete the required Skyward information update before classes begin.