Clifton, NJ - May 7, 2025 - Every year, technology leaders face a mountain of challenges in setting up accounts and systems in time for students to return to school. To help, on May 2, ClassLink and Savvas brought together school and vendor leaders at the 2025 BTS Summit to reimagine how to solve these problems and create a better back-to-school experience.
Here are the highlights from the 2025 BTS Summit!
BTS Challenges
Preparing for the next school year does not just happen during the busy summer months known as "Back-to-School"— it's a year-round effort. This year, summit attendees tackled the following BTS challenges together.
- Funding and Sustainability: Planning for continuous tech funding after grants end and keeping initiatives thriving.
- Procurement: Buying tech efficiently while managing budgets, AI impacts, vendor negotiations, and compliance.
- App Management: Carefully selecting and managing apps to ensure security, compatibility, and policy alignment.
- Digital Security: Strengthening cybersecurity to protect systems and sensitive student and staff data.
- AI Literacy: Preparing teachers and students to use AI tools critically and ethically, while districts await new federal guidance and funding opportunities.
Help Us Build a Better BTS!
After each BTS Summit, Leadership Workgroups are formed to continue the BTS conversation and address back-to-school challenges throughout the year by creating solution assets based on the ideas generated during the Summit.
Join a Leadership Workgroup from now until June 30, 2025 to work through one of the above BTS challenges with fellow education thought leaders and vendor partners.
Email our team at bts.summit@classlink.com to join a Leadership Workgroup today!
BTS Resource Toolkit
Learn what our Leadership Workgroups have accomplished since last year’s BTS Summit in the BTS Resource Toolkit, 2nd Edition. Keep an eye out for the 3rd edition coming this fall!
Special Thanks to Our Moderators and Leadership Workgroup Chairs
It takes partnerships to make back-to-school a success; that's why we're thankful for the support and participation of our BTS Summit moderators and Leadership Workgroup Chairs. Sincere thanks to the Moderators and Leadership Workgroup Facilitators below!
Moderators
- Allison Herold (Calhoun School)
- Angela Green (Klein ISD)
- Anthony Clemmons (Red Clay SD)
- Greg Bagby (Hamilton County Schools)
- Brian McIntosh (Edcite)
- Jason Collette (Savvas)
- Jennifer Williams (Newtown County SD)
- Moshe Fried (ClasStars)
- Victor Karkar (Scrible)
Leadership Workgroup Facilitators
- Allison Reid (Wake County Public Schools)
- Ann McMullan
- Diane Doersch
- Donna Williamson
- Gene Silverman
- June Atkinson
- Marlo Gaddis
- Sheryl Abshire
- Tina Barrios
Learn more about the BTS Summit and explore back-to-school resources.