How Wicomico County Public Schools Revolutionized Its Event Scheduling

Scheduling thousands of events each year across dozens of school buildings is an enormous logistical challenge. For Wicomico County Public Schools (WCPS), that challenge was compounded by outdated tools and manual processes that drained time and resources.

However, by switching to Mazévo, the district streamlined its event management and reduced its HVAC scheduling time by 99% through smart integration.

Key Takeaways

• Wicomico Schools faced inefficiencies with a complex, poorly supported legacy scheduling system.  
• Switching to Mazévo decentralized scheduling for improved accountability and streamlined communication for all stakeholders.
• Integrating Mazévo with its HVAC system automated heating and cooling based on actual room usage, saving 99% of scheduling time.

The Challenge: Moving Beyond an Outdated Scheduling System

Wicomico County Public Schools, located on Maryland's Eastern Shore, serves more than 15,000 students across 26 schools and learning centers. Managing 1,200 rooms in 36 configured buildings is no small feat. For 15 years, District Rental Coordinator Therese Sander has overseen this complex operation. 

When Therese first started, the district had a paper-based system. "We would use paper forms to communicate what was being scheduled," she recalls. To centralize rental activities, the district adopted EMS. While it provided a digital hub, it soon became clear that the system wasn't the long-term solution.

 Over time, Therese noticed that the company’s customer service was declining. It seemed to her that they were turning their attention to other markets. Plus, costs were rising, and the system was simply not user-friendly. This complexity made it difficult for Therese to convince other staff members to use the system, creating a bottleneck and requiring her to manage almost everything on her own.

The Solution: A User-Friendly Scheduling Platform with Powerful Integrations

Knowing a change was needed, WCPS began evaluating other options. The district first considered SchoolDude, a system it already used for maintenance workorders. However, a thorough evaluation revealed that it couldn't link needed services or equipment directly to events—a critical failing that would have created more manual work rather than less.

WCPS then turned to Mazévo. The fact that Mazévo was built by the original team behind EMS gave confidence in the new platform. More importantly, Mazévo fulfilled all of the requirements of WCPS, offering a modern, intuitive interface that promised to be far easier for staff to adopt.

A key requirement for any new system was integration with WCPS HVAC controls. The district needed a way to automatically turn heating and cooling on and off based on actual room schedules to save energy and time.

The Results: Greater Accountability and Massive Time Savings

Switching to Mazévo transformed how Wicomico County Public Schools manages events. The user-friendly nature of the platform enables Therese to engage key stakeholders across the district, shifting the culture from one of centralized dependence to distributed accountability.

• Empowered school contacts. Each school now has designated Mazévo contacts who review and approve event submissions for their buildings directly in the system.
• Streamlined service management. Building service managers and IT staff at every school use Mazévo to pull daily reports. They can instantly see what events are happening and what specific custodial or technical services are required, eliminating the need for constant follow-up emails from Therese.
• Efficient communication logging. Therese uses Mazévo's email integration to log all customer correspondence and contracts directly into relevant event records. This keeps everything in one place, from insurance certificates to email chains, creating a completely electronic and easily searchable record trail.
• Increased community access. The district was able to grant system access to the county parks and recreation department, as well as third-party managers of facilities, such as its planetarium. These partners can now check space availability in real time, significantly reducing the need for back-and-forth inquiries.
• Data-driven decisions. Using utilization data from Mazévo, Therese conducted a study showing the district's rental rates were significantly lower than those of others in the state. This data helped convince the Board of Education to approve a rate increase to better cover costs while keeping facilities accessible to the community.

 Perhaps the most dramatic result was achieved through HVAC integration. By using Events2HVAC to connect Mazévo with the building automation system, the district automated climate control, achieving:

• 99% reduction in scheduling time. The integration eliminated the need for manual entry of HVAC schedules, resulting in a 99% reduction in time spent on this task.
• Significant energy savings. Heating and cooling now operate only when rooms are in use, rather than on predefined building-wide schedules, resulting in substantial energy and cost savings.

"Do it!" is Therese's advice to other districts considering the switch to Mazévo. “While setup takes effort,” she says, "once it's configured, it will help tremendously and make your job much easier."

Is It Time To Transform Your School District's Event Scheduling?

Discover how Mazévo can help you streamline operations and seamlessly integrate with your vital building systems. Contact us today to schedule a live demonstration tailored to your needs.