HES Migration Planning

Our top priority is understanding your school’s tuition needs and working with you to move from HES to another solution in our portfolio that meets your needs. TADS and Diamond Mind, two leading K-12 brands, offer tuition management solutions, albeit with different capabilities. The chart below will allow you to better understand how these solutions compare so you can decide what works best for your school and families.
Hosting & Accessibility
TADS is a cloud-based, full service school administrative software solution. Schools can opt for just the Tuition & Billing Management module or take advantage of additional modules that automate Admission, Enrollment, Financial Aid and Student Information. 
TuitionPay by DiamondMind is a cloud-based solution that enables schools to offer their families a branded, online portal to make tuition payments– either in full or via affordable payment plans.
Key Capabilities of Solution
TADS automated tuition agreements enable schools and families to complete their contract process entirely online.

Schools can track in real time when parents set-up agreements/billing accounts and make payments.

Billing module can accommodate tuition, annual fees and any ad-hoc or incidentals such as aftercare, lunch, field trips, class fees.

TuitionPay is a self service payment solution for a school and its families.

Families can easily set up automatic, recurring payments in TuitionPay. They can also sign up for tuition plans, update payment details and review reports through a self-service online portal.
 
Schools can make the solution cost neutral by passing on the credit card & ACH fees to payers, or can choose to absorb all or part of the fees (state regulations apply).
Remittance

The school provides a bank account for remittances and remittance is held for 5 business days to ensure they clear the bank. School’s may receive up to 6 deposits per month.

Daily deposits are routed directly to a school-owned bank account. Typical credit card batches are deposited 1-2 business days after settlement and ACH batches are deposited 3-4 days after settlement.
Reporting updates
The TADS system and reports are updated in real time and available 24/7 in the solution.
TuitionPay reports are are updated in real time and available 24/7 in the solution.
Report breadth and depth
Full suite of reporting, including monthly reconciliation, ability to monitor aging and cash flow.
Reporting includes tracking by date range, drill down to individual names, and Payment Plans vs One-Time Payments. No delinquent account tracking.
Customer Support
School and family support plus a dedicated Customer Success Manager.
School support with a dedicated Account Executive and Client Services team.
Mailings & Communications
Fully online and electronic for sending agreements, invoice reminders and past due follow-up.
Any tuition-related family communication would be managed by the school.
Payment options
Expanded payment options with lower credit card fees.
ACH, credit or debit cards accepted for one time or automatic, recurring payments.

FAQs

Will I receive the same great customer service I have been receiving from the HES team?

Yes – and more! You’ll receive full training on the new platform, and have access to both your Implementation Specialist, our School Support team, and our online self-help resources. And of course, we’ll always provide additional trainings as needed!

Why was this decision made mid- year?

At HES, we are committed to providing your school and families a secure and intuitive solution with professional, efficient support. We’ve uncovered some platform stability issues and don’t want to risk a system outage complicating your operations. We feel like this will be the best path to ensure a good experience for you and your families – and we’re committed to helping you through the transition. 

What type of communication is coming from CB to parents to clarify that this is NOT a school decision?

We’re ready to partner with you on communication to families. They will receive communication directly from us on this change, and how it impacts them. We’ll share this with you as well and ask that you communicate the next steps (and of course our Family Support team’s contact info) in a way you know they’re used to seeing communications.

Will the parents see payment processing fees, specifically ACH, if they move to TADS for 2020-2021?

Families will not pay ACH fees for the remainder of the 2020-2021 school year, will have slightly lower credit card fees and comparable late fees.

Can schools sign with TADS for only the remainder of the 2020-2021 school year or is the only option to sign a 3 year agreement?

Schools have the option of moving their business to TADS for the remainder of the school year or they may sign a longer term agreement.

What will happen to the current HES plans?

TADS will maintain the HES plans for the remainder of the ’20-’21 school year. Rest assured that TADS can accommodate any changes that need to be made.

How will payment information be transferred over to TADS from HES?

To comply with security best practices, families will be asked to update their payment information in the new solution. That will be included as part of the next steps in the family communication about what to expect with the change.

How long does TADS hold funds?

TADS holds the funds for 5 banking days and remits to the school’s account on the 6th. This ensures any NSF or failed transactions settle before sending funds to the school. TuitionPay makes daily deposits for ACH and credit card payments directly to the school-owned bank account. Typical batches are deposited 1-2 business days after settlement.

How will TADS or Diamond Mind follow up with families on late payments?

TADS uses both email and automated phone reminders. We also have a custom school follow-up tool that can be leveraged alongside real-time aging reports. TuitionPay by Diamond Mind does not follow up on late payments.

Will TADS or Diamond Mind provide parent-facing marketing collateral to help the school communicate with parents on the change of systems and how to make the transition?

Yes, both TADS and Diamond Mind will work with you to communicate this information to your families.

Migration Process

TADS Migration Process

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Diamond Mind Migration Process

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