'TASB Talks’ at txEDCON: BuyBoard and the Power of Cooperative Purchasing
With school districts facing rising costs and limited resources, efficient purchasing has become more important than ever. For Marc Puig, superintendent of Robstown ISD, finding ways to maximize taxpayer dollars while meeting district needs is a daily priority.
“We’re dealing with less resources than we’ve ever had before, so naturally, school districts are having to be as efficient as possible,” Puig said. “BuyBoard is an opportunity for us to be strategic with the way we stretch our taxpayer dollars.”
Managing Resources, Overcoming Challenges
At txEDCON’s TASB Talks podcast recordings, Puig shared how the BuyBoard Purchasing Cooperative has helped his district address challenges related to purchasing and managing resources. Having served as Robstown ISD’s superintendent for the past three years, he said the support his team received has helped them overcome these obstacles.
“It’s not just the efficiency and purchasing power that matters — all of that is important —but it’s the service they provide that is a separator,” Puig said.
BuyBoard was established in 1998 to help districts and local governments across Texas access a wide range of procured contracts while reducing administrative burdens.
“The goal is to provide choices and availability so superintendents can provide goods and services that are accountable within communities and to those taxpayers,” said Cesar Lopez, division director of Business Services.
Another aim, according to Arturo Salinas, division director of cooperative purchasing, is to help steward taxpayer resources through efficiencies. “One of the things that BuyBoard was built on was to lessen the burden of government,” Salinas said.
You can see the full conversation in this episode of TASB Talks and be on the lookout for our other txEDCON episodes releasing soon.
Matt Mitchell
Matt Mitchell serves as senior communications specialist for the Communications, Marketing, and Events team. He contributes to TASB.org and Texas Lone Star magazine, hosts the TABS Talks podcast, and creates and manages content for TASB social media.
Mitchell previously served as a communications specialist at The University of Texas at Austin, where he focused on internal communications and staff-focused content for the web. He also previously worked for KXAN-TV as social media manager, where he managed the station’s daily social media content and long-form marketing campaigns.
Mitchell is a graduate of Oklahoma State University, where he received both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees.
