About SAI
SAI Systems is an innovative Minnesota software company which was created to assist alternative and charter schools with student data management.
SAI founder, Leisa Irwin, has worked with alternative schools since 1996. Originally, she was a volunteer on a start up team for a charter school based on the learning model of Sudbury Valley School in Massachusetts. When the school opened in 1997, she was hired as the business manager. Irwin quickly learned that comparing alternative education models to traditional seat-based models was like comparing apples to oranges.
As the business manager in a small school, she wore many hats, including managing finances (where she learned all about UFARS), reporting student enrollment to the state (where she learned all about MARSS), managing the lunch program (where she learned about FNS and CLICS), reporting for staff to MDE (where she learned about STAR and licensure compliance,) and in general, took care of all business aspects of the school. But she also spent a great deal of time communicating with others about the mission and vision of the school she had helped to start, and it was through that experience that she learned that alternative schools communicate about student progress and success in a different ‘language.’ That language was one of breaking apart the one size fits all approach to education and focusing instead on working with each individual student to identify his/her individual needs and meet his/her individual goals.
While working with this school, Irwin returned to college where she worked on an 18 month long research project focused on alternative means for measuring student progress in alternative schools. It was during this time that a concept for SAI software originated. However, her idea was put aside when after three years working as the business manager Irwin was recruited to join Nonprofit Solutions where she started a charter school services division of the company. The charter school services division became its own company in August 2002 and is now operating as School Business Solutions.
Irwin left School Business Solutions to return to the “world of education” as the Director of Planning and Development for another charter school — ARTech Charter School — where she was one of the original founders. The charter school, a project-based learning environment, once again reminded her of the unique needs of alternative education models. When the school opened in 2003, her role changed to the Director of Operations. Her responsibilities were broad, but her vision was larger. She left ARTech in June 2004 to start SAI Systems.
SAI first worked with ten “Pilot Project” schools during the 2004-2005 school year. It was a very challenging year, but the reward of being able to provide this innovative software product to schools has been well worth it. Irwin, along with other education visionaries, work hand in hand with both charter schools and alternative learning centers (ALC’s) to find the best use of this software for each varying educational model.