On today's episode of Roll Call, Brian and Josh welcome Keith Krass, Vice President of Partnerships and Global Strategy at Veracross, for a real-world look at how technology has shifted inside independent schools over the last decade. What used to be a "necessary evil" has become central to operations, student safety, and decision-making — and the people leading technology are increasingly becoming true campus leaders.
The conversation gets practical fast: cloud vs. on-prem, risk and resiliency, the critical importance of multi-factor authentication, and why schools still struggle with silos — not just between systems, but between people. Keith also breaks down why institutional research is emerging in K–12, and why schools that don't learn to use their data to ask better questions may fall behind.
Show notes:
00:00 — Welcome + Keith Krass introduction
00:54 - Keith's background: educators, coaching, student development
03:00 - Biggest shifts in independent schools over the last decade (tech's role)
03:25 - Two buckets: cutting-edge schools vs. bare-minimum tech adoption
04:30 - "Outside the solar system to the sun": tech becomes central
05:13 - Cloud vs. on-prem: how the nature of work changed
06:45 - Risk & resiliency: fire, breach, backups, and operational continuity
07:33 - Cloud interdependence + the "expert team" tradeoff
08:27 - The false sense of control + why schools need the "why" explained
09:25 - Data ownership: the questions schools should ask vendors
10:01 - Data hostage stories + why access matters when switching systems
10:30 - The shift from IT director to CTO-level leadership in schools
12:17 - Tech's connection to student safety + thriving through data
13:50 - Tech leaders moving into head roles + why that pathway is growing
27:38 - Lightning round: AI hype, MFA security win, deepfakes, phones, and change management
Learn more about Veracross: https://www.veracross.com/
This episode is sponsored by REACH Boarding
This episode is sponsored by REACH Boarding, an award-winning, feature-rich boarding school management tool used by over 400 schools in five continents to manage risk, increase efficiency, and improve communication in boarding school management.
To learn more about REACH Boarding, its features and integrations, visit www.reachboarding.com
Empowering the Future of Independent Education & Boarding School Management
Thanks for tuning into this week's episode of Roll Call, don't forget to share your favorite episodes with your colleagues on social media to help us spread the word and help more education professionals stay at the forefront of independent education and boarding school management techniques to empower the future of the education environment.
