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One of the most effective ways for school districts to manage rising operational costs is to pool resources.
In New York and Colorado, Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) provide educational and institutional cooperative services for K–12 districts to share staffing, funding, technology, and procurement functions. BOCES helps designated school districts within specific service areas in New York and Colorado participate in shared services. Some other states implement similar approaches, such as the Boards of Cooperative Higher Educational Services (BOCHES) in Wyoming, which support both K–12 and higher education institutions within defined service regions. While BOCES is unique to New York and Colorado, the shared services and regional governance model exists nationwide under different organizational names and structures across multiple states.
BOCES gives districts a structured way to access shared services and specialized expertise without needing to hire or manage every function individually. These services reduce duplication, improve efficiency, and create consistent operational support across participating districts. In some cases, the savings can be significant. For example, one school district that centralized their back-office functions like payroll, HR, and accounting through a Central Business Office (CBO) model estimates savings between $180,000 and $500,000 annually.
BOCES provides a range of administrative, instructional, and operational programs that strengthen school district capabilities. These services reduce the workload for district offices while giving schools access to expertise and pricing they may not be able to secure individually. Similar services are also supported by Intermediate Units (IUs), Educational Service Centers (ESCs), Cooperative Educational Service Agencies (CESAs), and other regional agencies across the country.
Administrative and operational services include centralizing:
This reduces the administrative burden (and costs) while also providing greater access to experts in grant management, compliance support, and planning.
BOCES also supports technology needs through shared IT networks, cybersecurity services, and classroom technology support. Sharing data centers and hosting environments reduces the need for infrastructure at each district.
Instructional services include support in areas like:
BOCES supports purchasing by coordinating shared bid development, running competitive solicitations, and providing category-specific procurement assistance.
For example, school districts can source technology, transportation, facilities-related needs, instructional materials, and contracted services more efficiently. Because districts purchase together within their service area, they benefit from stronger pricing and simplified procurement.
BOCES conduct procurement processes on behalf of multiple districts within their service areas, which reduces administrative work for individual schools. They issue solicitations, evaluate responses, and establish contracts that participating districts can use. Supplier participation and contract terms vary depending on the needs of the districts in each BOCES service area.
Districts within the BOCES service area often save money by partnering rather than going it alone. Similarly, a central region educational cooperative in other states also provides a shared purchasing model for consolidation of services.
Under this model, school districts pay only for the services they use. Costs are allocated proportionally, ensuring budgets reflect actual participation and service utilization.
BOCES operations are governed through annual audits, public reporting requirements, and compliance oversight to make sure decisions serve the collective interests of the districts in each service area.
While BOCES provides valuable shared services, it differs significantly from national cooperative procurement organizations.
BOCES operates only within designated geographic areas like those within New York and Colorado. National cooperatives, in contrast, provide consistent access to contracts and suppliers across the entire country.
Savings with BOCES often depend on how many districts participate in the same programs or choose the same suppliers. A national cooperative provides a much broader range of educational and institutional cooperative services contracts without limiting participation to geographic boundaries or whether other institutions use the same services.
BOCES contracts are specific to the service areas they cover and usually include a much smaller supplier pool. National cooperatives offer a more extensive portfolio, deeper category coverage, and stronger volume pricing because of higher aggregate demand.
BOCES models are designed for K–12 school districts. National cooperatives support the full education spectrum, including K–12, higher education, community colleges, public institutions, and private universities.
Partnering with E&I Cooperative Services allows schools and institutions to access procurement benefits that extend beyond what is available through BOCES alone. Here are just a few benefits of E&I membership:
E&I Cooperative Services is the nation’s only member-owned nonprofit sourcing cooperative exclusively focused on education. Become a member today. There is no cost for membership and no minimum purchasing obligation.