Columbus, OH --The Metropolitan Educational Council (MEC) is pleased to announce the launch of its newly redesigned website. 

Designed by eSchoolView, MEC’s new site, www.mecdc.org, has a sleek new look and has undergone significant improvement in the areas of content, navigation, and design.

The MEC provides both cooperative purchasing and information technology services to more than 180 school districts and related agencies in Ohio, so its new website needed to reach a diverse customer base. The new home page offers two main portals that lead visitors into the organization’s distinct service areas -- Purchasing or Information Technology Services. From there, visitors will find user-friendly tools and resources tailored to meet their specific needs.

The “Purchasing” section of the site provides easy access to catalogs and pricing for products and services currently available through the MEC purchasing cooperative. It also offers a clear explanation of how membership in the MEC can save school districts significant dollars on commodities such as food and cafeteria supplies, bus purchases, janitorial supplies, paper, classroom and office supplies, copy machines, and through services such as MEC’s self-help gas, insurance and dependent audit programs.The “ITC” section provides visitors with access to service areas that provide technology support to districts in fiscal services, student records management including state-mandated data reporting, Library automation services that support state Ohio Content Standards, and Internet access and networking services.

“Our website is one of our most important resources for our customers,” said Ron Miller, MEC executive director. “We wanted a fresh look and feel, but more importantly we wanted to provide our customers with a more comprehensive source of information and help them to easily find the best and most current information available.”

One notable feature of the site is eSchoolView's content management system that allows MEC staff to more quickly and easily make changes and post timely and up-to-date information to the site. It also offers MEC the ability to password protect sections of the site to grant access to select members and visitors. Other enhancements include:

·         Consistent page formatting and navigation buttons throughout to help visitors find what they are searching for quickly and easily

·         A Google search feature that allows visitors to search the entire site using key words

·         “Quick Links” in every section that provide direct links to key information and resources

·         An event calendar that is updated daily with MEC meetings, workshops, trainings, and other professional development activities

·         A news and information component that keeps customers up-to-date with current news and important announcements

The removal of layers of drop down menus to provide easier navigation

The Metropolitan Educational Council (MEC) was established by the Ohio Legislature in 1972 as a regional council of governments. This consortium of school districts and related agencies in greater central Ohio works to improve efficiency and reduce costs among its members and other local and state agencies by coordinating efforts and promoting cooperative agreements.