How Big Springs Charter Schools Switched to Coram EMS and Launched in One Day
EMS test set up in about 15 minutes, launch done in one meeting
No more constant disconnects or 24–48 hour waits for support
Onboarding customized to the district by a responsive team
The Big Springs Charter Schools story
Years of Disconnects, Delayed Support, and Paying for a System That Didn’t Work
Big Springs Charter Schools is a three-campus charter school in Texas, with two campuses in Ingram and one in Leakey. Daniel Peck, Technology Director, describes his role simply: “Basically, if it’s plugged into a wall, it’s pretty much my job to make sure that it’s working.” For emergency management, that standard wasn’t being met.
The district had been using Raptor, selected before Peck joined, and the experience was dominated by instability and friction. “It was a constant hassle, headache. Everything disconnected on the regular, and nothing worked.” When issues hit, support lagged significantly. “It would usually be at least 24 to 48 hours to fix anything.”
The problems went beyond reliability. Peck recounts repeated setup loops, unclear guidance, and a high-stakes failure around reunification readiness — all while the district continued paying for the service.
The Solution
A Test in 15 Minutes, a Launch by the End of the Meeting
Peck first explored Coram during an earlier look at video security. “We did a trial with it and it was pretty awesome,” he said, though funding delayed that upgrade. When it came to emergency management, the contrast was immediate. “The test was set up in maybe 15 minutes… It worked great,” Peck said. When the district was ready to launch broadly, the drawn-out process he expected never came.
The final push came after a breakdown with Raptor over an invoiced service the district no longer needed — an added cost Peck estimated at “four or five thousand dollars a year.” Weeks passed without resolution, then collections outreach followed, still tied to the disputed invoice. Leadership stepped in, and Peck was ready with an alternative. “Finally they aggravated our superintendent enough to where he was like, ‘what’s that other one called?’” Coram’s responsiveness sealed the decision: a new quote came back in a couple of hours, and the district had everything ready to go.
Coram stood out for a few specific reasons:
- Fast setup: “The test was set up in maybe 15 minutes.”
- Smooth launch: District-wide rollout finished in a single meeting, not another round of months
- Accommodating onboarding: “They literally customized it to us.”
- Responsive, partner-like team: A new quote in a couple of hours, and “Everybody there has been phenomenal.”
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The Benefits
Night and Day for Day-to-Day Readiness
The impact was practical and immediate: faster setup, clear progress, and a team that adapted to the district’s needs. Where the old system meant frequent disconnects, 24–48 hour support delays, and confusing setup, the Coram EMS trial was up in minutes and the district launch was done by the end of a meeting.
What Big Springs Charter Schools Is Doing with Coram
- Relying on a system that works: No more constant disconnects, “nothing worked” moments, or 24–48 hour waits for a fix.
- Regaining confidence in day-to-day readiness: Emergency management the district can count on, without the setup loops and unclear guidance of the past.
- Working with a team that adapts: Coram customized the setup to the district rather than the other way around.
- Getting a partner, not a vendor: Responsive people who move in hours, not weeks.
Peck’s recommendation is blunt. After years with a system he couldn’t rely on, his verdict on the switch is simple: “Coram is awesome.” For Big Springs Charter Schools, the change wasn’t a marginal upgrade — it was the difference between paying for a system that didn’t work and running one that does.
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I was expecting another round of months… It was done by the end of the meeting.
It’s literally been night and day.
