For years, school community life has been spoken about in almost sentimental terms – the sausage sizzle, the fete, the canteen roster – as if it all somehow runs on goodwill and crossed fingers. But across the country, that quiet reliance on volunteer energy is wearing thin. Admin loads are heavier, parents are busier, and the invisible mechanics that keep a school humming are starting to grind.
By 2026, few principals can afford to treat community engagement as a side project. With staff stretched, budgets tight and leaders already absorbing the weight of workforce shortages and wellbeing concerns, clunky systems and fragmented processes are more than an inconvenience – they’re a liability. When P&Cs can’t fill roles or canteen operators are squeezed by rigid timetables and rising costs, participation dips. And when participation dips, connection follows.
Rachel Dabeck, CEO of Flexischools, says it’s time schools stopped seeing community as a cultural “nice to have” and started treating it as operational strategy. Working closely with school business managers and parent groups nationwide, she’s seen how everyday friction – cash handling, multiple logins, disconnected platforms – chips away at energy and goodwill. Her focus is simple: streamline the moving parts, reduce the noise, and help leaders rebuild community on systems that are built to last.
Flexischools began in a single Australian high school canteen in 2008, built to solve a very practical problem: making ordering simpler for families and schools.
From those beginnings, the organisation has grown by staying close to how school communities actually operate. Today, Flexischools supports around 2,300 schools across Australia, helping them manage payments and ordering across a wide range of use cases, from canteens and uniforms to events, fundraising and fees.
Treating community as core school infrastructure
Dabeck said that in 2026, Flexischool’s role in K–12 education is about more than payments.
“It’s about creating reliable, everyday systems that help families and school communities participate with less friction and more confidence,” she told The Educator. “Schools that want initiatives to stick can’t afford to treat community engagement as optional – it needs to be built into the everyday work of the school.”
Dabeck said this means Principals cannot afford to treat community as an afterthought.
“Community is where participation and connection happen, although without participation, even the best school initiatives struggle to land,” she said. “When community is treated as a side project, everything else that happens in a school can suffer.”
Treating community as infrastructure recognises that systems enabling families to engage are just as essential as timetables or reporting, Dabeck added.
“From our work with schools, when participation is easy and consistent, admin load reduces, trust increases, and leaders spend less time chasing and more time leading. Community infrastructure isn’t about adding work; it’s about removing it.”
One clear path for families
Dabeck said bringing fragmented processes into one coherent flow can increase participation, noting that confusion and complexity often become silent barriers to participation.
“In many school communities, payments for different activities sit in different places, depending on who the organiser is,” she said. “Families end up searching for where and how to participate. That fragmentation creates confusion and ultimately reduces participation.”
Dabeck also pointed out that a lot happens in a school community which isn’t necessarily run by the school itself.
“Think about canteens, P&Cs, fundraisers and initiatives run by different departments,” she said. “With the work we do to bring all of those organisers into one parent experience and one coherent flow, participation becomes simpler and more consistent.”
Dabeck said families know where to go and what to expect, resulting in less confusion, fewer last‑minute issues, and stronger engagement over time.
“The work that Flexischools does doesn’t just improve efficiency; it makes family life more manageable.”
When asked about the most important ways in which operational simplicity can strengthen a school’s culture, Dabeck pointed to the power of clear, dependable systems in fostering inclusion and trust across the community.
“Operational simplicity supports inclusion by reducing the invisible load carried by families and staff,” she explained. “When systems are clear and reliable, fewer things fall through the cracks, and fewer people are unintentionally excluded.”
Dabeck said she and the team at Flexischools see this consistently show up as fewer last‑minute scrambles, such as fewer forgotten lunches, missed payments, or urgent fixes.
“Over time, that steadiness shapes culture. Importantly, simplicity should never come at the cost of human support,” she said. “The strongest cultures combine simple systems with people who are available when something doesn’t go to plan.”
Practical, low-cost tips for leaders
One of the most effective things leaders can do this term is reduce the number of channels families need to navigate, suggests Dabeck.
“Even when different activities are run by different groups in a school, families experience the school as one community,” she said. “Looking at systems through a parent’s lens – limited time, high cognitive load, growing fatigue – often reveals quick wins.”
Dabeck said one of the simplest ways leaders can reduce friction for families is by rethinking how everyday school payments are handled in an increasingly cashless world.
“These might include mufti days/free-dress days; BBQs and fundraisers – so many families no longer have easy access to cash. Consolidating where payments and participation happen, simplifying instructions, and being consistent in how information is shared can significantly reduce friction,” she said.
“These changes don’t require new budgets, just intentional design around how families actually engage.”