Murrieta Valley USD Standardizes on Extron WallVault for Major AV Technology Upgrades

Murrieta Valley Unified School District - MVUSD is located in Murrieta, California on the southwestern edge of Riverside County. The district’s award‑winning academic program educates 23,385 students from transitional kindergarten through high school at 20 campuses. With passage of a modernization bond measure in 2014, the district embarked on a major renovation of its school buildings, including the installation of classroom AV systems.

Teachers regarded AV systems as a top priority for the bond upgrades. Our experience with the performance and reliability of Extron products made them a natural choice for the AV equipment.”

AV in Every Instructional Area

Over a period of 18 months, 1,100 classrooms, multipurpose rooms, libraries, and meeting rooms were equipped with AV systems built around Extron’s WallVault ^® Digital System . Prior to the modernization bond, there were no standards for classroom AV. Some rooms had projectors with Extron switching and interfacing equipment, but there was no consistency across the district. An important goal of the AV upgrade was standardization with simplified control, so that teachers could go to any room and easily operate the AV system. According to MVUSD Assistant Superintendent, William Olien, “Our experience with the performance and reliability of Extron products made them a natural choice for the AV equipment upgrade.”

The AV system installed in each room includes a projector, a pull-down projector screen, a document camera, and an Extron WallVault Classroom AV switching and control system. MVUSD’s Olien notes that short throw projectors were chosen over flat panel displays to conserve available whiteboard area and to eliminate the expense of reinforcing walls to support the weight of flat panel displays. The projection screen is pulled-down in front of the whiteboard only when the projector is in use.

Technology a Top Bond Priority

The modernization bond implementation strategy was based on extensive surveys conducted by a committee of teachers, civic leaders, and parents to gauge educator and community needs. Key instructional areas targeted for enhancement through technology upgrades were career readiness and STEM curriculum. Olien says, “Teachers regarded AV systems as a top priority for the bond upgrades. Comprehensive AV within every campus instructional area was cited as a ‘must have’ by teachers.”

Teachers Value Audio Capabilities

Teachers use the audio features of the WallVault system for recorded presentations, live lectures augmented by teacher microphones, and background music. “The audio capabilities of the Extron system are vital to our teachers; these features are used all day long,” says Olien.

Asset Management and Communications Software

Jonathan Pratt, Senior Systems Engineer for MVUSD, uses Extron’s GlobalViewer ^® Enterprise AV resource management software to track projector lamp usage to proactively schedule replacements and to assess reliability. The district is also evaluating GlobalViewer Campus Communications Suite to modernize campus bell and PA systems. The Avaxat Elementary and Alta Murrieta Elementary campuses are testing the suite to replace aging 25-year-old systems that are difficult to maintain. The district is also examining the intercom capabilities of the system, which provides two-way communication between each classroom and the central office.

Technical Support Aids Smooth AV System Upgrade

According to Jonathan Pratt, “Extron and their partners provided comprehensive support during our aggressive roll out schedule. Resolutions for technical questions or issues were only a phone call away, and their certification training allowed us to handle configuration activities on our own.”