OVERVIEW
About 80 miles northeast of Los Angeles, Victor Valley Union High School District (VVUHSD) serves more than 11,000 students near Southern California’s Mojave Desert. Founded in 1915 with a single campus, Victor Valley High School, the district has since expanded to 11 schools, including comprehensive high schools, a 7-12 academy, and alternative programs.
With more than 1,000 employees led by the superintendent and a five-member Board of Trustees, VVUHSD prepares young people for college, careers, and community leadership. However, in recent years, leaders recognized that the makeshift livestreaming system installed during the pandemic had outlived its usefulness, forcing staff into constant tech troubleshooting instead of their core work. With Granicus’ Fully-Managed Video (Swagit), VVUHSD freed its team to focus on the community and deliver professional-quality broadcasts
SITUATION
VVUHSD’s previous method for broadcasting board meetings was born out of necessity during the COVID-19 shutdown — and it showed. The system was never intended to be permanent, but it persisted as a high-maintenance part of board meetings for years.
Desks had been spread out to accommodate distancing, with microphones wired underneath, and a single webcam mounted on a smartboard at the back of the room. Presentations were displayed on the same smartboard, which meant in-person participants had to turn around in their seats to see them. While the district livestreamed using StreamYard and YouTube, looping in virtual participants was always a challenge. Speakers who connected through Zoom experienced awkward lagging and poor audio quality.
A single public information manager served as the linchpin of the highly manual process, which involved running between rooms to switch feeds for both the in-room audience and online viewers. If the public information manager was unavailable, meetings often weren’t streamed at all.
SOLUTION
When VVUHSD decided to modernize its meetings, it opted for a total transformation rather than incremental changes. The district built a new boardroom, adopted Granicus’ Fully-Managed Video solution, and transitioned to a new agenda platform as part of the same project.
The larger space made camera placement and presentations easier, resulting in a smoother and more professional broadcast. Multiple cameras capture every angle of the boardroom, and feeds transition automatically between presentations and live discussion.
The Granicus platform also introduced live video indexing, which links each agenda item to its exact place in the video. This allows staff to jump directly to a specific vote or presentation without having to scroll through hours of footage — and lets families easily find and share the moments that matter most to them.
In addition, the new system provides closed captions in English and Spanish, a critical feature in a district where 70% of students are Hispanic and 14% are English Language Learners. This ensures meetings are more accessible to a broader share of the community.
RESULTS
The impact of the new system was clear right away. Preparing meeting minutes and certifications now takes half the time, dropping from two days to one, thanks to video indexing and transcripts that make it easy to find exactly what’s needed.
What was once a major technical lift is now routine. The system runs smoothly with minimal intervention, and the public information officer who used to manage every manual switch is no longer needed at every meeting. In short, this broadcast-as-a-service lifted a weight off staff shoulders while also delivering better broadcasts.
That professionalism was also a core goal. With multi-camera views, on-screen footers, and seamless transitions, board meetings now look polished and accessible — a reflection of the quality the district wants to show its community.
For families and staff, that means stronger engagement. They can jump directly to recognitions or votes in the archives, or see highlights pulled into newsletters. And sometimes, the impact is unforgettable.
At the district’s final regular meeting of the 2024-2025 school year, an 11th grader and his family were surprised with a $40,000 College Board scholarship. College Board staff joined virtually to present the award live, while the superintendent handed over a big ceremonial check. The presentation was seamless — no lag, no audio issues — and the student’s mother was moved to tears. It was a heartwarming moment that would have been nearly impossible with the old system, and one that showcased the value of the upgrade not only technically, but emotionally.
VVUHSD demonstrates how technology can alleviate the burden on staff, refine the process, and transform board meetings into joyful moments that the entire community can share.
