2026 Community Regional Award

Mountain View/Los Altos High School District
IT Department

In 2019, the MVLA IT department had nowhere to go but up. The entire infrastructure was in shambles. Staff and students could not connect to the Wi-Fi. Classroom technology was inconsistent, unreliable, and in disrepair. There weren’t any established IT standards, nor were there best practices for security, inventory management, device refresh, etc. As a result, teachers attempted to solve their own problems, creating even more chaos. The bottom line: staff and students had zero confidence in MVLA technology.

In September of 2019, a new director was hired, and an overall infrastructure assessment was launched. Budgets were reviewed. Stakeholders were interviewed to determine instructional and technical needs. But just as that process began, the district was hit with ransomware, and six weeks later, distance learning began.

There was a silver lining to distance learning - campuses were empty, so the IT department went to work. They replaced the entire network - from the wiring, to the core, to the data closets, and to classroom and outdoor wireless access points. With input from teachers, they created a classroom standard for technology – and implemented it. Each classroom was outfitted with similar projection systems, distributed audio, docking-station monitors (to accompany new devices issued to staff), wireless projection, Wi-Fi, and document cameras.

Physical security was evaluated; the video safety system was at the end of its life. After reviewing different options and facilitating communication with the district admin and the board, the team successfully installed 300 new Verkada cameras across the district. They further enhanced security by installing access control systems. Lastly, they upgraded the server infrastructure (which was running Windows Server 2003!) with the latest and greatest - Nutanix.

The new infrastructure was ready to go when staff and students returned from distance learning. Training was provided so staff knew how to access and use the new tools in classrooms. Teachers were grateful and inspired. With new and functioning resources, teaching and learning were vastly improved across all campuses. The culture began to shift - trust in the systems and support was re-established.

Since then, the department has continued to build on this robust infrastructure. IncidentIQ was deployed as a helpdesk and asset management system. Regular training was provided for the various tools and software packages. A clear budget was created and approved by the cabinet and the Board of Trustees, allowing for proper refresh cycles, ensuring that the teaching and learning environment would not be compromised.