Fulton County Schools: Expanding Communication
in Education

Fulton County Schools' North and South Learning Centers, crucial venues for Board of Education meetings, community gatherings, professional development, and employee training, were hindered by outdated audiovisual systems.

With a 37-mile distance between the two facilities, the district sought a consistent and user-friendly experience with minimal troubleshooting at both locations.

The new system needed to support cloud-based calling, real-time streaming, and local recording while also being scalable for future needs. Key stakeholders, including the superintendent, board members, the technology department, the broadcast team, facility managers, and the wider community, needed a solution to enhance professional development and facilitate the broadcasting of board meetings.

Solutionz partnered with Fulton County Schools to design a complete system that streamlines operations and enhances communication in their North and South Learning Centers. The Solutionz team designed multi-purpose divisible boardrooms, allowing sections to be used as individual meeting spaces or combined for broadcasting district-wide board sessions.

The South Learning Center spans 4,200 square feet, accommodating board meetings and large gatherings. With movable walls, this space can be easily divided into four classrooms, each equipped with user-friendly AV systems for presentations and training. The North Learning Center has two large rooms. The main room, where board meetings are held, is 3,500 square feet and can be divided into two spaces. The second space is 2,600 square feet and can be divided into three classrooms.

To ensure seamless installation of the multiple AV systems, Solutionz meticulously pre-built and tested every component in its integration lab. This proactive approach allowed the Fulton County Schools teams to review a complete system mockup and address potential issues before on-site installation commenced.

Hear from the Fulton County team:

Shure's high-fidelity microphones offer flexibility and comprehensive audio coverage, accurately capturing every spoken word. Push-to-talk microphones provide a focused audio pickup for individual speakers, minimizing ambient noise and prioritizing their voice. Wireless microphones grant freedom of movement, allowing presenters and participants to contribute from anywhere in the room. The clarity of Shure microphones fosters a more productive and inclusive environment for everyone in the room and anyone listening remotely.

Biamp’s digital signal processor (DSP) ensures pristine audio throughout the spaces by eliminating background noise and routing audio signals to different outputs, such as in-room speakers, recording devices, and broadcast systems. Biamp’s DSP also enables proper mixing of multiple microphone inputs. Randy Stewart, Broadcast Manager, remarked, "We have at least 20 Shure microphones in the boardroom alone, providing audio inputs. Biamp and Shure provide clean, crystal-clear audio." A closed captioning encoder and assisted listening broadcast device meet accessibility needs for board members and the community.

Epson projectors display meeting content with exceptional clarity on large Da-Lite screens, ensuring visibility for all participants. "Going with the laser Epson projectors opened our eyes to the level of quality that we could produce," stated Dedric Baker, Fulton County Schools Building Services Manager. “Paired with the Crestron control system, the resulting broadcast sent out to the community took us from standard definition to feeling more like an HD 4K system."

Fulton County Schools' North and South Learning Centers have dedicated control rooms. These control rooms are the nerve centers for managing the advanced audiovisual capabilities within the divisible boardrooms, enabling seamless recording, real-time streaming, and editing. Legrand AV equipment racks and Chief mounting solutions provide the infrastructure for these crucial hubs, ensuring all the AV equipment is securely organized, making it easier to manage cables, troubleshoot issues, and maintain the system.

"With our old system, we had five different ways of getting into the system from each of the buildings to put content on the displays," explained Baker. "With Solutionz, we were able to streamline the system so that in any building, the stakeholder can go to the podium, plug in, and immediately begin their training."

To ensure Fulton County Schools' stakeholders could fully utilize the newly implemented AV systems across their North and South Learning Centers, Solutionz's Adoption and Digital Training Services (ADTS) team provided critical support. Recognizing the need for a consistent and user-friendly experience between the facilities, ADTS delivered comprehensive training sessions and tailored documentation, including quick-start guides for future reference. The in-person training focused on the specific functionalities of the multi-purpose and divisible boardrooms, empowering staff to operate the systems effectively and minimizing the need for troubleshooting. By focusing on user adoption, the ADTS team facilitated a smooth transition to the new technology.

The comprehensive AV upgrades for Fulton County Schools's multi-use spaces are supported by a robust integrated maintenance agreement, ensuring seamless operation and long-term ROI. This agreement covers all equipment, installation, cables, wall plates, accessories, and unlimited service calls. Additionally, Solutionz offered proactive support by attending four board meetings to ensure smooth operation.