Vallivue, Idaho
7,800 Students
Vallivue School District, located in southwestern Idaho, has 7,800 students across six elementary schools, three middle schools and two high schools. Communication between schools is crucial. Vallivue implemented Infinite Campus in 2012, and Vallivue has already experienced increased communication, received amazing customer support, and seen a positive return on investment.
Challenges
For
three years, Vallivue used Lumen Touch and experienced numerous issues.
According to Shane Schamber, Vallivue Director of Technology, “There
was a lack of communication with the company. Sometimes when we reported
a problem with our system, we wouldn’t hear back. Most of the time, our
support tickets went weeks or months before being addressed.”
Lumen
was complicated to navigate and terribly slow. Schamber remembered,
“After clicking a navigation icon or running a report, there would be a
delay of up to a minute or more.”
Soon enough, Vallivue decided to look for a new SIS. At the time, the
district had been using Skyward’s financial program, so it seemed
practical to consider their SIS. However, Vallivue believed it was
important that the daily users of the program, teachers and parents,
make the final decision.
According
to Schamber, “We elected an SIS selection committee comprised of 60
members. We invited our top two vendors, Infinite Campus and Skyward, to
demo their systems for the committee. The committee unanimously voted
for Infinite Campus. It was a done deal.”
Solution
With
Infinite Campus, Vallivue immediately started generating reports that
they could design themselves to meet their specific needs. Schamber
said, “Campus has a very intuitive interface for selecting and filtering
criteria to get the reports we need.”
When Vallivue experiences an issue with Infinite Campus, both phone and online support options are available. The Campus Community is an extensive, online resource that is available 24/7. “I can easily submit and track support tickets online. My entire staff can find comprehensive product information in the Campus Knowledge Base. With the virtual video library, we can explore Campus product, tools and tasks. And in the Campus User Forums, we can interact with other schools around the county to find solutions to common problems. It’s an invaluable resource,” said Schamber.
In addition to Infinite Campus’ user-friendly interface and exceptional support options, Vallivue benefits from its Web-based functionality. The Campus Portal is used by many district stakeholders. Parents and students have real-time access to grades, attendance, assignments, schedule information and much more.
The new Campus Mobile Portal is an intuitive app that can be accessed from any Apple® iOS or Android® device. “The parents love the ‘push notifications’ that automatically alert them of tardies, absences and grade changes,” Schamber stated.
Because Infinite Campus is fully-integrated, Vallivue chose to add Campus Messenger with Voice to their SIS. Authorized staff can send out email, SMS or voice messages from anywhere with Internet – even a smartphone.
“I
had Campus Messenger with Voice up-and-running in less than an hour. I
immediately began sending tardy and absence notifications. I also use it
for more urgent situations including school closures and weather
emergencies. Campus Messenger with Voice makes communicating with
parents so easy,” said Schamber.
Results
Vallivue
has seen many positive results with their new SIS. According to
Schamber, “As the adage goes, ‘You get what you pay for.’ We’ve seen a
huge return on investment with Infinite Campus. From our flexible
reporting options, to the Campus Messenger with Voice, the integration
and efficiency of Campus is the best I have ever seen.”
Infinite Campus is a true living solution that continually adds enhancements to Vallivue’s system without disruption and at no additional cost. Schamber stated, “Campus Founder and CEO, Charlie Kratsch, has a passion for his product and education in general. He is already working on ways to improve education through the Infinite Campus core SIS and integrated products.”
“I would encourage anyone interested in changing their SIS to take a good look at Campus. The Campus staff is genuinely interested in making their product the best system available. The commitment to their customers is obvious. It’s remarkable,” said Schamber.