Cleveland Hill School District, a K-12 district in Cheektowaga, NY, serving approximately 1,400 students, replaced aging ceiling-mounted projectors and outdated classroom technology with a district-wide rollout of BenQ RP04 interactive displays.

After testing multiple brands and facing issues like lagging Google Slides, crashing PDFs, and missing built-in microphones, the district selected the BenQ Board for its seamless Google integration, reliability, and ease of use their teachers needed.

The decision followed a collaborative evaluation process that included a district technology committee, educator and student feedback, and careful consideration of both instructional needs and budget. With support from Smart Schools funding approved by the Board of Education and community, the district was able to plan a thoughtful, scalable transition.

Today, Cleveland Hill reports strong teacher adoption, streamlined IT management, and dramatically reduced classroom disruptions. 

“It just works. And when it just works, that’s everything.” – Sarah Janis, Cleveland Hill Technology Integrator, on the BenQ RP04

For years, most Cleveland Hill classrooms relied on ceiling-mounted projectors. A few early-generation smart boards had been installed decades earlier, but most teachers used the old projectors to project onto standard whiteboards and annotate using dry-erase markers.

By 2022, the limitations became impossible to ignore:

• Dim projection and constant, expensive bulb replacements requiring ladders and technician time and draining budgets
• Students struggling to see content clearly
• Sunlight washing out lessons, even after installing window shades instead of blinds

With one technology coordinator and two technicians supporting thousands of devices across multiple buildings, projector maintenance was draining resources. The district made a clear decision: It was time for an upgrade. 

Cleveland Hill launched an extensive, year-long search for interactive boards, guided not only by IT but by a district-wide technology committee made up of stakeholders across schools. With the goal of testing multiple competing brands, the technology team hosted after-school open houses, inviting teachers to experiment with the boards and provide candid feedback. 

While initially promising, the boards revealed significant shortcomings, with teachers reporting:

• No built-in microphones for lesson recording
• PDFs crashing during annotation
• Noticeable Google Slides lag
• Whiteboard software that they couldn’t use at home
• Inability to show their document camera feed without a connected external computer

The boards felt like technology swaps, not meaningful upgrades. Teacher feedback emphasized one consistent requirement: simplicity. Many panels felt like mere projector replacements instead of intuitive teaching tools. Lag, confusing interfaces, and inconsistent Google compatibility quickly reduced their enthusiasm. That’s when the district resumed its search.

Armed with a teacher-built checklist, Cleveland Hill Technology Integrator Sarah Janis attended a technology conference and discovered the EDLA-certified RP04. It met all the requirements on her list: built-in Google apps and Play Store access, true profile logins through AMS, responsive annotation tools, integrated microphones, seamless document camera access, and a dynamic whiteboarding experience. And just as important, it aligned with the district’s commitment to fiscal responsibility – delivering the functionality that teachers needed within the constraints of public school budgets. 

A demo RP04 was placed in the classroom of a teacher known for pushing vendors with tough questions. The verdict? How to convince the district to buy more. 

“It’s incredible. It’s faster. It’s more intuitive. It does everything I need. It’s truly a game changer.” – Cleveland Hill teacher on testing the RP04

Rather than coordinating a traditional scaled pilot, Cleveland Hill moved forward with a district-wide rollout of BenQ RP04 boards after aligning on key requirements through stakeholder and targeted early testing.  A small number of previously purchased competitor boards remained in use, along with a handful of BenQ RM04 units that were part of an initial trial while funding for the full rollout was being finalized. 

Once the RP04s were fully deployed, the message to teachers was simple: “This isn’t more work. It’s what you’re already doing – just brighter, clearer, and more flexible.” 

Before the rollout, the team hosted a quick “basics” workshop to walk teachers through the core functionality of the boards, with many quickly becoming eager to explore additional features that could further enhance their lessons. On day one, teachers were encouraged to simply plug in their computers and teach as usual. Sarah expected teachers to rely on laptops, but instead, they quickly embraced the board’s built-in features. Many immediately: 

• Logged into personal profiles (critical for shared classrooms) 
• Used split-screen mode
• Ran Google apps directly from the board
• Recorded lessons
• Displayed full-screen YouTube videos and document camera feeds

Adoption happened organically. Teachers described the experience in one phrase: “It just works.” And when technology works, teachers continue using it.

“We can’t explain how excited we are. I’d install two boards in every classroom if our budget allowed.” - Sarah

Unexpectedly, Sarah and the IT team did not receive a single support ticket or technical help request during the launch, which is always something they anticipate while rolling out new classroom technology. Teachers’ only requests were, “How can I do more with it to benefit my students?” The IT benefits of the BenQ boards were immediate and measurable. Projector bulb replacements, ceiling maintenance, and visibility complaints were eliminated. With centralized device management and a unified platform, the district improved operational efficiency and instructional uptime, maximizing the value of its technology investment.

After 20 years of working in instructional technology, Sarah ranks her interactions with BenQ among her top vendor experiences. When she emails BenQ, she gets a quick response. The teachers know the BenQ team by name. And when they visit the school, it’s not to sell, but to check in and support. For a smaller district outside major metro centers, that level of partnership matters.

Cleveland Hill’s transformation wasn’t just about replacing hardware. It was a collaborative, district-wide effort involving educators, students, leadership, and the community to select classroom technology that would make the biggest instructional impact. By replacing ceiling-mounted projectors with EDLA-certified BenQ Boards in nearly every classroom, the district reduced disruptions, increased classroom setup flexibility, and gave teachers powerful tools they actually want to use.

Most importantly, the technology works reliably in the background, allowing educators to focus on what matters most: teaching and learning.

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