What do you think about Los Angeles spending $1 billion on
iPads, money taken from school construction bonds approved by
voters for……school construction. The iPads will be obsolete in
3-4 years. The bonds won’t be paid off for 25 years. Really
disturbing, but here is a hopeful comment, suggesting that there is
some oversight: “●●smf responds: I am a member of that selfsame
bond oversight committee and I voted to approve this iPad for
Everyone deal as a pilot at some 30 plus schools. Only that and
nothing more. “Notwithstanding grandstanding from he
superintendent’s office nothing further has been approved by
anyone. The Apple contract purchases iPads for every student ONLY
IF AND WHEN the Bond Oversight Committee and Board of Education
approves Phases Two and Three. There is is no autopilot. “Your
concerns for your students at your school are our concerns. We on
the bond committee cannot by law buy your school new library books
or arts or choral music programs. Deputy Superintendent Aquino may
wax poetic about how the iPads will give your school art and music
programs; like all good salespeople he believes it what he’s
selling. But I don’t buy that balderdash than any more than you do.
“Our kids don’t need arts applications, they need Arts Teachers.
“We don’t need music apps or dance apps or drama apps – we need
Dance Teachers and Music Teachers and Drama Teachers. We need
Teacher Librarians in secondary and Elementary Librarians in in the
early grades. “And Health Teachers and Nurses and
Counselors.”
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Excellent post! I so agree.
Amen, this committee member seems to get it. I hope what he/she says is correct. If further approval is needed to proceed with this bad purchase, we need to squash this as soon as possible.We do not need to purchase these iPads. Let’s use the money for more teachers and supplies, upkeep on our old and new schools.
The first sentence says ” spending $billion on iPads,” leaving out the number. If I recall correctly from an earlier post the number is in the neighborhood of 640. Oy vey.
Oops, maybe that was $640 million on iPads, plus extra for software and licenses, for a total of $1 billion. Can anyone clarify this?
LA Times said $500 million for iPads and $500 million for connectivity upgrades
It is $1 billion
Wonder if this blog is making a difference?
Just consider who is reading it.
Or feels they have to read it to keep informed.
And feels they need to respond to certain postings.
Congratulations Diane!
🙂
Amen!
If it’s just balderdash, why approve the pilot?
re iPads – for the $1 billion, they forgot to include keyboards – now estimated to be an additional $38 million. My understanding is that only $30 million from the bond money has been approved for Phase I. Also, I believe the amount for training teachers on how to “teach” Common Core has not been realistically budgeted. Here is a petition that is asking for an investigation before spending more: http://k12newsnetwork.com/blog/2013/09/06/lausd-ipad-deal-ipaid-too-much/
Kim, I saw that too. At first it was a give away . Now it’s an abuse of power as the district demans the kids sign contracts that make them liable for the tablets. I love my tablet and I believe they can do a lot of good in education, but the misuse of bond money is inconceivable and to not properly prepare for all this incompetent. Or worse.
Here’s the thing. We still need money in construction. At my LAUSD school we have broken floor tiles in the classrooms, ceiling tiles falling on people, it hasn’t been painted in years, the air conditioners barely work, our connectivity for computers is spotty, there are broken chairs in our auditorium. Many of our classrooms are “temporary bungalows” that have been in use, temporarily, for thirty years now. They are buying the I-pads to facilitate TESTING. That’s the goal, the reason, and the motive.
Melissa, I agree, was writing my response below as you were writing yours. Hang in there
And testing is not even what they care about, it is just an ugly means to an end. There are trillions of dollars in the testing scams. There is so much money it is obscene! And that’s what the reformers are all about!
I can’t believe that nobody’s talking about the obvious force driving this purchase – to provide enough computing devices necessary for the common core tests. Those sweet little iPads will also be used to put entire classes on at once for canned “learning programs” guaranteed to increase student test scores. Every time a US teacher opens his/her inbox, they are met with promotions for this garbage, from private companies coming out of the woodwork to cash in….
There is no way school districts are prepared for the huge technology demands right around the corner, brought on by edreformers and the common core. Look for these kinds of headlines more often now – the monumental technology purchases – but ask what those computers will be used for.
As somebody who helped lead the charge just a few years ago for computers in schools to revolutionize student learning (and it could have, but that movement was hijacked by the edreformers), this breaks my heart. What an absolute waste of such a promising opportunity.
I have to reply again, this is a total waste just to have this technology for testing. The deformers would win if we proceed on this Sign the petition and stop this madness.
Connecticut results in Bridgeport: quote: “The victory tips the balance against the mayoral-backed majority on the nine-member board that has supported school superintendent Paul Vallas and education reform efforts. Mayor Bill Finch and the three party-endorsed candidates all support Vallas, whose qualifications to keep the job will be weighed by the state Supreme Court later this month.”
challengers slate for school board primary: Andre, Howard, Dave
I worked as an elementary visual arts teacher in LAUSD for eight years. I am now laid off and have been told that due to all the middle schools eliminating arts programs there is very little chance I will ever be able to facilitate the art curriculum I devoted three years of my career to develop.
Cool. So now I am an elementary substitute teacher. Yesterday, I watched in horror as a five year old threw an ipad across the room.
Funny. I never saw a paintbrush or clay treated that way.
I also never heard “When is recess”?
The author nor the committee member address how it is that the ipads can be bought with this money at all. CA tax payers came through for education, and then the money is spent on something other than what voters agreed upon. It will be tough to go to the voters next time.
Now let us talk facts. The Bond Oversight Committee approved $30 million, according to smf. The Board of Ed. approves $30 million for 30,000 students which is $1,000 ea. without knowing any details and no one thought of the keyboards or the, OPPS, Feb. 12, 2013 Jaime Aquino power point on the DEVICES which, thanks to a Ravich commenter had the link which I downloaded, I read and analyzed. Hmmmmm, things don’t match. In one place, on page 10, it looks like it will be $1,592.59 each. Later I find a page where they are going to get the device for the students at no more than $200 each and with a 5 year warranty including theft. Hmmmm, didn’t the board just approve the $30 million for $1,000 each and 3 years????? I sent the info to Diane last night. What happened to $200 and 5 years since Feb. to Sept.? You see they show about 3,200 teachers and students and $50 million, divide the two. They break down what money for what and I break it down as a percentage and per student.
Now let’s get to the legal meat of the situation. In California school construction bonds are meant for long term capital improvements not general fund uses. By this they mean generally 25-30 years or as long as the bond takes to be paid off except in CAB’s. Textbooks are a general fund purchase except in the case of construction of new classrooms which are empty. That catagory here is called “Other.” It is books, desks, computers, printers, gym equipment and such.
It is against the law in the State of California to use school construction bond money to pay for general fund items like textbooks and/or instructional materials and supplies or for any salaries which have any educational function. Salaries can only be paid for those who do facilities construction work. DEVICES are replacing books, they are equivalent, this is a general fund item. ILLEGAL. LAUSD, its superintendent, the CFO, General Counsel and staff constantly lie to the board and public. They break the law all the time. This is just another case. Other districts have bought these things that will be lucky to last 3-4 years with CAB bonds which do not start to be paid off for 20 years and can cost 10-18 times what was borrowed. Regular bonds take 2-3 times the amount borrowed to be paid off over 25-30 years. Why would you in the long run pay over 25-30 years 2-3 times the purchase price to use it for 3-4 years and then have to replace it with what? The law states that no equipment will be bought unless it will last 10 years. Will they? NO. So, just do it anyway, who cares, it’s their money not mine.
Just another day in corruption city.