Karin Klein of the Los Angeles Times wrote an excellent editorial about the disastrous decision to spend $1.3 billion on iPads for every student and staff member of the LA schools. It should be a cautionary tale for every school district that is about to invest hundreds of millions or billions of dollars in new technology.
The District’s Inspector General investigated the purchase and found nothing wrong. But he never looked at the emails that passed between district officials and the winning vendors (Apple and Pearson). The school board never released the results of that investigation. Now a federal grand jury has been impaneled to look at the evidence of possible wrong-doing, and that is a very good thing. The grand jury will also examined the botched computer system that cost millions of dollars and never performed as it was supposed to.
She writes:
When the school board reached a severance agreement with Deasy in October, it issued a statement that board members do “not believe that the superintendent engaged in any ethical violations or unlawful acts” in regard to the emails. That statement was completely inappropriate considering that Bramlett’s investigation into the emails was still underway—as it is now. The board has no authority to direct the inspector general’s investigations—but it can hire and fire the person heading the staff office, and controls his office’s budget. (In fact, just a week or so before the board made its statement, Bramlett’s office pleaded for more funding, according to a KPCC report.) The statement could be seen as pressuring the inspector general not to find wrongdoing; in any case, board members are in no position to prejudge the matter.
For that matter, none of us are in that position. The emails could be perfectly legal and appropriate—or not. It’s unknown whether even a federal grand jury will be able to ferret out the full picture, since many earlier emails were apparently deleted and aren’t available. And if it uncovers ethical rather than legal problems, the public might never know; the grand jury is looking for evidence of crime. Federal crime at that. This might not be the best mechanism for examining the iPad purchase. But the investigation at least ensures that an independent authority is examining the matter, unimpeded by internal politics or pressures.
Yes, the public has a right to know and a right to expect that public officials will act in the best interests of students. As for the huge purchases for technology, we in New York have learned that even the sharpest and most ethical city officials have trouble monitoring the technology purchases. The largest financial scandal in the city’s history occurred recently, when a company called Citytime won an IT contract for $63 million in 1998 which ballooned into a $600 million payout; the principals went to jail. The school system’s ARIS project, launched in 2007, was supposed to aggregate data on the city’s 1.1 million students; it was recently dumped because so few teachers or parents used it, at a loss of $95 million. There were other instances where consultants bilked the city, in large part because no one supervised what they were doing.
Is there a moral to the story? Choose your own. Mine is that these multimillion dollar technology purchases must be carefully monitored, from beginning to end, to be sure that the public interest is protected and served. The problem is that many school districts lack the expertise to know whether they are getting what they paid for, or getting a pig in a poke. When even New York City and Los Angeles can be misled, think how much easier it will be to pick the pockets of mid-size and smaller districts.
Since so many of us in the LA area have said this same thing, it is about time that Karin Klein wrote some truth to power. Also Steve Lopez also has picked up on our muckrakers group hue and cry about LAUSD.
I thought I was going crazy. I was sure it was Klein who led the We Love Deasy Parade, and all who questioned him were Luddites, self-interested, and gasp, even opposed to minority children having equal access to education – their civil rights! Teachers gave Deasy a resounding vote of no-confidence, and they dismissed us. The candidates the LA Times supported for school board were considered Deasy supporters – and fortunately, they lost. I think she is a little late with her concerns.
After years of criticizing the school board for micro-managing the autocratic superintendent, it is a bit of a relief to see the LA Times publish an editorial with an aim to calm the public. Afterall, if LAUSD is always in the middle of chaos, how can people do more than throw up their hands again at the largest school district in the west? But I’m not so sure I’m reassured.
According to uber-insider Scott Folsom, the raid was no surprise at all. The cartons were packed, the requested documents specifically detailed, even detailing in what room of the 27-story building they could be found. If LAUSD officials packed the boxes, isn’t the fox still watching the hen house? http://citywatchla.com/lead-stories-hidden/8012-what-you-don-t-know-about-the-fbi-s-raid-on-la-s-school-district How independent is this investigation? Is Folsom right or is Klein?
Karen, I appreciate your hope and audacity. But these Folks have changed their tune because they have no choice . They are caught in the act of acting very badly or of being incredibly stupid. Maybe Klein had to appease her bosses. After all they are the same breed of swine who drive teachers to cheat on standardized tests. She deserves what they got . Oh, that is ….right… they took the fall while Beverly Hall apparently gets to keep her big bonus and outwit justice. It is a pretty ballsy 180′, I will give her that. Like those teachers who can never teach again
( including whistleblowers who were the first casualtie in Atlanta after the children who were part of the cheating schemes) , klein may find hercareer is harmed by this unless she parlays it into something independent and fresh . If Valerie Strauss keeps pulling it off in WA PO , Klien can in LA . She owes the city to at least try to break free of the paper’s bias and follow this story in earnest. It culd leas to great things of she dies it in earnest.
You completely misunderstood my comments.
The Los Angeles Times enabled the disgraceful fraud in the district by ignoring the rampant greed and dishonesty while it was going on and reported by many people. Karin Klein and her colleagues are intelligent people who knew very well what was happening. Personally I will not be satisfied until the leaders who initiated and/or participated in this fraud are prosecuted and sent to prison. As a nice “extra” it would also please me to see teachers compensated for all the essential materials and books they had to purchase with their own money when taxes targeted for children were siphoned into private pockets.
Exactly!
More likely, the expertise exists, but those who know technology are ignored by those in charge who think they know.
How can the misuse and abuse of technology money among schools benefit from the fiascos of NY and LA.You think the problems NY had would have been a cautionary tale for LA but it wasn’t. I don’t know the answer but it definitely is not to proceed purchasing tech with no comprehensive plan or continue using bond money. As taxpayers, we need to nix that expenditure in the bud. Repairing out decaying schools is what bond money is for. If there is no money for tech, don’t purchase tech. Now, all the bond money is being used to hire outside contractors to fix a failed system that never worked. The march of folly.
Easier than taking candy from a baby. The baby will cry and scream and mom will flatten you. The central corporate leadership of school districts? “Nothing to see here, move along and get the hell away from that curtain!” Saving face is far more important to them and their handlers than saving the taxpayers money and keeping it in the classroom.
Is this the same Karin Klein that writes for the L.A. Times? I think not because L. A. Karin worship Deasy and this one is actually talking sense. Does anyone know? Maybe aliens changed brains on her or something.
“Eine Kleine Nachmusik”
The LA Times has not gone rogue
It’s just that Deasy’s out of vogue
The Kleine Nachmusik is late
But sets them up for better fate
yes, I know it’s supposed to be “Nacht” (night) but “Nach” (after) fits better, “A Small After-music”
LAUSD’s IG doesn’t read emails and a Grand Jury is investigating? Hopefully things will turn out better than the last few GJ decisions. Hopefully.