Howard Blume of The Los Angeles Times has done a remarkable job of reporting about Superintendent John Deasy’s huge problems in managing the school system, the most monumental of them being his decision to borrow from a construction bond issue to buy Apple iPads loaded with Pearson content for every student and staff member at a purported cost of $1.3 billion. Bad enough that he was raiding the bond issue funds for this project, but emails surfaced revealing that Deasy and his assistant Jaime Aquino (a former employee of Pearson) had discussions with both Apple and Pearson about the project before the bidding began. Along the way, we learned that Apple was charging above the market price for the iPads; the price dropped when this came out. The problems associated with this fiasco were unending.
Yet the Los Angeles Times editorial board apparently missed Blume’s excellent reporting. Today they published an editorial admonishing the school board for micromanaging Deasy. Really. The school board is elected by the public. Deasy works for the school board. The school board does not work for Deasy.
One has the uncomfortable feeling that billionaire Eli Broad is pulling the strings. After all, as the public reacted with outrage to the iPad fiasco, Broad hurried to Deasy’s defense. In Eli’s eyes, Deasy can do no wrong.
But he did do wrong, and the LAUSD elected school board should hold him accountable. Accountability begins at the top, not the bottom.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Diane, I think the editorial was a bit more specific about the ‘mico-managing’ ($40,000 consulting contracts) of the LAUSD board. But it goes on to critique Deasy’s ‘maybe I’ll quit’ modus. A somewhat tiresome trope he trots out periodically, not taking critiques well when he’s on the receiving end.
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You write:
“The school board is elected by the public. Deasy works for the school board. The school board does not work for Deasy.”
Eli Broad does not believe that.
John Deasy certainly doesn’t believe that.
Sometimes I’m convinced that not even the School Board believes that.
But you are right. The School Board needs to find the courage to stand up to Eli Broad, John Deasy, the LA Times Editorial Board and even Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, who seems to have drunk the Deasy Kool-Aid.
Deasy’s rhetoric withstanding, he wasn’t snuck into his job to strengthen LAUSD; his job is to bleed it dry, perhaps the only aspect of his job that he’s performing competently.
Those of us who see what he’s doing to the public schools of Los Angeles must redouble our efforts to bring his dismal record (both here in LA and at his previous postings) to light. If that can be done, there’s a good chance we’ll be free of him.
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Yeah, and Poland invaded Nazi Germany!
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TAGO!
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I have followed this LAUSD iPad story pretty closely.
I think Aquino has a clean slate from what I have read so far. He came from Americas Choice, which was bought by Pearson. He didn’t stay long after Pearson bought out AC.
And I can even buy into some of Deasy’s logic when he says he needs to have meetings with vendors. I agree, he needs to be informed of what tools, products, curriculum, etc, is out there in the marketplace. When you’re spending $1B, you need to know what you’re buying. But his relationship with Pearson seemed extra cozy.
It’s funny that Apple is getting the black eye in the media, when it’s more the Pearson relationship that smells fishy. Again, not defending Apple.
IMO, the real stink in this story is that Pearson Foundation personnel appear to be the primary pitchmen for the Pearson curriculum, not Pearson Education for profit. I see Judy Codding’s name in the emails, and if I am not mistaken, she works for the Pearson Foundation? Judy came from Americas Choice. Maybe Aquino doesn’t look so clean after all.
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Wasn’t Deasy a stockholder in Apple at the time of those meetings in 2012? Did he hold similar meetings with other potential bidders? Was it a good idea to take the money from a 25-year bond issue when the iPads would be obsolete in 3-4 years, and the license on the Pearson content expired in three years? How would LAUSD pay for the next round?
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I believe all of this is being investigated by the inspector general, whoever that is. The architect was fired because he opposed using the bond money, which was earmarked for maintenance and construction for i pads. The board reinstated him because he was on the oversight committee and you can’t fire someone that has oversight over you. Today it was 104 in LA . 500 calls came to the district maintenance for broken and malfunctioning AC. Probably would have been fixed if they had used the money correctly. And another question to add to your inquiry. Since the kids figured out how to bypass the passwords and get into the internet they weren’t going to be allowed to take them home. But the texts are on the ipads. How can you study for a test with no text? How can you study at home? Never could figure that one out.
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All good points Diane.
I think Deasy owned a few Apple shares. And I hope he meet with other vendors as any good CEO would. From a pure technology point, the iPad is not a great choice. But a smart IT/Tech purchase is driven by the app and content, not the device. So one would have to argue if the Pearson content was the right curriculum or not.
I have seen a Broad Superintendent/CEO in action at another fairly large district. And so far he follows the Broad playbook pretty faithfully. Until recently I didn’t even know what I was seeing. I just started studying “education reform” and I must say my eyes are wide open.
Thanks for the blog.
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If you go to the facebook page repairs not I pads there is an article there about the AC. It seems there is a 2000 request backlog to repair or fix the ac and the board and deasy are squabbling over the I pads that took away the money to fix the ax..Amazingly bad management.
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If they used the iPads to do mire than test the price would be of no concern because text book and supply funds would be all but superfluous . The waste with text books is insane but kids prefer to read on devices which are uploaded with almost any text book, novel etc for $15 or less.
One can make music, art and take photos. You have one, you know what it can do. But the truth is it takes tine to convert to all that and they have not even figured out how to connect them. There are also grants and donations. I believe after the first round the contract ( which we need to get via FOIL) states the iPads. will be much cheaper, but I only have Deasy’s word to go by . And you know what that is worth,
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Yes, Deasy had some stock, but it apparently wasn’t a large amount. I don’t think that was ever considered the “smoking gun” however. What was most egregious was his Apple promotional video in which he declared that LAUSD had adopted iPad technology. Well, I guess he should have used the word “I” in place of LAUSD, because he was the only one who knew about this. Yes, this video was made long, long before the project was introduced to any entity at LAUSD.
In the next couple of weeks, we will be hearing about the difficulties at high schools with the delivering of accurate transcripts for students applying to college. There is NO WAY the MiSiS computer system is capable of carrying out this task accurately and efficiently.
While the financial effects of the iPad project will not play out immediately, the MiSiS crisis will. When you mess with students’ college applications, that’s when the real pushback will occur. At some point, Broad will have run out of lifelines to throw out to Deasy.
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I echo ShineALight’s comments, in particular, his final compliments.
Until a coup occurs, CEO’s tell boards what to do. It’s not the other way around. The usual driving force for a coup is the profit motive. Absent that, elected public boards don’t scrutinize management.
If it was possible for Eli Broad to look any more sleazy, he’s achieved it.
Is his hedge fund suffering from the public’s awakening awareness of the false claims of the industry?
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The other real stink in the story is he used money for ipads meant for construction and maintenance. Today 500 calls went out when the temps reached 104 for broken or malfunctioning air conditioners. Maybe they would have been prepared for this if they weren’t concentrating their efforts on I pad purchase, cancelling i pad contracts, and sending threats to the board about their e mails.
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Aquino violated laws by working for Pearson then making a deal with Pearson when he was at lausd. There is supposed to be a year between any kind of dealing or wheeling. I learned about this from Mercedes book , which describes a similar situation involving Joel Klein and Amplify he got away with it because of mayoral control . We do not have that in LA. Garcetti did NOT drink the kool aid because he angered Eli Broad when he refused to follow in Mayor Tony’s unfortunate foot steps. Notably, Garcetti endorsed Tuck’s opponent . I understand how one can be confused because he sure did get buddy buddy with Deasy last year and threw up his support rather blindly, but he has said little if anything about Deasy and his present predicament. I could have missed it , but his silence is so loud, Eli Broad defended Deasy a few days ago. When he goes we have to make sure the board puts in a supe the people choose.
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I regret establishing my teaching career in LAUSD. This school district has become ground zero for the privatization of urban public education. The billionaire “reformers” own the media, politicians, and school board. Our teachers union UTLA should be mobilizing tens of thousands of its to members march in front of LAUSD headquarters.
I went into teaching believing in social justice but now I just have a bad taste in my mouth as these greedy bastards destroy public education in districts that serve the poor and working class.
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Taxpayers need to demand that these white collar criminals be tried and convicted.
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You are right Diane, Eli Broad speaks and everyone believes him. The times has never investigated his superintendent school or the many failed superintendents that have graduated, gone to districts and be thrown out for their amazing lack of expertise with education and educators. The times is hoodwinked by him. Deasy is complaining far and wide and loud and clear that he can no longer do his job aggressively if the board is going to check his emails and watch what’s he’s doing. He is threatening to leave. And the times thinks he’s wonderful because Eli Broad stated he is the best superintendent he has ever seen in LA in his life time. Really Broad he graduated from your school And Broad is a non educator, never worked in education never taught, never administered it. How on earth does he get off thinking he knows what a good superintendent is or is not. It could not be more corrupt and yet the LA times keeps bashing teachers, praising Deasy, and bowing and scraping to Broad. Could it be the times has lost their edge on truth in the news? Or is that Broad is a powerful billionaire who comes off as a loving philanthropist just looking out for the kiddies. He wields a lot of power in LA that’s for sure.
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This is exactly what the Seattle School Board gets every single time – the “micromanaging” tag. In Seattle, they search for, interview and hire the superintendent. He is the only employee they oversee. And, they are elected for oversight.
And yet, our daily newspaper, the Seattle Times, constantly complains about the school board and is now encouraging the Mayor and City Council to ask our state legislature if the City can take over the school board.
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Melissa, the most important job of any school board is to hire and oversee the decisions of the superintendent. He or she is not an independent actor. He or she works for the children, of course, but his immediate supervisor is the school board.
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Teflon does not stay on the inside of a frying pan forever. And when it gets some scratches, its toxicity leaks out! The School Board is rightly calling out the toxicity and rightly so!
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About time.
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White chalk criminais
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“The Blame Game”
Everyone’s to blame
Except the ones who are
The finger-pointing game
Will really get you far
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Yesterday, the LA Times did include the following article about students walking out of a high school due to the lack of air conditioning:
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-los-angeles-heat-students-walkout-20140916-story.html
Of course, as in the MiSiS crisis, the district denies it ever happened. In my career in LAUSD, we suffered many times with high temperatures in Sept. and even into early Oct. This was before all schools were scheduled for air conditioning. However, in extreme cases, school was let out early.
LAUSD has admitted to cutting their Maintenance and Operations budget to the bone, leaving schools not just without air conditioning, but with broken toilets and water fountains. The head of M & O has admitted to the Bond Oversight Committee that when minor repairs are ignored, they often turn into major repairs that then need to be funded by the bonds. This is devastating, because it equals money wasted, money that could have and should have been used for classroom educational needs. The M & O budget comes out of the general fund, and with more and more costs for the iPad project being assigned to this fund, the district’s financial situation will continue to get worse. The “extra” money LAUSD receives from Proposition 30 will quickly, if not already, be assigned for out of classroom use.
Perhaps we should be creating a list of actions taken by Deasy that, in another district, would each have lead to his being fired. We can start with:
1. teacher jail
2. iPad project
3. MiSiS crisis
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The LA TIMES has a HUGE racism and classism problem.
They are blind to it.
They think if they call out the Ferguson, MO cops or if they advocate for the continuation of affirmative action in college, they are enlightened people on the issue of race.
The LA TIMES, like their editorial board brethren in THE WASHINGTON POST and THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE and many other big city papers, do not have children in the school systems they write the most often about. They demand one thing for the type of education they want for their own kids and prescribe something inferior another for primarily minority children.
John Deasy is such an example.
This is the “educator” who believes that teachers can be measured by Value Added testing, that there are hundreds and hundreds of teachers who need to be removed from the classroom, the man who testifies against his own district to deny due process to its teachers, the man who operates in secrecy and then “unveils” his directives on everyone, the man who takes over a billion dollars in public funds to invest in a system that is unnecessary and worse, pedagogically specious, the man who threatens to quit anytime challenges him, the man who says he is Martin Luther King’s heir apparent, the man who places so much faith in Pearson’s ability to mete out education for my students, the man whose entire career has been sucking up to the Power Structure and speaking for THEIR interests and saying that they’re really my kids’ interests too…well, you can see how exhausting it would be to constantly defend such an individual.
But The LA TIMES is more than up to the challenge.
The LA TIMES could not care less how many kids get stuffed in our classrooms. They couldn’t care less if the kids get out on field trips. They could not care less how many electives are offered. They could not care less how little is spent on our libraries. None of these is cause for outrage for the editorial board.
That’s because in their own children’s schools, none of these issues exists. If there is a problem, the parents hold an auction or fundraiser. The money is found. The parents are hyper-aware of what their kids are getting or not getting.
They are on it.
An autocratic superintendent like John Deasy would never last in their kids’ districts.
The LA TIMES education editorial board is like the worst parent ever making excuses all the time for the problems of their child, John. They protect THEIR child at the expense of everyone else’s. It is mind boggling the amount of space The Times spends on saying in the nicest possible way that Deasy is a jerk but they have steadfastly maintained that he remain in his position. The abuse he levels on the students, teachers and community of LAUSD is not a problem for The Times.
This is the education they believe kids of color need and the leader that is best suited for them. This is the racism and classism that they would never admit to which poisons all urban school systems when the paper that bears the city’s name endorses an education policy that doesn’t effect their own kids at all.
Their own children get the resources and leadership they deserve. They impose something entirely different on the most vulnerable kids.
To whit, John Deasy and whatever Broad-schooled Superintendent wreaks havoc and mayhem on the system they oversee.
Most galling, we have to hear how these billionaires appropriate Civil Rights’ language and its bloody struggle to justify their destructive education policy as what these kids need. They paint their critics as the enemies of Civil Rights and the corporations as the champions in the forefront of the Movement.
And The LA TIMES backs this philosophy with all means at their disposal.
Incredibly, The Times’ goes to great lengths in this most recent Op-Ed to try to spread the blame around to the (admittedly, inept and cowardly) BOE in hopes of drawing an equivalence of “jerkiness” to all parties.
If Karin Klein, the Times’ main education editorial writer, truly believes in John Deasy’s pedagogy, I offer her this invitation:
I’m sure your daughter in the Laguna Beach school system is smart, thoughtful and articulate.
I invite her to come to my class in LAUSD. Have her talk to my kids about what her education experience has been like since she started public schools. Have her describe her classes at school. How many kids are in the classes? What classes are offered? What does her school look like? She can tell my kids the things she has done with her teachers and classmates and special opportunities she has been afforded at her school.
Then, Ms. Klein can follow her and explain to my kids why John Deasy is what they need.
My kids will be all ears.
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A few weeks ago Deasy sent out an email to the staff. He complains that all information is not being given in the press.
Many of the LAUSD teachers who have had decisions by the Board will certainly be very sympathetic, as the information the Board was given was only from the Administration. Not only is it that one sided, but we are not only not allowed to give our side, we are not even told when the process is happening. That is, until the Board have decided.
It is just so sad that he is misinterpreted. I want to cry.
************************************************************************
Dear LAUSD family,
As your superintendent it is my responsibility to lead this school district towards our ultimate goal of graduating all students college-prepared and career-ready.
I would like to speak with you directly.especially since information can be misinterpreted or misconstrued as it makes its way through various channels.
In light of all of the questions being raised with the Common Core Technology Project (CCTP) and the rollout of the tablets and laptops, I think it is very important for me to set the record straight as there have been many false and misleading statements made public.
In a recent memo to the Board of Education (http://home.lausd.net/ourpages/auto/2014/9/3/47359016/CCTP%20Response%20to%20BM%209%202%2014_r.pdf), I expressed these concerns and clarified how these inaccurate statements are jeopardizing this extremely important initiative for the youth of LAUSD.
Click here (http://home.lausd.net/ourpages/auto/2014/9/3/47359016/CCTP%20Response%20to%20BM%209%202%2014_r.pdf) to read the specifics described in the CCTP memo I sent to the Board. As employees of this District, I value keeping you informed with the full story.
Sincerely,
John E. Deasy
Dr. John E. Deasy
Superintendent of Schools
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Too bad all the teachers in teacher jail don’t have this platform to defend their actions. They are deemed guilty until proven innocent. Their explanations, witnesses, etc. are not even viewed by the BOE before a decision of termination is made. Why should you, DZ, be given due process when these teacher’s aren’t. Why aren’t you in teacher jail until investigation on these matters are complete? It seems as though the BOE has built a ‘cone of silence’ around your malfeasance and dishonesty. This issue won’t go away just because you say it should. If you are innocent, let the independent, outside investigation proceed and stop hiding behind the moneybags of Eli Broad. Any type of suedo investigation done by the district on the district is a joke.
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A TEACHER’S PERSPECTIVE ON
HOW THE I-PADS ACTUALLY
WORKED IN PRACTICE:
Apart from the corruption involved—
conflict of interests; going thru the
motions of a sham bidding process
when the winner had already been
chosen, etc.—one thing people forget
is that the $1.3 Billion Ipad purchase
was a majorly dumb-ass idea on
so many OTHER levels it’s hard to believe.
First of all, the bond money Deasy
blew on the Ipad debacle was
meant for the construction and
repair of existing BUILDINGS and
related infrastructure. Deasy and his
allies made the looney argument
that the portable hand computers constituted
PART of the building infrastructure…
WTF???!!!
After a stretch like that, even most
pliant gymnast would be on muscle
relaxants for weeks.
Another consideration is that, in practice,
Deasy was warned by teachers (like
the one BELOW) about all the problems
that would crop up in the actual
implementation.
Mind you, these are problems that
played out, and still would have played
out…
1) even if spending a billion-plus of construction
bond money on I-pads was legally allowable (it ain’t)
and
2) even if the entire process was conducted
on the up-and-up, with no corruption
or conflict of interests (it wasn’t).
The whole I-pad purchase was, again,
a majorly dumbass undertaking from
the get-go, and this, again, was pointed
out by UTLA, parents, and community members.
Right now, that same bond money that
was blown in the Ipad fiasco..
that same money would have gone
to repair… for example…
desperately-ned air-conditioning in the older
LAUSD school buildings. Instead, it went to
I-pads, and this has meant that children are now
sitting in classes that are the equivalent
of ovens… drenched with sweat, unable
to even concentrate… in this brutal
heat wave that we’re enduring this week.
Thanks Dr. Deasy! (while Deasy sits in his
air-conditioned, luxury office on the 24th
floor of LAUSD Admin. building at
3rd and Beaudry downtown as this
plays out.)
Below is a link to an article on a blog
written by LAUSD teacher Martha
Infante—who teaches in South Central.
This is on her own individual blog.
In this blog post, she goes after OTHER aspects
of the Ipad debacle not covered in the
media — the fact that, apart from the
implementation of Pearson’s Common
Core testing, these I-pads were
completely useless.
Again, this is written from the
point-of-view of a the teacher on
the ground giving the actual skinny
on what actually went on with
how the Ipads performed:
Martha offers countless other criticisms:
—students getting robbed while
taking them home (as they have for
much less expensive items)
—With no policies and safeguards
in place, these devices would “disappear”
from schools and find themselves on the
black market. (they have);
—current and former administrators
refused to take responsibility for missing
computer devices”;
—students do not want to use
these devices with only Pearson
software installed on them;
—diversion of bond money that
should have gone for building repairs,
cleaning, resources, and overall
infrastructure, etc.;
—LAUSD greatly overpaid for them;
—each school’s wifi network could not
handle the usage by their entire student body.
Beyond that, there were practical uses
that were prevented by the Person/Common
Core programmed priority that went along
with, and were built in to these devices:
—No opportunity to Skype with schools
around the world,
—no ability to make “Prezis” ( (SaaS
use Ipads for class presentations
using presentation software and storytelling
tool for presenting ideas on a virtual canvas.)
— no general internet access to look stuff up.
—Once testing was over, these devices
were sent back to the district.
—teachers were totally left out of
the decision-making;
MARTHA INFANTE:
“No one asked us, the teachers, and every last prediction came true. When people started asking questions, they were silenced.”
(Regarding one of those being “silenced”, Martha hyperlinks to the times
article “LAUSD has enough yes-men; it needs Stuart Magruder, a parent
member of the Bond Oversight committee who voiced objections, and
was canned in Parliamentary maneuver by LAUSD Board Member
Tamar Galatzan… a corporate reformist whose campaign was
bankrolled by Eli Broad and Bill Gates, among others.
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-magruder-20140617-story.html
Martha continues…
MARTHA INFANTE: “Now I start my school year with students sharing cell phones with each other to do research (contrary to popular belief, not all students from poverty have internet access). I research ways to write grants for a class set of kindles, because these are the most affordable and at least they can connect to the worldwide web.
“But worse, I suffer the insult of a Bostonian man telling me that he is more interested and invested in improving the lives of our students than I and thousands of others of educators are and have been.
“I am not content to let this ride out. My students don’t have a voice (yet) and I do. Stay tuned for more blogging this year, and thank you for reading.”
—————————————————-
Here’s the entirety of Martha’s blog article:
http://dontforgetsouthcentral.blogspot.com/2014/08/ipads-are-good-for-students-arent-they.html
Don’t Forget South Central: iPads Are Good For Students, Aren’t They?
————————————————–
————————————————–
“Don’t Forget South Central: iPads Are Good For Students. Aren’t they?
“If you believe technology can replace teachers, then yes. I do not believe it. Let me back up. Hi! My name is Martha Infante and I have been in education for 24 yea…
“As a career classroom teacher, it has been a surreal experience to live trough the transformation of my profession.
“If you believe technology can replace teachers, then yes. I do not believe it.
“Let me back up.
“Hi! My name is Martha Infante and I have been in education for 24 years. I love teaching. I would also love a class set of computers for my students to do research and projects, but our schools have been decimated in recent years with budget cuts and we are only now recovering. In fact, this is what got me started in blogging.
“Why is the iPad issue so controversial? It might be because our Superintendent John Deasy, who sees himself as a champion of civil rights, believes iPads will equalize educational opportunities for students from poverty. Not more teachers, counselors, clean buildings, resources, training…but iPads.
“The Los Angeles Unified School District, however, is paying $768 per device for its students, teachers and administrators, making it one of the nation’s most expensive technology programs.
“After we overpaid for these devices with bond money, they made their appearance in my school for one purpose only: to test children. No opportunity to Skype with schools around the world, no ability to make Prezis, no general internet access to look stuff up. Once testing was over, these devices were sent back to the district.
“What did we give up when choosing these expensive devices? Well, the money that could have gone to infrastructure went to iPads. As a result, schools have ant, roach, and rodent issues, broken classrooms and buildings, and few devices to use for instructional purposes.
“I have a real problem with not involving teachers in the conversation. My main concern was that students would get robbed (and possibly injured) while taking their iPads home. This happens regularly in the neighborhood where I teach, for much less valuable items.
“With no policies and safeguards in place, these devices would “disappear” from schools and find themselves on the black market.
“At Dymally Senior High, “current and former administrators refused to take responsibility for missing computer devices,” the report said.-LA Times
“Students will not want to use these devices with only Pearson software installed on them.
“Was each school’s wifi network enough to handle the usage by their entire student body?
“No one asked us, the teachers, and every last prediction came true. When people started asking questions, they were silenced.
“LAUSD has enough yes-men; it needs Stuart Magruder
“Now I start my school year with students sharing cell phones with each other to do research (contrary to popular belief, not all students from poverty have internet access). I research ways to write grants for a class set of kindles, because these are the most affordable and at least they can connect to the worldwide web.
“But worse, I suffer the insult of a Bostonian man telling me that he is more interested and invested in improving the lives of our students than I and thousands of others of educators are and have been.
“I am not content to let this ride out. My students don’t have a voice (yet) and I do. Stay tuned for more blogging this year, and thank you for reading.”
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