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LAUSD iPad Status Looks Good, School Board Vows 'We Are Committed To This. We Will Move Forward'

'We're The First In The Country'
Los Angeles Daily News
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After taking a second, deeper look at Los Angeles Unified's controversial iPad project, school board members reiterated their support Tuesday for the plan to equip all 600,000 students with tablet computers while hearing about lessons learned during the first phase of the $1 billion effort to transform kids into "global learners."

Members grilled district officials about computer keyboards and security, along with curriculum software and campus infrastructure. Throughout the daylong meeting, they said they back the mission of the project but conceded there are different ways and timelines to attain their goals.

"We have an obligation as the Board of Education to ask difficult questions to move us forward ... but there should be no doubt as we sit here today, that we are moving forward," said Steven Zimmer, the board's vice president. "Conversations about Phase 2 should not be mistaken for whether there is going to be a Phase 2, Phase 3 and Phase 4."

"We are committed to this. We will move forward. The job today is to make sure that the detail and the substance of what we have approved honors the weight of the mission we are on. If we need to make changes, so be it."

The iPad project is the brainchild of Superintendent John Deasy, who wants to equip all students, teachers and school administrators with the tablet computers. They'll be used for lessons and tests that are part of the first-ever national English and math standards taking effect next fall. Those Common Core standards are designed to be more rigorous and more aligned to real-world experiences in order to better prepare students for jobs or college.

With little discussion, the board in June approved a $30 million contract to buy iPads for kids and teachers at 47 schools. But the creation of a technology committee -- and questions about security, cost, instructional materials and parental responsibility -- have prompted a more thorough review as the board prepares to award contracts for the next phase of the project.

The massive program has run into several snags in its first year, including incidents in which students hacked security filters to access unauthorized sites, and some reports of lost or stolen devices.

The special meeting was called at the request of Monica Ratliff, the lawyer-turned-teacher who took office in July, representing the east San Fernando Valley. The only board member who wasn't part of the discussions and approval of the first phase of the iPad project, Ratliff was assigned by board President Richard Vladovic to chair a committee on the technology project.

Ratliff introduced a motion Tuesday, to be considered at the board's Nov. 12 meeting, saying the district should continue focus only on Phase I this academic year in order to resolve issues like parental liability and training programs and a detailed procedure for how schools will decide whether to allow students to take the tablets home.

Her motion also calls for purchasing keyboards for all of the middle and high students participating in the first phase "to better inform us of the possibilities and to allow the keyboards to be used during testing."

A separate pilot program would provide laptops to teachers and students of certain high schools so the board can compare the experience with the iPad Phase 1. The motion also calls on the district to bring Phase 2 of the plan before the board for a vote next summer, which would likely push completion of the project into 2016. Deasy initially wanted all students to have iPads by December 2014, but recently extended that deadline by a year because of concerns that the district was moving too quickly.

After hearing a report on the project's budget -- including as much as $252 million in general fund revenue to replace worn-out tablets four years from now -- Zimmer said he wasn't convinced that Apple and Pearson Education Inc., which sold the district the iPads and pre-loaded instructional software, had offered the district the best possible deal.

"I feel really, really good about raising the flag and talking about this team," Zimmer said. "I also want to feel like I have the best contract in the country and I don't feel like I do...We're the first in the country...This is a gigantic contract -- even across the world they are paying attention to this. Give us something. Send a signal."

Perhaps Apple could offer the district the latest tablet models or make some other concession, he suggested.

Vladovic echoed the sentiment, arguing that Apple was getting valuable public relations credit from its partnership with the district.

"Apple is making a lot and Apple stands to make a lot more when we become successful, as I believe we are," he said. "It's in their best benefit to make sure they're successful. I'm all for squeezing them."

Ratliff, however, said it was not her intent in organizing the meeting to try squeeze any more out of Apple or Pearson.

Matt Hill, the district's chief strategy officer, argued that at $768 a tablet, which includes an extra $400 to $500 worth of services such as warranty and cases, they are getting a very good deal.

"I challenge anyone in the country to find us a better deal on this," Hill said, adding that he was willing to see what more Apple and Pearson might be willing to offer.

The $768 a tablet price only kicks in after the district buys 500,000 to get a volume discount.

Deputy Superintendent Jaime Aquino said Apple and Pearson may have wondered whether the district intends on moving forward with Phase 2 and Phase 3 of the project and how committed the board is to the entire project, which could affect that consideration.

Board Member Tamar Galatzan was absent Tuesday while Bennet Kayser recused himself for part of the meeting because he owns Apple stock but was later advised by board secretary Jefferson Crain that he was allowed to participate in the discussion. Deasy had also recused himself out of concern that he may have a potential conflict of interest since he also has a financial interest in Apple.

Among the lessons learned cited by district officials from Phase 1 is the need to tailor bandwidth capabilities to each individual school site and to develop a robust, comprehensive security plan, including a summer storage plan, for the tablets.

(c)2013 the Daily News (Los Angeles)

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Distributed by MCT Information Services

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Before You Go

5 Hidden Costs of Public High School
1. Modern school supplies(01 of05)
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Gone are the days when students were set for school with a three-ring binder and some No. 2 pencils. Now, parents say they're making expensive runs to local craft stores each time a project is assigned and are even furnishing their students with their own laptops. "You have to have a computer, and then you have to have the programs the school runs," says Jodi Drange, a parent from Montana whose daughter goes to Laurel High School. "They never have enough time at school [for assignments] and they won't get their project turned in unless they can work on it at home."If your child needs a laptop, consider a refurbished model that can be significantly less expensive, Florida parent Krause recommends. (credit:AP)
2. Extracurriculars(02 of05)
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For the Krauses, costs of the fall play, the spring musical, and a trip for a thespian group competition were straining the family's budget. "[My daughter] was talking about also wanting to get into softball, and we were like, 'Well, we don't know if we can afford the equipment if you want to continue to do drama,'" Krause says. "It's getting ridiculous, cost-wise, to continue to fund all these things through the school." Participation in important but increasingly costly after-school programs may necessitate a family conversation, says Carol Ranft, a mother who lives within Georgia's Gwinnett County Public Schools district and who was paying $450 a year for her son to play lacrosse. "I think that's probably one of the bigger questions for parents: As the cost of those kinds of activities increase, are their students willing to put in their time and effort into a cause or an activity?" Ranft asks. "Is it as worthwhile to them for their time as it is for the parents' cost?" (credit:AP)
3. College prep(03 of05)
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It's important for college-bound high schoolers to be ready for their next step, but taking Advanced Placement tests, which cost $87 each, PSATs ($14), and SATs and ACTs ($49 and at least $34, respectively) can get expensive. [Get tips on college test prep.]"Fifty dollars doesn't seem that bad, but most kids take [the SAT] two or three times before they apply to college, so that can add up," notes Karen Schoonover, chief academic officer and principal of Pennsylvania's New Hope Academy Charter School, where low-income students get test fee waivers. If testing costs will be an issue for you, investigate waiver options with your school's guidance counselor, Schoonover recommends.Schoonover's daughter took college prep further, with subsequent costs. Through a dual enrollment program at West York Area Senior High School, she took college courses for $250 each, amassing 17 credits by graduation--which would have cost about $12,000 to earn at a university, her mother estimates. "It saved me a lot of money in the long run," Schoonover says. "I wasn't really prepared in her junior year to start writing checks for tuition, though." (credit:AP)
4. Transportation(04 of05)
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Even getting to and from school can get pricey. Confronted with the option to pay $1,500 a year for a school bus to come, the Krause family decided to drive their daughter both ways each day instead--a cost of about $150 a week, Krause estimates. For students who have a bus option but would prefer to transport themselves, there may be an additional cost, too: "If you're a senior and you're looking forward to driving your car and parking at a high school lot, parking fees have gone up," AASA's Domenech notes.
5. Special occasions(05 of05)
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From senior trips to prom tickets, parents may find themselves opening up their wallets frequently--or facing the crestfallen faces of their teens when they hear the word "no." Even graduating from public high school can be costly once gowns, caps, tassels, and ceremony tickets are purchased. "I know this is all optional, but it's part of the high school experience, and it's all hidden costs," says Yvonne Johnson, a Delaware parent whose daughter goes to the Charter School of Wilmington. "It's not always easy to say no to them, [but my daughter's] going to college, and you've got think about all those expenses." [Find out how to talk to your children about money.] The balance of costs and involvement will differ for each family, as you work as a team to figure out what you can pay for--and what you think you should. For the Montana-based Drange family, for instance, having no money saved for college was "the trade-off," mother Jodi reasons. "My kids are super, super involved in everything--I just think it's part of a well-rounded education, so we pay," Drange says. "We might not to do this or that, you know, 'cause I think the kids comes first in our lives." (credit:AP)
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