The LA School iPad Scandal: What You Need To Know

John Deasey

A massive expansion of classroom technology has come to a grinding halt in Los Angeles.

The LA Unified School District had planned to buy some 700,000 iPads for its students and teachers. The Apple tablets would include learning software built by publishing giant Pearson. But Superintendent John Deasy announced earlier this week he is canceling the contract and restarting the bidding process.

The decision comes on the heels of an investigation by NPR member station KPCC, which obtained emails between Deasy and tech executives that bring into question whether the initial bidding process was fair. First, some context:

The goal of the expansion was simple yet ambitious: to equip every student in the nation’s second-largest school district with a tablet computer. The expected price tag for equipment, software and Wi-Fi upgrades to schools: $1.3 billion.

The project has been controversial from the outset. Critics argued that it was too expensive in a time of dramatic budget cuts. Some also worried that the rollout had been rushed, that the software wasn’t finished and had glitches, and that the district’s infrastructure, training and security procedures were insufficient for this kind of effort.

Then came the emails.

“Looking forward to further work together for our youth in Los Angeles!” Deasy wrote to Marjorie Scardino, then Pearson’s CEO, on May 22, 2012, after hearing an initial pitch over lunch.

“Dear John, It’s I who should thank you,” Scardino replied. “I really can’t wait to work with you.”

KPCC reports these notes were going back and forth long before the tech contract was ultimately opened for competitive bidding.

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