LA schools iPads: Superintendent Deasy explains Pearson, Apple meetings
More than a week after new questions arose regarding the bidding process for the 1:1 technology program, Los Angeles Unified Superintendent John Deasy sent a six-page memo to the school board Tuesday defending his actions and stating that neither he nor his staff violated any rules.
"I am often times asked to meet with current or potential vendors by Board Members – all appropriate in my responsibility to become aware of the best products and services for LAUSD," Deasy wrote.
On Aug. 22, KPCC published internal emails showing discussions between Deasy, other top school district staffers and executives at Pearson and Apple began nearly a year before the companies won the contract to equip every student with a tablet loaded with educational software. He canceled the contract last week and said he will put the project out for bid again.
Deasy has said publicly that the emails and meetings did not concern planning for the district's 1:1 technology program, but, rather, a pilot program. Pearson has said that pilot involved eight classrooms - which was contradicted by email discussions regarding training thousands of teachers.
In Tuesday's memo, Deasy said the emails concerned a different, paid pilot program that never launched.
"Instead I believed that because we were less than one year away from full implementation of the new state standards and facing a totally new and different state assessment system--one that would require all state assessments to be taken electronically--we should not do any more pilots where some youths would have an advantage over others and instead we should provide content and technology for all of the LAUSD youth," the memo reads.
He said district officials also met with other vendors to explore a pilot.
"Specifically, Amplify was offered an opportunity to also pilot a no-cost trial of their curriculum materials and devices, however, it was determined that their prototype was not ready at that time," he wrote.
In the memo, Deasy said Pearson's software proposal was one of a kind.
"There has never been an educational digital product that was designed and developed LA schools iPads: Superintendent Deasy explains Pearson, Apple meetings | 89.3 KPCC: