Los Angeles School District Halts Controversial $1 Billion iPad Contract
LOS ANGELES (CBS/AP) -- Faced with criticism about the planning and rollout of a $1 billion effort by the Los Angeles Unified School District to provide iPads to all students, Superintendent John Deasy has suspended future use of a contract with Apple Inc.
The Los Angeles Times reports that the suspension follows disclosures that Deasy and his top deputy had close contact with executives at Apple, which makes the iPad, and Pearson Education, the company that is providing the curriculum on the tablets.
The disclosures came in an internal district report that found the implementation of the iPad plan was beset by a flawed bidding process.
The newspaper says the purchases were being approved in phases, which gave Deasy the option of starting over.
The districtwide iPad rollout began last fall at 47 schools.
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