PARENTS AND TEACHERS PROTEST LAUSD’S ELIMINATION OF COMMITTEE INVESTIGATING CONTROVERSIAL iPAD PURCHASE

By smf for 4LAKids News

Thursday, January 23, 2014 :: Parents and teachers held a press conference/photo op Thursday afternoon to express anger and disappointment at LAUSD school board president Dr. Richard Vladovic’s decision to disband a LAUSD school board committee which is investigating the District’s iPad purchase. The Ad Hoc Common Core Technology Program Committee, chaired by boardmember Monica Ratliff has 12 members - which includes community members and district related organizations.

Committee member Raquel Cedillo said: “ I am frustrated at the closing of this committee. This is a huge purchase and the community has a right and responsibility to ask questions and know what is going on. I think that disbanding this committee is another attempt to rush the through this billon dollar iPad purchase and leave the community in the dark …and with the bill.”

Committee member Kisa Karahalios says: “ I don’t think it’s is right that the Common Core Technology Committee is being disbanded. This will look like the school district sweeping a troubled project under the rug. This billion dollar plus pus purchase has raised many questions, such as how our tax money and bond money should be spent, can we afford this purchase, what will be cut to pay for it, what technology has the District already bought and what technology is best.”

The event, held on a grassy traffic island north the LAUSD HQ at 3^rd and Beaudry, was attended by about a dozen activists and four or five representatives from the English and Spanish language media - including television cameramen/reporters, press photographers and a newspaper reporter. Questions were raised about the timing of the elimination of the CCTP Committee – which reports directly to the Board of Education. More questions have been asked than answered about the iPad roll out. And with every new question asked by the committee newer ones arise.

Initially some were afraid that the CCTP Committee would be an attempt to whitewash the controversial iPad program and/or cover-up or stonewall the uncertain roll out and nagging questions of impropriety in the procurement process. Instead the CCTP Committee became a persistent investigator of the iPad program. One could easily see the next generation of questions being: What did Doctors Aquino, Deasy and Vladovic know… and when did they know it?

With the silencing of a powerful questioning voice the overarching question becomes: Is this an attempt to quiet the questioners rather than answer the questions?