Wednesday, August 27, 2014

IPadGate updated: LA SCHOOLS’ SUPERINTENDENT FACES SCHOOL BOARD AFTER DAYS OF QUESTIONS ON iPAD PLAN

Mary Plummer | 89.3 KPCC http://bit.ly/1vRt9w7

File: Los Angeles schools Supt. John Deasy  speaks during a press conference at South Region High School #2 in Los Angeles on Feb. 6, 2012.

File: Los Angeles schools Supt. John Deasy speaks during a press conference at South Region High School #2 in Los Angeles on Feb. 6, 2012. AFP/AFP/Getty Images

August 26, 10:53 PM  ::  Los Angeles Unified school board member Monica Ratliff formally released a report that was leaked to media last week, outlining concerns about the district's iPad project.

The report was released during the first public school board meeting of the school year.

Ratliff and school board member Tamar Galatzan engaged in a heated back and forth over Ratliff's decision to require a lengthy confidentiality agreement before allowing board members and district staffers to view the draft report. The report was leaked to KPCC and the Los Angeles Times before she had reviewed it.

The meeting started more than two hours late because closed session discussions over negotiations with the teacher's union went long, according to board president Richard Vladovic, and the board severely limited the number of public speakers who could comment on problems with the iPad program.

Earlier:

Los Angeles Unified school board members met Tuesday afternoon in the first public meeting since Friday, when Superintendent John Deasy began facing a rush of questions about his relationships with executives at Pearson.

Emails obtained by KPCC led some school board members and other district watchers to question whether Deasy's relationship with Pearson paved a path for the software company to land a contract, without giving other competitors a fair shot during the open bid process. A committee led by school board member Monica Ratliff has been asking that same question for months.

Monday evening, after news of the emails broke, Deasy announced he was abandoning the contract with Apple and Pearson and would open its one-to-one technology project to new bids.

Deasy has declined multiple interview requests from KPCC. In an interview with KCRW Tuesday, Deasy said he accepted criticism that he should have acted sooner but denied any wrongdoing. He said he was not involved in designing the specifications for bid proposals or choosing the winners.

"The contracting process was reviewed," he said, adding later in regard to the emails:  "It wasn't inappropriate. I meet with vendors all the time."

To follow updates from today's school board meeting, view tweets from KPCC's Mary Plummer below.

Tweets

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  1. 12h

    Mary Plummer @maryplummer

    Day turns to night - public comment underway, ppl still waiting outside to speak, say they've been here since 1:30 pm pic.twitter.com/thARGw3eBA

    View image on Twitter

    12h

  2. Mary Plummer @maryplummer

    Ratliff says she's heard that once #misis works, it's going to be great. Lengthy MiSiS convo ends on positive note. public comment to start

    12h

  3. Mary Plummer @maryplummer

    Chandler says parents haven't been approved to help w/ #Misis. Anyone following these tweets know of schools where that's happening? true?

    12h

  4. Mary Plummer @maryplummer

    Kayser raising questions - says some parents have been volunteering to help enter data. Asking about privacy issues #misis

    12h

  5. Mary Plummer @maryplummer

    Matt Hill says final recommendation to go live with #misis came from him #lausd

    12h

  6. Mary Plummer @maryplummer

    You can read Ratliff's full #iPad report here: http://achieve.lausd.net/Page/6840 Check out @PFedu's coverage on @kpcc's website http://www.scpr.org/blogs/education

  7. 12h

    Mary Plummer @maryplummer

    Ratliff: "I personally think an undo button is really important" "teachers are having problems with grade book" #lausd

    12h

  8. Mary Plummer @maryplummer

    Ratliff bringing up concern that grades will be entered incorrectly, no way to undo some grade mistakes, she says #lausd

    12h

  9. Mary Plummer @maryplummer

    Ratliff bringing up long list of #misis problems - Chandler doesn't have answers on hand to several of them, says he'll get answers #lausd

    12h

  10. Mary Plummer @maryplummer

    Chandler says times are down to 14 minutes today - no mention of what high end of range is #lausd #misis

  11. 12h

    Mary Plummer @maryplummer

    Monica Ratliff says current hold times for #misis help are up to 2 hours #lausd

    12h

  12. Mary Plummer @maryplummer

    "We could have had a more elegant plan b" says Ron Chandler, of switching to paper #LAUSD #misis

    12h

  13. Mary Plummer @maryplummer

    Some of the things we tested in focus groups didn't pop up as problems until #misis went live, says Ron Chandler of #lausd

    12h

  14. Mary Plummer @maryplummer

    "we're at stable condition now" says Matt Hill, one of two #lausd staffers giving #misis report

    13h

  15. Mary Plummer @maryplummer

    "we knew there would be some issues, but not to this magnitude" #lausd

  16. 13h

    Mary Plummer @maryplummer

    #misis update - starting now #lausd

    13h

  17. Thomas Himes @LADailyThomas

    #LAUSD just released committee report that's critical of aborted $1 billion iPad plans, read it: http://achieve.lausd.net/Page/6840

  18. 13h

    Mary Plummer @maryplummer

    New district 1 board member George McKenna has banner up in LaMotte's memory #lausd pic.twitter.com/6SQV4ttk54

    View image on Twitter

    13h

  19. Mary Plummer @maryplummer

    Deasy talking about AP score gains and drop out plans #lausd

    13h

  20. Mary Plummer @maryplummer

    Superintendent John Deasy speaking for the first time now, giving his report #lausd

    13h

  21. Mary Plummer @maryplummer

    Ratliff says she'll take full responsibility for everything in the report - it's her report #lausd

    13h

  22. Mary Plummer @maryplummer

    Big dispute underway between Ratliff and Galatzan - Galatzan not happy abt the confidentiality agreement that delayed her access to report

     

  23. 13h

    Mary Plummer @maryplummer

    "I may not personally like it, but it's not illegal" says Vladovic, talking abt confidentiality agreement that Ratliff asked people to sign

  24. 13h

    Mary Plummer @maryplummer

    Vladovic is asking Ratliff to respond, he says Ratliff's move wasn't illegal #lausd

    13h

  25. Mary Plummer @maryplummer

    Galatzan says she refused to sign. Asking Vladovic is that's allowed #lausd

    13h

  26. Mary Plummer @maryplummer

    Ratliff has passed around technology report - Galatzan says Ratliff withheld docs from her unless she agreed to strict legal secrecy

  27. 13h

    Mary Plummer @maryplummer

    "we shouldn't have cozy relationships with multi billion $ entities" says UTLA president

    13h

  28. Mary Plummer @maryplummer

    UTLA president is speaking, says autocratic decision making is big problem. Calling for #Misis investigation and #ipad investigation

    13h

  29. Mary Plummer @maryplummer

    Meeting is officially underway #lausd

    13h

  30. Mary Plummer @maryplummer

    Last 3 hours have been spent discussing union negotiations - public speakers will speak at the beginning of the meeting #lausd

    13h

  31. Mary Plummer @maryplummer

    13h

  32. Mary Plummer @maryplummer

    Board members are making their way to their seats #lausd

    Mary Plummer @maryplummer

  33. Crowd is yawning, chatting, scrolling smart phones. #lausd

    13h

  34. Mary Plummer @maryplummer

    Meeting still has not started, Board Secretariat says he can't provide any further details on the delay #lausd

    14h

  35. Mary Plummer @maryplummer

    Mostly full house awaiting #LAUSD meeting - 1.5 hours delayed, several camera crews have stepped out for live shots pic.twitter.com/ftThYtDcDC

    View image on Twitter

  36. 14h

    Mary Plummer @maryplummer

    You can follow our tweets from today's #lausd meeting here: http://www.scpr.org/blogs/education/2014/08/26/17206/la-schools-superintendent-to-face-school-board-aft/ … Once it starts ... wondering if I should have brought PJs

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