Not milk money: L.A. Schools about to order an additional $115 million worth of Apple iPad units

The L.A. Board of Education is happy with their initiative to bring the Apple iPad to its students. The board is so happy in fact, that it is budgeting $115 million to send the tablet to students at 38 additional schools in the district. The decision overturns the recommendation made by an oversight panel to cut back on the number of slates purchased for students.

The goal is to have every student, teacher and administrator in the district receive an iPad or another type of connected device, like a lap top. Even though board members removed a cap on the number of the iOS powered slabs that the school district can buy, the board did add that the number purchased will be below the 67,500 that the district had recommended. On he other hand, the oversight committee had recommended a purchase of no more than 38,500 iPads. The committee said that there was no justification for the 30,000 extra tablets and in fact, felt that even the amount that they had recommended would prove to be too many.

The school district is paying $768 for each Apple iPad, a price that is well above what other school districts are paying for tablets. But the reason for that high price not only has to do with the high price of Apple's device as opposed to other slates, but also is a result of including the cost of the curriculum being used with the program.

Schools Supt. John Deasy also announced that Apple agreed to provide the iPads at no additional cost. Previously, the school district had been locked into a contract forcing it to pay a high price for an iPad model that had been discontinued.



source: LATimes via AppleInsider