LA teachers union wants to punish the man behind the failed $1.3 billion iPad deal

Los Angeles teachers union president Alex Caputo-Pear has called for LA Schools chief John Deasy, the man who helped orchestrate the ill-fated $1.3 billion tech deal designed to give an iPad to every student, to report to “teacher jail” while the program is under investigation. “Teacher jail” refers to district offices which house instructors who are facing allegations of misconduct. In Deasy’s case, the alleged misconduct relates to apparent inappropriate dealings with Apple and education publisher Pearson that may have influenced the bidding process for the massive deal, which has now been abandoned. Deasy claims there was nothing inappropriate about his relationship with either company.

Los Angeles teachers union president Alex Caputo-Pearl on Wednesday called on L.A. Schools chief John Deasy to report to “teacher jail” — district offices that house instructors who are facing allegations of misconduct — while the district’s $1.3-billion iPad program is under investigation. UTLA President Alex Caputo-Pearl on Wednesday called on John Deasy to report to “teacher jail” — district offices that house instructors who are facing allegations of misconduct — while the district’s $1-billion iPad program is under investigation. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) Deasy halted the program after increased scrutiny over it. An internal report sharply criticized the project, citing major problems with the process and the implementation. And, L.A. Unified emails showed that the superintendent and his top deputy had close ties to Apple, maker of the device, and Pearson, the company that provided curriculum on the devices. Deasy said that L.A. Unified needed to start over to include “lessons learned” about the project and to benefit from advances in technology. Critics have raised concerns about whether Deasy and then-Deputy Supt. Jaime Aquino had inappropriate dealings with executives from Apple and Pearson. The district’s inspector general has begun a second inquiry into the program.