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Via KPCC | By Annie Gilbertson

William Johnston, who was superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District during the 1970s, is urging officials to stop using bond funds to buy iPads – leading an oversight committee to take up the issue Thursday.

“I believe the current purchase of iPads with school bonds is illegal,” Johnston said in a letter addressed to the chairman of the district’s bond oversight committee, Steve English. “New developments and technology will make them obsolete, requiring replacement. School bonds are designed to buy property, build schools, equip schools with lasting equipment.”

The committee has sided with the current administration, recommending the school board use school construction bonds to expand the iPad program. Once fully implemented, it’s expected to cost $1.3 billion, most of which will be spent on upgrading wifi at schools.

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