Report: LAUSD Chief Says School District Can't Afford iPads For Every Student

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — The head of the Los Angeles Unified School District said Friday the district cannot afford a $1.3 billion plan to distribute iPad computer tablets to every student, teacher and administrator, according to a report.

LAUSD Superintendent Ramon Cortines made the announcement Friday, marking a "major reversal" from a plan formulated by his predecessor John Deasy, the Los Angeles Times reported.

However, it wasn't immediately clear whether Cortines would be scrapping the program altogether. According to The Times, Cortines suggested the LAUSD could try to make computers available for students for testing purposes and other specific uses.

Deasy stepped down in October after coming under fire from the United Teachers Los Angeles for the failed billion-dollar iPad program, class-scheduling computer problems at Jefferson High School, and his support for litigation challenging teacher tenure rules in the state.