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Marietta Daily Journal
July 27, 2005
PROBES POSTPONE TEACHERS' LAPTOPS
MARIETTA, GA - Delivery of Cobb teachers' new Apple laptops has been delayed due to investigations into the laptop program, Superintendent Joe Redden announced Monday morning in an e-mail to all 7,100 teachers.
The e-mail - which the Journal obtained from a teacher and not from Redden's communications office - did not specify how long the delay would be.
This is the first time Redden has publicly mentioned the investigations, which are being conducted separately by Cobb District Attorney Pat Head and the New York auditing firm of Kessler International.
Although Head is conducting a criminal investigation, Redden referred to it as an "audit," in his e-mail.
"I am confident that all of these issues will be resolved favorably," he said.
Redden called the delay "disappointing," apparently blaming the school board for unanimously voting for the investigations during its July 14 board meeting.
The board voted to ask Head to investigate allegations made by a district official during a July 8 hearing in Cobb County Superior Court. The hearing was related to a lawsuit filed against Redden and the school board by former Cobb Commissioner Butch Thompson to stop the district from issuing laptops to students.
Thompson retained former Gov. Roy Barnes to represent him in the suit.
During the hearing, Dr. Mindy DiSalvo - a member of the district's Facilities and Technology Committee that helped select Apple as the district's laptop provider - testified that during phase two of the evaluation, Apple Computer scored dead last, while Dell Computer scored first in the selection process.
But when the decision passed to the third phase of the process - during which a final decision was made by Redden, Deputy Superintendent Don Beers and Redden's central office employees Donna Oliver, Alisa Morningstar and Kim Quinn - Apple's place changed from last to first.
Head was asked to investigate any criminal behavior, according to board member Laura Searcy, while the board hired the New York forensic auditing firm of Kessler International to investigate any ethical irregularities in the Request for Proposal process.
About 550 teachers at the four high school pilot sites of Harrison, Campbell, Lassiter and Pebblebrook already received their laptops shortly after the end of spring semester in late May.
The remaining 6,550 teachers in the district were to receive their laptops before the start of school on Aug. 10.
That now is unlikely, Redden said. He said since the results may take "several weeks," he said the date teachers receive their laptops to be delayed.
"Although this delay is disappointing, I know it will not adversely affect your enthusiasm as we open a new school year," Redden said.
In his e-mail, Redden tells teachers they deserve the best tools available to perform their jobs.
"That is why the SPLOST II (Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax) program specifically provides for a computing device for all classroom teachers," Redden said. "Our plan, as you know, is to provide each of you with your own laptop computer. However, as you have probably read, the board has asked that the Power To Learn RFP (Request for Proposal) process be audited to quell questions and reassure the public that our process is sound. In addition, we still await a ruling in a lawsuit filed over expending SPLOST II funds for Power To Learn."
Redden's planned laptop program, which could cost more than $100 million if fully implemented, would distribute more than 63,000 laptop computers to students and teachers. About 8,500 students are planned to receive laptops between November and January at the four pilot high schools, according to Deputy Superintendent Don Beers.
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