Dive Brief:
- A 2014 rollout of a new record records system for students in the Los Angeles Unified School District has seen its total cost balloon to $189 million since 2013.
- The My Integrated Student Information System, or MISIS, was previously been used in a much smaller district in Fresno, but scaling it for the much larger LAUSD has proven difficult.
- On top of the massive spending thus far, the district's maintenance costs for the system are expected to be $12 million per year from the 2018–19 school year and on.
Dive Insight:
Tech rollouts have not gone well over time for the Los Angeles Unified School District. Difficulty scaling these programs to a district of its size are a likely suspect for at least part of the problem. Smaller districts that successfully implemented tech projects may have a better grip on needs, structure, and general organization.
On top of its tracking system woes, LAUSD is still dealing with fallout from a halted $1.3 billion 1:1 iPad program, spearheaded by former superintendent John Deasy. While scale likely played a role in some of the issues there, Deasy's alleged connections with Apple and an “unorthodox and unethical bidding process” for the ambitious initiative have also led to an FBI investigation.
A private report released last November and commissioned by current Superintendent Ramon Cortines warned that LAUSD is “facing a looming, long-term deficit that could force the system into bankruptcy."
