Parents ask Long Beach Unified to audit classroom technology and share vendor contracts

At the meeting’s public-comment segment, Mo Baker, speaking for Schools Beyond Screens Long Beach, urged the district to develop an ‘intentional, evidence‑based’ technology policy that limits screen time for young learners and requires annual audits of ed‑tech products. Baker told the board that neighboring LAUSD recently passed limits for TK–1 that ban classroom devices for the youngest students and require vendor audits; she asked Long Beach Unified to publish an itemized list of active ed‑tech contracts and their costs.

Baker also raised a fiscal-transparency argument: she noted that the district faces a substantial budget deficit and teacher layoffs while continuing to spend public dollars on ed‑tech software without a clear public accounting of costs and outcomes. “We should not be laying off teachers while writing blank checks to private ed‑tech companies,” Baker said. She asked the superintendent to establish a district work group to review ed‑tech use and invited staff and parent participation.

Board staff answered questions during the consent-calendar discussion about multi‑year IT contracts and said staff would provide breakdowns of contract assignments and the CTIG grant distribution when available. Board members requested an itemized online breakdown of specific contract allocations, schools that will receive services from proposed ELOP providers, and additional details about the $8,484,009.67 CTIG funding request for CTE modernization. Staff said individual contract assignments for the ELOP award will come before the board on August 5 and that the $32,500,000 figure for ELOP was a district not‑to‑exceed total.