A CALL FOR SAVINGS LAUSD TO LOOK AT CELL PHONE USE

Los Angeles Unified spent $2.3 million last year on 2,025 cellphones, 821 smart phones and 455 wireless cards for its employees.

But whether the gadgetry is necessary - or whether the moneycould better be spent elsewhere - is the subject of an audit beingconducted as the district struggles to close a $408 million deficit.

"Running the district is like running your home, and when youcan't pay the mortgage you have to go off the champagne diet," saidschool board member Richard Vladovic, who provided the breakdown ofthe district's mobile equipment budget.

"We are a people business, so our money needs to be spent onpeople and not on things."

The school board-ordered audit comes on the heels of a demand byGov. Jerry Brown that agencies cut by half the number of cell phonesissued to state employees. The reduction of 48,000 cell phones willsave California taxpayers an estimated $20 million.

And just last week, City Councilman Dennis Zine introduced amotion that would reduce Los Angeles cell-phone expenses by 10percent now and 30 percent in the fiscal year that begins in July.

Los Angeles had already conducted a technology audit last fall asit looked for ways to reduce a $5million cell phone bill.

As a budget item, cell-phone expenses are only a fraction of thecity's $7 billion annual budget. Even the deepest cuts to this billwould only scratch the surface of the city's estimated deficit of$350 million for next fiscal year.

But City Controller Wendy Greuel said it tends to be a good placefor agencies to start.

"It's easy for people to understand, it's tangible becauseeveryone has them ... so people want to know if their government isusing them properly," Greuel said. "In tough economic times you haveto look at the big things and the little things."

Most public agencies pay their cell phone bills out of theirunrestricted budgets, a fund that also pays for employee salaries.

Vladovic argued that reducing taxpayer-funded cell phones couldhelp save the job of a teacher, library aide or custodian as thenation's second-largest school district looks to close a budget gapnext year that could balloon to more than $400 million.

Vladovic even suggested asking district workers to use their ownphones.

"In this day and age, to make a presumption that an adult doesnot have a cell phone doesn't seem too smart," Vladovic said.

"Maybe we could ask people to use their own phones ... becausepennies turn into quarters and quarters turn into dollars."

LAUSD Superintendent-elect John Deasy, who will take overdistrict operations in April, said all technology should not beconsidered a luxury for the district.

Some district employees spend most of their time working fromremote locations, so a BlackBerry that can make phone calls andreceive e-mails becomes a mobile office.

Districts are also able to apply for federal grants to help payfor technology expenses. LAUSD, for instance, received a $1 millionfederal grant that helped pay for nearly half of the entire mobiledevice bill.

Still, Deasy said, he hopes the audit will enable the district topay for "fewer and cheaper" mobile devices.

"Yes, we are in an era of cuts and all items must be on thetable, but we also need to maintain services for students andschools," Deasy said.

Cell phones are an essential tool in keeping students safe duringemergencies, like during the shooting at Gardena High School and therecent lockdown of nine West San Fernando Valley campuses, Deasysaid.

"It was with cell phones that we sent out messages to parents tokeep them informed," he said.

In addition to auditing the use of mobile devices, districtofficials said they also plan to review other telecommunicationequipment, such as office phone, fax and Internet lines. During anygiven year, LAUSD can spend about $20 million on all of itstelecommunication needs, which includes voice-mail and long-distance phone services.

connie.llanos@dailynews.com

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