Compton : Schools to Buy $2-Million Record-Keeping Computer

The school board has approved a $2-million computer system for keeping track of student attendance and grades despite the determined opposition of the board president.

The final vote was 6 to 1. Supporters said the system would bring state-of-the-art record-keeping to the Compton Unified School District. Administrators said such a data system became crucial after the Los Angeles County Office of Education decided to end its record-keeping service for Compton schools.

Board President John Steward, who voted against the plan, objected to the five-year length of payments, arguing that it was wrong for board members to contract a financial commitment that would stretch beyond their terms. Steward said he also was upset over the selection process. Steward has complained that staff members had already made the decision by the time the board voted on the purchase.

Sources close to the board said Steward was particularly angry at Supt. J. L. Handy and wanted to force Handy to admit that he had approved the purchase without board authorization. Handy has said that neither he nor staff members did anything improper in recommending the vendors, IBM and Macro Educational Systems, to the board.