Provincial education Minister Lisa Thompson says she’s ”shocked” and ”disappointed” to learn the Toronto District School Board was planning on buying nearly 4,000 top of the range I-phones at $1500 apiece.

In a statement issued on Monday afternoon, Thompson added that what she found most troubling is that this would have happened, just when the province is asking education partners to work with them to find savings to protect frontline services.

According to Thompson, the TDSB only cancelled the planned purchase after the media became aware of the planned purchase.

She concluded her statement by calling on the TDSB ”to immediately review all procurement activity and cancel any unnecessary spending that would take more money away from classrooms.”