It probably sounds too good to be a true to most Texas headbanging middle school students, but they may be getting an iPod on taxpayers' dime. This past week New Summerfield ISD announced it had received a $17,000 grant from the state to give IPods to 85 6th, 7th, and 8th graders. The money comes the Texas Education Agency's Rural Technology grant program. That sour note you hear is of more of your tax dollars being flushed down the drain.

The district's superintendent says the iPods are needed for students to review lessons at home because many students lack a high-speed Internet connection.

The broader issue here is that the state should not be handpicking districts for these types of grants - either taxpayers should pay for iPods for all students in the state or none at all, and we think most Texans would prefer the latter approach. Let's hope there are some accountability measures in place to determine whether New Summerfield ISD students spend their time on these machines listening to lesson plans or the latest top 40 tunes that pass for music.