A Dayton Daily News examination found three area public colleges spent a combined $550,000 in taxpayer and tuition dollars providing cell phones and smart phones for state employees last school year.
The finding raises questions about the cost and necessity of the phones at a time when Ohio is facing a potential $8 billion deficit.
Miami University paid out $272,000 for 630 phones in 2009-2010.
Wright State University spent $209,000 and Sinclair Community College paid $70,000, according to the schools. University officials note these sums are small portions of annual budgets that are hundreds of millions of dollars.
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