Alberto Carvalho has stepped down as superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District, ending a high-profile four-year tenure that included academic gains, aggressive post-pandemic enrollment efforts and a prominent defense of immigrant families, but was ultimately clouded by a federal investigation tied to a failed artificial intelligence chatbot contract.
Carvalho resigned Sunday while the FBI continues to investigate matters apparently connected to the district’s chatbot deal, a project he had publicly promoted. The Los Angeles Times first reported his resignation. CalMatters previously reported on the troubled chatbot contract.
Carvalho has denied wrongdoing.
In an open letter addressed to the school board and the LAUSD community, Carvalho said serving the district had been an honor and pointed to what he called historic progress during his time leading the nation’s second-largest school system.
“Placing students first has always guided my work,” Carvalho wrote. “Because I believe our schools must remain focused on students and learning without distraction, I am resigning as superintendent of LAUSD.”
The district said Andrés Chait, who has been serving as acting superintendent, will continue in that role while the Board of Education searches for Carvalho’s replacement.
In a written statement issued on behalf of the board, the district said it remains focused on steady leadership during the transition.
“Our focus remains unchanged: providing every student with a high-quality education, supporting our dedicated workforce, and maintaining the trust of the communities we serve,” the statement said.
Carvalho arrived in Los Angeles in February 2022 after serving as superintendent in Miami, where he had built a national reputation in education leadership. He took over LAUSD only months after campuses had reopened for in-person instruction following COVID-19 closures, at a time when districts across California were struggling with learning loss, falling enrollment and widespread student absenteeism.
During Carvalho’s tenure, LAUSD reported notable academic improvement. English language arts scores increased by more than 5 percentage points, while math scores rose nearly 8 percentage points, outpacing statewide gains. Graduation rates also improved.
Carvalho also made attendance and enrollment central priorities. He personally went door-to-door in some neighborhoods to urge students to return to class and backed advertising campaigns on buses, billboards and elsewhere to encourage families to enroll children in transitional kindergarten.
His leadership also drew attention during the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement crackdown. Carvalho, who has spoken publicly about having once been undocumented himself, became one of the region’s most visible public education leaders speaking in defense of immigrant students and families.
Under his leadership, LAUSD created a 24-hour hotline, hosted workshops on immigrants’ legal rights, offered free legal help through local nonprofit organizations and launched a virtual academy for students whose families feared leaving home because of deportation risks.
Families in Schools, a Los Angeles-based parent advocacy organization, recently honored Carvalho with a “Courage in Leadership” award and praised his advocacy for immigrant communities.
“At a time when immigrant students and families experienced fear and uncertainty, Superintendent Carvalho used his voice and position to affirm that all children deserve safe, welcoming schools,” the organization said.
The federal investigation became public in February, when FBI agents searched Carvalho’s home and office shortly after the district renewed his contract. Carvalho had been on leave since then.
His resignation leaves LAUSD at a pivotal moment, as the district continues to confront declining enrollment, budget pressures, labor issues and post-pandemic academic recovery. The school board now faces the task of selecting a new superintendent for a district that serves hundreds of thousands of students across Los Angeles and surrounding communities.
Original source: CalMatters
