Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Board of Education, after two days of closed-door meetings on February 26 and 27, decided to place Superintendent Alberto Carvalho on paid leave. This decision followed a raid on the LAUSD headquarters and Carvalho’s residence by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on the 25th.
The seven directors of the Los Angeles Unified School District held a closed-door meeting for nearly seven hours and unanimously agreed on the decision to place Carvalho on paid leave on the 27th, appointing Chief Operating Officer Andres Chait as interim Superintendent.
Board President Scott M. Schmerelson said, “Today’s action is aimed at fulfilling our commitment to students and parents, providing uninterrupted high-quality public education”; “Chait is a highly respected leader and educator, and we are fortunate to have him smoothly transition into the role of managing our schools.”
Chait expressed his honor in serving as interim superintendent at this critical moment, stating, “Our focus remains on ensuring stability, continuity for students, families, and staff, as well as strong leadership for the district.”
Carvalho’s introduction still remains on the district’s website, noting his tenure as the LAUSD Superintendent since February 2022, making him the longest-serving superintendent in over twenty years. He was unanimously selected by the California Board of Education after extensive community engagement and a nationwide search, re-elected in September 2025 with an annual salary of $440,000.
When Carvalho arrived in Los Angeles in 2022, the district had received federal and state COVID relief funds. Prior to LAUSD, he served as the superintendent of Miami-Dade County in Florida for 14 years.
Under his leadership, LAUSD achieved historic academic progress, with students’ core subject test scores showing double-digit growth surpassing pre-pandemic levels, and setting new records in state assessments. Superintendent Carvalho also led the development and implementation of the “World Facing” strategic plan for 2022-2026, a cornerstone of several transformative initiatives in the district, including the Education Transformation Office, Cultural Arts Passport, and Family Academies.
However, Sonja Shaw, Chair of the Chino Valley Unified School District Board and candidate for California State Superintendent of Public Instruction, stated in an interview that the district leadership had been concealing the truth from parents. Shaw said, “LAUSD is operating behind closed doors, leaving parents in the dark, while students pay the price.”
According to the California Post, unidentified individuals visited Carvalho’s $1.6 million residence in the San Pedro neighborhood of Los Angeles earlier this week, staying for several hours. A package was delivered to the residence the day before. It remains unclear whether Carvalho still resides in the property, which he purchased in 2022, with three bedrooms and two bathrooms.
A week prior, FBI agents executed a search warrant at the residence, seizing several boxes of items; concurrent searches were conducted at Carvalho’s Florida residence. No official charges have been announced, and related affidavits are currently sealed.
Multiple media reports suggest that the investigation into Carvalho may involve a now-defunct educational technology startup company. In 2023, LAUSD signed a contract worth approximately $6 million with AllHere, a Boston-based company providing a chatbot named “Ed” for students and parents. Following AllHere’s bankruptcy in June 2024, the project was discontinued. Investigators initiated the AllHere investigation in New York, where evidence related to Carvalho was discovered and passed to California authorities.
Public records show law enforcement also searched the Florida property of educational technology project salesperson Debra Kerr, whose clients included AllHere. Kerr stated during bankruptcy proceedings that AllHere owed her approximately $630,000 in commissions related to the LAUSD contract. Media reports indicate Kerr’s son, Richard Kerr, was a client manager for AllHere while Carvalho was in Florida.
AllHere’s founder, 33-year-old Joanna Smith-Griffin, was arrested in 2024 on charges of securities fraud, wire fraud, and identity theft. From 2020 to June 2024, Smith-Griffin inflated AllHere’s revenue, client base, and cash reserves, swindling nearly $10 million from investors and attempting to raise an additional $35 million.
LAUSD previously stated they were unaware of any wrongdoing by the company; Carvalho also denied involvement in the selection process of AllHere.
Currently, LAUSD faces a projected structural deficit of up to $877 million for the 2026-2027 school year. The board approved preliminary layoff notices by a 4:3 vote the week before, affecting approximately 2,600 contract managers and certified administrative positions, as well as over 650 non-teaching positions. ◇