Los Angeles School Superintendent Alberto Carvalho has been placed on paid leave due to a federal investigation. This decision was made by the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education, shortly after the FBI searched Carvalho’s home and the district’s headquarters.
Details about the investigation are scarce. The Los Angeles district serves over 500,000 students, making it the second-largest school system in the U.S. Carvalho, who became superintendent in 2022, previously led the Miami-Dade County Public Schools.
Andres Chait, the chief of school operations, will take over during Carvalho’s leave. Carvalho has not commented publicly on the situation.
The FBI is also investigating a third site near Miami connected to the case. This location is linked to Debra Kerr, who previously worked with AllHere, an education technology company that had a contract with Los Angeles schools. The company faced issues and went bankrupt, with its founder indicted for fraud shortly afterward.
In 2024, Carvalho promoted a deal with AllHere for a student assistance AI chatbot named “Ed.” However, the district ended its relationship with the company just months later, after releasing $3 million in funding. The project’s failure raised eyebrows, especially after the founder was charged with fraud. Carvalho insisted he had no part in choosing AllHere and announced plans for a task force to investigate what went wrong. So far, however, little information has emerged.
Kerr claimed she was never paid her $630,000 commission for her involvement in the AllHere deal. She had ties to Carvalho dating back to when he oversaw schools in Florida. Reports mention that her son pitched the technology to LA school leaders soon after Carvalho took the role there.
Despite these controversies, Carvalho has received praise for improving academic performance in Los Angeles. He was similarly celebrated in Miami-Dade, winning the National Superintendents Association’s Superintendent of the Year Award in 2014.
Carvalho’s achievements also earned him a knighthood from Spain in 2021 for expanding Spanish-language programs. However, he has faced criticism, particularly over the recent immigration policy changes in the U.S.
The Los Angeles district finds itself in a challenging position, having received significant federal COVID-19 relief funding. Yet, they still deal with issues like learning losses and declining enrollment. During his time in Florida, Carvalho famously clashed with Governor Ron DeSantis over mask mandates in schools.
Both the Miami-Dade school system and the Los Angeles district state they are aware of the investigation but refrain from commenting further.
For more information on such investigations, you can check resources like the U.S. Department of Education investigations page.
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