Los Angeles Unified schools Supt. Alberto Carvalho, who has been under FBI investigation for four months, resigned Sunday night as leader of the nation\u2019s second-largest school system, bringing a breathtaking end to one of the district\u2019s most consequential and high-profile tenures.<\/p>\n
Carvalho sent a resignation letter late Sunday to the L.A. Unified School District and to individual members of the Board of Education.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt has been a great honor to serve you,\u201d Carvalho began in a letter addressed to \u201cthe students, families, teachers, staff, and community of LAUSD.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cOver the past four years, together, we have made historic progress \u2014 gains that belong to our students, our educators, staff and our communities,\u201d Carvalho said. His letter only hinted at the reason behind the resignation and made no direct mention of the early morning FBI raid<\/a> at his home and district office in late February, which prompted his placement on paid leave and the appointment of an acting superintendent.<\/p>\n \u201cPlacing students first has always guided my work,\u201d Carvalho said. \u201cBecause I believe our schools must remain focused on students and learning without distraction, I am resigning as Superintendent of LAUSD effective today, June 21, 2026.\u201d<\/p>\n Within two hours, the school board responded with a statement.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Board remains steadfast in its commitment to ensuring stability, continuity, and continued progress through strong leadership,\u201d the statement said. \u201cOur focus remains unchanged: providing every student with a high-quality education, supporting our dedicated workforce, and maintaining the trust of the communities we serve.\u201d<\/p>\n The statement confirmed that veteran administrator Chait will continue as acting superintendent \u201cuntil a permanent decision is made.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s not clear whether Carvalho\u2019s departure comes with a negotiated settlement. His contract sets a minimum of a 12-month payout were the district to terminate his employment without cause.<\/p>\n According to law enforcement sources, the federal investigation is tied at least in part to Carvalho\u2019s interaction with a subcontractor that brought a failed AI chatbot venture to the district. In his only previous public statement since the raid<\/a>, issued through his attorneys, he said that he committed no wrongdoing. He also said in that March statement<\/a> that he wanted to return to work.<\/p>\n Carvalho\u2019s resignation \u2014 although not entirely unexpected \u2014 was virtually unimaginable earlier this year in the wake of his new four-year contract, which took effect in February, days before the raid.<\/p>\n Pedro Noguera, dean of the USC Rossier School of Education, is among those assessing the resignation.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a disappointing end to an impressive career of one of the nation\u2019s most successful educational leaders,\u201d Noguera said. \u201cCarvalho\u2019s accomplishments in Miami were truly noteworthy and he seemed to have been making progress in LA. But, with this ongoing investigation, he leaves under a cloud. While it is important for the district to move on it is unfortunate for him that he will depart before this matter has been resolved.\u201d<\/p>\n Carvalho\u2019s letter focused on achievements, citing widely noted gains in state test scores, a new high for the graduation rate, an improved record on Advanced Placement courses and tests, and voter approval of the district\u2019s largest-ever school modernization bond. <\/p>\n \u201cMost importantly,\u201d he added, \u201cour progress has been equitable. Low-income students, students with disabilities, foster youth, and Black and Latino students all exceeded their pre-pandemic performance \u2014 an outcome that reflects the hard work and commitment of so many across this District.\u201d<\/p>\n Carvalho\u2019s time in charge was marked by academic growth and widespread acclaim \u2014 and his emergence as a voice for immigrant families who became the target of aggressive deportation actions with the arrival of the second Trump administration.<\/p>\n \u201cNo preschooler, no first grader, no high school sophomore on their way to class poses any risk to the national security of the United States,\u201d Carvalho wrote in a 2025 Time op-ed<\/a>. \u201cAnd yet, the response we are seeing looks more like a military operation than an immigration process. The result is widespread trauma, fear, and distrust \u2014 particularly in our schools, where children should feel safest.\u201d <\/p>\n He also took a poke at Trump and the president\u2019s efforts to cut education spending and close the U.S. Department of Education during his opening of schools address this year.<\/p>\n \u201cThe federal government swung its budget ax with all the care of a toddler running with scissors,\u201d Carvalho said<\/a>. \u201cLet\u2019s be honest, if Washington had a model for federal funding, it would be, \u2018If I can\u2019t spell it, I\u2019ll defund it.\u2019 And I think, judging by the vocabulary, we should all be very, very afraid, for it is limited.\u201d<\/p>\n L.A. Unified, meanwhile, also became a target of the Trump administration, which reopened an investigation into a program that provided support for Black students and other students with similar needs.<\/p>\n During his four-year tenure, Carvalho weathered some hard knocks and navigated high-profile controversies unrelated to the Trump administration \u2014 including a massive cyberattack on the school system and the alleged misspending<\/a> of money intended for arts education. <\/p>\n Carvalho remains under federal investigation<\/p>\n Then came the lightning bolt \u2014 the Feb. 25 FBI raid on Carvalho\u2019s home and office, which coincided with a raid in Florida at the home of education sales consultant Debra Kerr, a longtime professional associate of Carvalho.<\/p>\n Kerr, like Carvalho, has not been charged with wrongdoing.<\/p>\n The federal investigation relates to Carvalho\u2019s interaction with one or more contractors. One element under review<\/a> was the district\u2019s contract with AllHere, a now-defunct company that produced an ill-fated chatbot \u2014 which was supposed to use artificial intelligence to revolutionize education but instead was unplugged after several months.<\/p>\n Two days after the FBI raid, on Feb. 27, the Board of Education placed Carvalho on paid administrative leave, while temporarily installing Chait in his place.<\/p>\n Chait and other district officials narrowly averted a three-union strike in April with agreements that restored labor peace \u2014 but left critics questioning whether the school system could afford the pact, and whether Carvalho would have held out for a more affordable deal.<\/p>\n Some union leaders viewed Carvalho warily, although they have not attacked him with the intensity of some past superintendents. Last week, in interviews with The Times, the leaders of the two largest unions \u2014 United Teachers Los Angeles and Service Employees International Union Local 99 \u2014 called for Carvalho to be replaced. <\/p>\n The uncertainty of Carvalho\u2019s status has hung over the district since the raid \u2014 and some have criticized his paid leave as the district struggles with budget stress and employee layoffs. <\/p>\n The ordeal for Carvalho does not end. He remains the focus of a federal investigation whose direction has not been officially disclosed. There is no announced timeline related to this probe.<\/p>\n Nor is L.A. Unified relieved of intense federal scrutiny<\/a>. With or without Carvalho, L.A. Unified is the target of at least two federal probes. <\/p>\n The Trump administration is examining whether the district discriminates against white students by offering slightly smaller classes and some additional counseling to schools that are predominantly nonwhite. A second investigation is looking into whether the popular Black Student Achievement Plan provides illegal advantages to Black students based on their race.<\/p>\n The district defends its conduct as legal and, last week, restored funding<\/a> to the Black Student Achievement Plan. The funding had been on the table for a sharp reduction as one of many proposed cuts to avoid insolvency in two to three years.<\/p>\n High profile arrival and tenure<\/p>\n