Los Angeles school superintendent placed on paid leave during federal
probe
[February 28, 2026]
By JAIMIE DING and JULIE WATSON
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Alberto Carvalho, the superintendent of Los Angeles
public schools in the nation’s second-largest district, was put on paid
leave Friday, two days after the FBI served search warrants at his home
and the district’s headquarters.
Authorities have not provided details of the nature of the investigation
involving the district, which serves more than 500,000 students, nor
have they accused Carvalho of any wrongdoing.
The Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education unanimously
voted to place Carvalho on leave pending the outcome of the
investigation after two days of deliberation behind closed doors. The
board said in a statement that its decision was intended to minimize any
disruption to its mission of teaching students.
Andres Chait, the chief of school operations, was named acting
superintendent.
"Our focus remains clear: to ensure stability, continuity, and strong
leadership for our students, families, and employees," Chait said in a
statement.
Carvalho became superintendent in 2022. He previously led the public
schools in Miami.
Carvalho has not responded to a request for comment. The FBI on
Wednesday also searched a third location near Miami. The Miami Herald
reported the Florida property belonged to Debra Kerr, who previously
worked with AllHere, an education technology company that had a contract
with Los Angeles schools before it collapsed and its leader was indicted
for fraud.
In 2024, Carvalho heavily touted a deal with AllHere for an AI chatbot
named “Ed” designed to help students. But about three months after
unveiling the technology and paying the company $3 million, the district
dropped its dealings with AllHere, which collapsed into bankruptcy.
Months later, founder Joanna Smith-Griffin was charged with securities
and wire fraud, along with identity theft.
The school district said in a statement Wednesday that it “is
cooperating with the investigation and we do not have further
information at this time.”
Carvalho denied personal involvement in the selection of AllHere,
according to the Los Angeles Times. After Smith-Griffin was indicted,
Carvalho said he would appoint a task force to examine what went wrong
with the LA school district’s project, but there have been no public
announcements about it since.
Kerr, an education technology salesperson who connects companies with
schools, said she was never paid her $630,000 commission for her work in
closing the AllHere deal with the LA district, according to a news
organization, The 74, that covered the company’s bankruptcy hearings in
2024.
[to top of second column]
|
Alberto Carvalho, Superintendent of Los Angeles Unified School
District speaks about students' improved rising scores before Gov.
Gavin Newsom signed legislation related to student literacy in Los
Angeles on Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes,
File)
The 74 reported that Kerr had longstanding ties with Carvalho from
when he oversaw the Florida district and that her son who worked for
AllHere pitched the technology to LA school leaders after he took
over the helm there. The Associated Press was unable to reach Kerr
for comment.
Over the past five years in Los Angeles, Carvalho has been lauded
for the district’s improvements to academic performance. He won
similar praise while overseeing Miami-Dade County Public Schools,
Florida’s largest school district, where the national
superintendents association named him Superintendent of the Year in
2014.
Spain knighted the Portugal-born administrator in 2021 for his work
in expanding Spanish-language programs for Miami-Dade County
schools.
Months later, Carvalho took the job in California and became a harsh
critic of the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration
crackdown, especially following raids in Los Angeles last year.
Carvalho arrived in Los Angeles at a critical moment, as the
district found itself flush with funding from state and federal
COVID-19 relief money but still struggling with the impacts of the
pandemic, including learning losses and declining enrollment. He
previously sparred with Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis over
his order that schools not require masks during the pandemic.
The Miami-Dade school system said in a statement that it was aware
of the investigation involving Carvalho but did not have any comment
at this time.
—-
Watson reported from San Diego.
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