Alberto Carvalho Resigns as LAUSD Superintendent Amid Investigation

Alberto Carvalho, the superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District, has stepped down from his position. This decision comes nearly four months after the FBI conducted searches at his home and office in connection with a fraud and corruption investigation.

Carvalho, who served in this role for over four years, submitted his resignation on Sunday, effective immediately. According to reports from local media, he expressed gratitude for the opportunity to serve.

In a memo shared with various news outlets, the 61-year-old mentioned, “It has been a great honor to serve you.” He highlighted the collective progress made during his tenure, stating that the achievements belonged to students, educators, staff, and the community.

In his letter to LAUSD, he emphasized his desire not to be a “disturbance” for students, mentioning that placing students first has always guided his work.

Although he did not directly mention the ongoing FBI investigation, sources indicated it was linked to a corruption scandal involving a failed AI education company. LAUSD officials noted they would provide a statement later.

Before his resignation, Carvalho had been on paid leave for nearly four months. In February, members of the Los Angeles Board of Education unanimously voted to place him on leave just two days following the searches at his home and office, as well as additional locations in Miami related to the investigation.

Reports indicated that armed officers raided his home, detaining Carvalho and his wife under the scrutiny of the ongoing investigation. Investigators seized various items, including cell phones and documents, during the operation.

Carvalho, who once was the superintendent of Miami-Dade County Public Schools, had been promoting an education technology company’s AI chatbot, which he initially called a “game changer.” However, soon after the district invested $3 million in the technology, it cut ties with the company, which subsequently went bankrupt. The founder of the company later faced criminal charges, although Carvalho himself was not implicated in those allegations.

Despite the investigation, Carvalho has not been charged with any crime, and LAUSD states it is cooperating with authorities. A spokesperson mentioned that Carvalho respects the law and has always acted with students’ best interests in mind, asserting that no evidence has been presented to support claims of any legal violations on his part.