LA Superintendent Alberto Carvalho's Home Searched by FBI in Federal Investigation
Los Angeles schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho, who has built a strong reputation for enhancing academic performance and graduation rates across two major U.S. school districts, had his home searched on Wednesday by the Federal Bureau of Investigation as part of an ongoing federal probe. Agents executed search warrants not only at Carvalho's residence but also at the headquarters of the Los Angeles Unified School District and a location near Miami, where he previously served as superintendent. Authorities have yet to disclose specific details regarding the nature of their investigation, leaving the community and stakeholders awaiting further clarification.
A Challenging Start and Rise to Prominence
Carvalho has frequently shared his personal journey in numerous news conferences and interviews over the years. Born in Portugal, he experienced a childhood marked by poverty before immigrating to the United States more than four decades ago at the age of 17. Initially lacking legal status, Carvalho settled in New York City and later Miami, where his first job was as a dishwasher, followed by work as a day laborer. After earning a biology degree from Barry University, a small Catholic institution near Miami, in 1990, he began his career in education as a science teacher in Miami-Dade County.
"My world changed when I became a teacher," Carvalho remarked in 2021. "I still feel this journey is a fairytale." His rapid ascent through administrative roles in Miami saw him become a principal, district spokesperson, assistant superintendent, and ultimately superintendent in 2008, showcasing his dedication and leadership in the field.
Accolades and Achievements in Education
During his 14-year tenure leading Miami-Dade County Public Schools, Carvalho received widespread recognition for his efforts to boost graduation rates and academic outcomes, particularly among Black and Hispanic students. In 2014, he was honored as Superintendent of the Year by the national superintendents association, and in 2021, he was knighted by Spain for his work in expanding Spanish-language educational programs. That same year, the Los Angeles Board of Education unanimously selected him as superintendent, taking the helm of a district grappling with the dual challenges of pandemic-related learning losses and declining enrollment, despite significant funding from state and federal COVID-19 relief packages.
Over the past five years, Carvalho has been praised for driving improvements in academic performance within the Los Angeles Unified School District, which serves approximately 500,000 students, making it the nation's second-largest school system.
Advocacy and Criticism Throughout His Career
Carvalho has been a vocal critic of aggressive immigration enforcement policies, often referencing his own experiences as an immigrant who once lived in the U.S. illegally. In August, just before students returned to school, he urged immigration authorities to refrain from enforcement activities within a two-block radius of schools, stating, "We are appealing to the better senses of those who have the power to eliminate trauma from the streets of our community." He implemented measures such as adjusting bus routes and distributing family preparedness packets to protect students and families, including those without legal status.
However, Carvalho's career has not been without scrutiny. In 2020, he faced questions in Florida after a nonprofit he founded accepted a $1.57 million donation from an online education company that the district had considered using but later dropped. Although an inspector general concluded that the donation did not violate ethics policies, it was deemed to create an "appearance of impropriety" and was redirected to Miami-Dade teachers as gift cards. Earlier, he was criticized for exchanging explicit emails with a former Miami Herald reporter, which he acknowledged as inappropriate while denying an affair.
More recently, in 2024, Carvalho promoted the development of an AI chatbot named "Ed" for district students by the company AllHere. After unveiling the technology and paying $3 million, the district severed ties with AllHere as it collapsed, and its founder faced charges of securities and wire fraud and identity theft. Carvalho denied personal involvement in selecting AllHere and pledged to appoint a task force to investigate the project's failures, though no such task force has been announced to date.
