{"id":34490,"date":"2026-08-09T12:11:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-09T07:11:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=34490"},"modified":"2026-08-09T12:11:00","modified_gmt":"2026-08-09T07:11:00","slug":"lausd-letter-details-carvalho-case-lawyers-defend-superintendent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=34490","title":{"rendered":"LAUSD letter details Carvalho case; lawyers defend superintendent"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div data-element=\"story-body\" data-subscriber-content=\"\">\n<p>In a confidential letter that preceded the June resignation of Los Angeles Unified Supt. Alberto Carvalho, the school board accused its heralded leader of unprofessional conduct, unsatisfactory performance and \u201cviolation of or refusal to obey\u201d state laws or school district regulations. <\/p>\n<p>The <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.documentcloud.org\/documents\/28533645-la-times-321-responsive-records\/\" target=\"_blank\">June 8 letter<\/a>, obtained by The Times in response to a public records request to the school district, signaled <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/california\/story\/2026-06-27\/alberto-carvalho-lausd-superintendent-dismissal-threat-fbi\">the board\u2019s intent <\/a>either to fire Carvalho or force his resignation.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.documentcloud.org\/documents\/28533645-la-times-321-responsive-records\/\" target=\"_blank\">Over seven pages<\/a>, the Board of Education provided its justifications for Carvalho\u2019s termination, citing allegedly unreported gifts, unreported outside income and donor-funded travel. The accusations also included alleged unauthorized handling of district property and improper use of district resources, including a car and driver intended for work-related tasks.<\/p>\n<p>In addition, Carvalho received \u201cgifts from contractors and lobbyists beyond the limits permitted by law,\u201d the letter alleged. <\/p>\n<p>Carvalho\u2019s attorneys <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.documentcloud.org\/documents\/28533645-la-times-321-responsive-records\/\" target=\"_blank\">responded to the letter<\/a> eight days later with a detailed confidential letter of their own, also obtained by The Times in response to a public records request to the district. The attorneys said the accusations were \u201clegally and factually deficient\u201d and \u201ca political hit job \u2014 an effort to remove a well-regarded public official who had the courage to stand between the [Trump] Administration\u2019s immigration enforcement apparatus and the schoolchildren of this city.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>On Tuesday morning, Carvalho\u2019s attorneys provided an additional response.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYesterday\u2019s release of LAUSD\u2019s investigation report confirms, once again, that Alberto Carvalho has broken no laws,\u201d their statement said. \u201cWhile the District\u2019s letter purports to recite other \u2018issues of concern,\u2019 it does so in an incomplete and misleading manner \u2014 as we set forth in our response to the District. <\/p>\n<p>The statement also emphasized that the district\u2019s widely noted academic gains contradict \u201cthe idea that his performance was unsatisfactory or unprofessional or that he was in any way unfit for service.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In their robust defense in June, Carvalho\u2019s attorneys, with the firm Holland &amp; Knight, provided specific counters to some allegations and dealt with others by category. In general, they maintained that some alleged miscues were relatively minor \u2014 involving paperwork errors. Other allegations, the letter said, were based on misrepresentations:<\/p>\n<p>The superintendent, for example, was being blamed after the fact for actions that he carried out in public with the full knowledge of the school system and frequently with clearance from the district\u2019s legal staff. <\/p>\n<p>Carvalho served as superintendent of the nation\u2019s second-largest school system from February 2022 until this past June 21, when<a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/california\/story\/2026-06-21\/carvalho-resigns-as-lausd-superintendent-amid-federal-investigation\"> he resigned on a Sunday evening<\/a>. The L.A. Board of Education had placed Carvalho on paid leave on Feb. 27, two days after FBI agents raided his San Pedro home and downtown L.A. office.<\/p>\n<p>That raid was in connection to the federal investigation of AllHere, a company that L.A. Unified hired to provide an artificial intelligence chatbot named Ed, which was touted as a tool that would revolutionize school-to-family interactions and students\u2019 academic experience. The effort ended with the financial collapse of AllHere.<\/p>\n<p>Carvalho has not been charged with wrongdoing and <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/california\/story\/2026-03-10\/alberto-carvalho-superintendent-of-lausd-breaks-silence-on-fbi-raid-on-home-office\">denies any misconduct <\/a>in connection with that project or anything else.<\/p>\n<p>The L.A. Unified letter shows that the school board was laying the legal groundwork to dismiss Carvalho for cause, which would have deprived him of contractual severance payments. Carvalho ultimately relinquished his right to severance by resigning \u2014 while avoiding the possibility of dismissal.<\/p>\n<p>The letter, signed by board President Scott Schmerelson, said, \u201cIf you choose to resign &#8230; the Board of Education will not need to proceed with voting whether to dismiss you for cause.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"the-extent-of-the-allegations\" class=\"subhead\">The extent of the allegations<\/h2>\n<p>The letter\u2019s blunt, legalistic tone methodically laid out pages of allegations, suggesting that there could be additional examples and that the investigation remained ongoing. <\/p>\n<p>Citing provisions for dismissal under the state\u2019s Education Code, the letter alleges \u201cunprofessional conduct,\u201d \u201cunsatisfactory performance,\u201d \u201cevident unfitness for service\u201d and \u201cpersistent violation of or refusal to obey the school laws of the state or reasonable regulations prescribed by the District.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Carvalho\u2019s attorneys, in their response, rejected those claims outright.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe recognize a pretextual and retaliatory termination when we see one, and what you have done here is not subtle,\u201d said the letter, which was signed by John L. Brownlee of Holland &amp; Knight. \u201cThis letter is legally and factually deficient. It is not a good-faith exercise of oversight.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Among the allegations, the district accused Carvalho of repeatedly failing to list gifts and outside income on required disclosure forms. His attorneys acknowledged that possibility. <\/p>\n<p>The district letter notes repeated alleged instances in which Carvalho did not report his work as a consultant for $500 or $600 an hour related to education matters. It does not reveal the total amount of money he earned consulting and does not say the consulting was improper. <\/p>\n<p>The companies listed are AlphaSights, Tyton Partners, Tegus and Third Bridge. The letter does not accuse the companies of wrongdoing. <\/p>\n<p>The district letter stated that, even if Carvalho had filled out disclosure forms properly, the amounts he allegedly accepted in gifts far exceeded the legal limit, which the letter noted was $590 in 2024. The <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fppc.ca.gov\/learn\/lobbying-rules\/\" target=\"_blank\">current limit<\/a> from a single source is $630. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cMr. Carvalho never intentionally concealed any income or gifts on his Form 700 filings,\u201d the attorneys said, referring to the state disclosure forms. <\/p>\n<p>His attorneys cited in Carvalho\u2019s defense a mistake he made on a 2022 form in which he overestimated the value of his stock holdings: \u201cThis is not the conduct of someone attempting to conceal outside income from the Board or from the public.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His disclosure forms \u2014 which The Times reviewed \u2014 did not list side gigs from private companies for the school years of 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25. Carvalho did disclose \u201cexecutive coaching\u201d he provided for Denver schools Supt. Alex Marrero, listing payments in 2022 as between $2,000 and $10,000.<\/p>\n<p>The <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2026\/07\/09\/alberto-carvalho-alex-marrero-denver-schools-coaching\/\" target=\"_blank\">Denver Post recently reported<\/a> that Denver Public Schools allegedly paid Carvalho $107,000 over the entire period of his L.A. superintendency to mentor and coach Marrero. <\/p>\n<p>After resigning from L.A. Unified, Carvalho filed a Form 700 for 2025-26 and a separate \u201cleaving office\u201d Form 700. Work listed on one or both forms includes consulting for London-based AlphaSights, valued at $1,001 to $10,000; consulting for Massachusetts-based American Public Bureau, valued at $1,001 to $10,000; and teaching for Harvard valued at $10,001 to $100,000. <\/p>\n<p>Carvalho also lists salaried work his wife performed for Abbvie US, valued at $10,001 to $100,000.<\/p>\n<p>In information provided separately in late June to The Times, a representative for Carvalho acknowledged that entries for consulting work and travel should have been included on Carvalho\u2019s earlier forms, but an appropriate remedy, for example, would be for him to amend and correct the forms \u2014 and be subject to a fine.<\/p>\n<p>The district letter alleged Carvalho\u2019s undisclosed travel costs were underwritten by education companies that included Scholastic, for a 2022 trip to a board of directors meeting and another event in 2023.<\/p>\n<p>The letter also faults Carvalho for failing to disclose travel and lodging paid for Hazel Health, a district contractor, to attend a 2024 student healthcare conference in Washington at the Watergate Hotel \u2014 a trip costed out at $4,738. <\/p>\n<p>Two more 2024 trips were cited as unreported on disclosure forms in the school board letter: He took a $1,000 trip to Scottsdale, Ariz., allegedly paid for by Carnegie Learning, to speak at an event called \u201cLeading in the Age of AI.\u201d And Lego Education allegedly paid about $1,000 for travel and lodging for Carvalho\u2019s participation in the LEGO Education Media Roundtable in Denver. <\/p>\n<p>His attorneys in their letter defended Carvalho\u2019s trips, saying he carried them out openly \u2014 often to conduct official district business, cleared by district legal counsel and frequently in the company of other district senior managers who also were representing L.A. Unified.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou have ignored key facts regarding several of these incidents \u2014 facts that would be easily explained if the Board were interested in the truth rather than political gamesmanship,\u201d the attorneys stated. \u201cThe events and travel referenced in the allegations were entirely consistent with Mr. Carvalho\u2019s duties&#8230; To the extent the Superintendent accepted payment for any travel, lodging, or meals, he did so to save the District funds and advance the ongoing success of the District.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As an example of Carvalho acting in good faith, they cited Carvalho\u2019s handling of honorariums from Scholastic for appearing at that company\u2019s events.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSuperintendent Carvalho explicitly discussed with the LAUSD General Counsel how to handle honoraria payments from Scholastic for his appearances at Scholastic events \u2014 which were donated, at his request, to an LAUSD fund for homeless students. There were zero concerns raised regarding a potential disclosure issue for his travel.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"connections-to-allhere\" class=\"subhead\">Connections to AllHere<\/h2>\n<p>AllHere, the company at the center of the FBI investigation, paid $4,633 for a trip in 2024 to Washington,  where Carvalho participated in a cybersecurity conference at the Biden White House, the letter alleged. <\/p>\n<p>His attorneys said the AllHere-funded travel was \u201cexplicitly discussed with the LAUSD General Counsel.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The district letter also alleged that Carvalho attended \u201cmultiple dinner events with a consultant for AllHere\u201d when that contract was under consideration. Such key periods are referred to as the \u201cCone of Silence\u201d and meant to limit contact with vendors that could influence or appear to influence district contracting decisions.<\/p>\n<p>In defense, Carvalho\u2019s lawyers referenced an earlier district review: \u201cYou have ignored the results of your prior inquiries into the AllHere matter, which cleared Mr. Carvalho of any misconduct.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In their Tuesday statement, the attorneys also discussed interactions related to AllHere: \u201cLAUSD found no evidence that Alberto violated federal law regarding his interactions with AllHere or any other vendor.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The district letter also faulted Carvalho for having his district driver \u201cdrop off your wife at LAX on multiple occasions, drive you and a female District employee after hours to restaurants and other social outings, and her home on approximately a dozen occasions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>If Carvalho overused a district-provided car, his attorneys said, a reasonable remedy would simply be to request reimbursement for the costs.<\/p>\n<p>The attorneys also linked the board\u2019s dismissal threat to the Trump administration\u2019s targeting of L.A. Unified for several enforcement actions, including lawsuits. Carvalho was a high-profile critic of the Trump administration. The school board, the attorneys\u2019 letter suggested, was caving in to such pressure rather than standing up to the Trump administration as Carvalho had done.<\/p>\n<p> \u201cThe Board should also remember how to do the right thing,\u201d the letter stated, \u201cfor our community and for the students of Los Angeles Unified.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In a confidential letter that preceded the June resignation of Los Angeles Unified Supt. Alberto Carvalho, the school board accused its heralded leader of unprofessional conduct, unsatisfactory performance and \u201cviolation of or refusal to obey\u201d state laws or school district regulations. The June 8 letter, obtained by The Times in response to a public records&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":34491,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/ca-times.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/1e41730\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/3935x2066+0+279\/resize\/1200x630!\/quality\/75\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fdf%2Fbd%2F9cc95a5f483792b6109bf0900656%2Fcalifornia-governor-74838.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34490","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-hub"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34490","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=34490"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34490\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/34491"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=34490"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=34490"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=34490"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}