The nation’s second-largest school district has come under fire after officials shamelessly retreated into a closed-door meeting Monday — just days after Superintendent Alberto Carvalho was placed on leave following a dramatic FBI raid on his home.
Sonja Shaw, the president of the Chino Valley Unified School District school board and a candidate for California State Superintendent, blasted the Los Angeles Unified School District leadership for keeping parents in the dark.
“How many times do families have to watch adults protect politics over children,” Shaw seethed to The Post.
“The Los Angeles Unified School District School Board has the authority to act immediately when leadership becomes a liability to student success. Yet they continue to shield Carvalho despite a documented history of problems in previous districts and serious investigations raising red flags now.
Students are paying the price,” she added.
Newly-installed Acting Superintendent Andres Chait attempted to quell the chaos before the board huddled in private, delivering a message of calm.
“As acting superintendent, my top priority is to keep Los Angeles Unified steady and focused on our core mission,” Chait said, promising safety, continuity and uninterrupted learning.
But shaw said that was not enough.
“More than half of LAUSD students cannot read or write at grade level,” she said. “Parents reach out with calls and messages desperate, frustrated, begging for help while bureaucracy protects insiders.
Enough.”
The board voted unanimously on Friday to place Carvalho on paid administrative leave pending investigation, with Board President Scott Schmerelson immediately installing Chait in the role.
However, under “Personnel — Public Employment — Superintendent’s Evaluation — General Superintendent of Schools,” the board listed a closed session item that appeared to blur the lines between Carvalho, who remains on leave, and Chait, who has been on the job for less than a week.
Shaw ripped the secrecy.
“While LAUSD huddles behind closed doors, families are left in the dark,” the candidate for California State Superintendent said.
“The same board that looked the other way while Carvalho ran this district into the ground now wants to handle his replacement in secret. Transparency is apparently optional in Los Angeles, just like academic standards.”
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