Newly-released letters show LAUSD moved to fire Carvalho before he resigned

The Los Angeles Unified School Board planned to vote on firing former Superintendent Alberto Carvalho before he abruptly resigned in June, accusing him of “unprofessional conduct” and “unsatisfactory performance,” according to newly-released documents.

The letters — released to LAist in response to a public records request — show the district accused Carvalho of more than a dozen violations of district policy and in some cases, state law. The documents also show his legal representation contested the allegations, calling the school board’s letter a “political hit job.”

Carvalho had been on administrative leave since February after federal agents raided his home and office. He resigned in late June, days before the board planned to vote on his termination.

On June 27, The Los Angeles Times first reported that Carvalho was threatened with dismissal, but the full extent of the allegations against Carvalho was not public at the time.

The school board’s allegations

In the letter dated June 8, Board President Scott Schmerelson outlined a series of allegations, accusing Carvalho of failing to disclose outside income from his consulting work and gifts. Those perks allegedly included tickets to Dodgers games and travel expenses to speaking engagements in Washington, D.C. paid by outside vendors.

Schmerelson also wrote that an ongoing investigation found Carvalho allegedly bypassed district information technology policy, including by asking district staff to allow him access to Telegram, a messaging app the district considered to be “a high cyber risk.”

The letter also alleged Carvalho asked his district-provided driver to perform personal work.

The letter informed Carvalho that the district allegedly found he had the driver “drop 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.”

How Carvalho’s legal team responded

Lawyers with Holland and Knight, which is representing Carvalho, issued a 12-page rebuttal to the district’s claims and called the planned termination “retaliatory.”

Carvalho’s attorneys wrote that the externally funded meetings, travel and other perks were public and often discussed with the district’s general counsel.

The use of a district car and driver is included in Carvalho’s contract, along with a provision for use for non-district business.

“Based on his contract and guidance from the LAUSD General Counsel — and in a heightened threat environment facing public officials like Mr. Carvalho — he understood that he was authorized to use the automobile and driver after work hours,” the letter from his lawyer read.

The response also highlighted Carvalho’s recent contract renewal, unanimously approved by the board in September 2025.

Several parts of Holland and Knight’s response were redacted. An LAUSD employee said the redactions were made to avoid invasion of privacy and because, in some cases, the public interest was better served by withholding information.

“Yesterday’s release of LAUSD’s investigation report confirms, once again, that Alberto Carvalho has broken no laws,” Carvalho’s lawyers said in a statement sent to LAist Tuesday. “While the District’s letter purports to recite other ‘issues of concern,’ it does so in an incomplete and misleading manner — as we set forth in our response to the District.”

LAUSD declined to answer additional questions about the letters or whether an investigation into Carvalho’s former employment is ongoing.

Failed AI chatbot company’s alleged role 

The board’s allegations included Carvalho’s interaction with the tech company AllHere, the now-failed company that contracted with the district to provide an AI chatbot. The board accused Carvalho of accepting $4,633.37 worth of travel and lodging from AllHere to speak at a conference, as well as attending dinner events during the contract procurement process. Federal prosecutors have charged AllHere’s CEO with defrauding investors.

The letter also mentions trips funded by district vendors to Washington, D.C. that were paid for by tele-mental-health provider Hazel Health, to Arizona to speak at an AI-focused event paid for by ed tech company Carnegie Learning and a trip to Denver for an education roundtable funded by LEGO’s education division.

On the day of the FBI raids, agents also searched the home of a woman in South Florida who was associated with AllHere. Federal authorities said that search was linked to the searches of Carvalho’s home and office in L.A., but have not connected the investigation to AllHere.

Carvalho’s lawyers said in their rebuttal that the district’s prior inquiries into AllHere “cleared Mr. Carvalho of any misconduct.”

On Tuesday, after the release of the letters, the lawyers went on to say that “[a]fter thoroughly investigating, LAUSD found no evidence that Alberto violated federal law regarding his interactions with AllHere or any other vendor.”

What are public officials required to disclose?  

California requires public officials to report outside income, gifts and investments, in part so that the public can evaluate officials' decision-making against their financial interests. Officials must submit this document, called a Form 700, annually.

The letter from the district said Carvalho did not file his most recent Form 700 by the April 1 deadline.

Carvalho was a nationally recognized educator before and during his tenure as LAUSD superintendent. The announcement of his LAUSD appointment included references to his service on the boards of several national education organizations.

The letter lists two dozen examples of payments for consulting work, travel and gifts Carvalho allegedly failed to disclose on the Form 700 between 2022 and 2024. They include tickets to a Dodgers Game provided by the California Credit Union, consulting calls with educational technology companies and travel paid for by publishing and media company Scholastic.

Carvalho’s legal representation said he “never intentionally concealed any income or gifts on his Form 700 filings.”

“The events and travel referenced in the allegations were entirely consistent with Mr. Carvalho’s duties as leader of the nation’s second-largest school district,” the letter continued.

For example, the letter noted Carvalho’s attendance at the 2022 and 2024 “Rookie of the Year” teacher awards ceremonies at Dodger Stadium were publicized and that other LAUSD board members also participated in the event.

The letter noted that many of the alleged payments date back several years.

“If the Board had any concerns regarding his disclosure obligations, there was ample opportunity to communicate such concerns to the Superintendent, and to correct them if needed,” the letter read. “That never happened.”

Carvalho’s lawyers said that the former superintendent notified both the district and the state commission that oversees Form 700 filings that federal agents seized the documents, devices and records he needed to complete the forms.