FBI Raids Home of Long Beach Schools Superintendent
The Long Beach Unified School District Superintendent, Alberto Carvalho, has been placed on leave following an FBI raid of his home and office. The reason for the federal investigation has not been disclosed. The action follows a period of public scrutiny over the district's spending and academic performance, though no official link has been made.
The FBI investigation into Alberto Carvalho, Superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), centers on the district's dealings with a defunct AI company called AllHere. The company received a $3 million contract in 2024 to develop an AI chatbot named "Ed," which was promoted by Carvalho but was quietly disconnected within three months as the company collapsed. The founder of AllHere, Joanna Smith-Griffin, was later charged with defrauding investors; she has pleaded not guilty. While Carvalho has denied personal involvement in selecting the company, the federal probe is reportedly examining potential kickbacks from his time as superintendent of Miami-Dade County Public Schools. Agents served warrants at his home, LAUSD headquarters, and a Florida location linked to him. Prior to joining LAUSD in 2022, Carvalho led Miami-Dade County Public Schools for 14 years. There, he built a national reputation for improving academic performance and graduation rates, particularly among Black and Hispanic students, earning the title of National Superintendent of the Year in 2014. His time in Florida was not without controversy. In 2020, a nonprofit he founded solicited a $1.57 million donation from a company the district was considering for a contract, which an inspector general called an "appearance of impropriety." Years earlier, he admitted to an inappropriate email exchange with a reporter. Meanwhile, the Long Beach Unified School District (LBUSD), California's fourth-largest district, is facing its own severe public scrutiny over financial management. The district is grappling with a projected budget deficit exceeding $100 million for the 2025-26 fiscal year, leading to proposed layoffs of hundreds of employees, including half of its librarians. This financial crisis follows a 2017 complaint alleging LBUSD had misused approximately $40 million. The funds were designated under the Local Control Funding Formula for low-income students, English learners, and foster youth but were allegedly diverted to cover general expenses like staff salaries and technology upgrades.
