A close ally of Mayor Karen Bass is taking over the nation’s second-largest school district just as it barrels toward a fiscal reckoning.
Andres Chait was unanimously appointed superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District on Wednesday, days after Alberto Carvalho abruptly resigned amid an ongoing FBI corruption investigation.
“It is the honor of a lifetime to serve as Superintendent of Los Angeles Unified,” Chait, who has more than three decades of service to LAUSD, said. “This District has shaped my life and career.”
The promotion places a longtime district insider at the helm of a school system facing a nearly $2 billion gap between spending and projected revenue, looming layoffs and steadily declining enrollment.
The rapid elevation of Chait also comes after he emerged as a key partner of Bass during high-stakes labor negotiations that narrowly avoided a districtwide strike and resulted in major compensation increases that critics argue the district cannot afford.
LAUSD approved a massive $20.6 billion spending plan this week despite projecting just $18.6 billion in revenue.
District officials plan to bridge the shortfall by drawing down reserves, even as they prepare for the layoffs of several hundred workers with due-process protections and potentially another 1,000 employees without job protections.
Officials also project thousands more layoffs over the next three years.
The district’s financial pressures have been fueled by rising labor costs, increasing healthcare expenses, inflation, the expiration of federal COVID-relief funds and years of declining enrollment.
LAUSD now serves roughly 390,000 students in transitional kindergarten through 12th grade, about half the size it was in the early 2000s, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Chait played a big role in labor talks that came within hours of triggering a three-union strike that would have shut down schools across Los Angeles.
Following the marathon negotiations, Bass publicly praised district leadership and specifically highlighted Chait’s role in reaching an agreement.
“It was wonderful to have the cooperation from the leadership of the district, from the superintendent, from the school board, from the entire school board, all of that … made a difference,” Bass said in April during a City Hall news conference.
While supporters credit the agreements with avoiding a disruptive strike, critics contend the deals added financial obligations at a time when the district’s long-term finances were already under mounting pressure.
The appointment also comes with a hefty taxpayer-funded compensation package.
As acting superintendent, Chait earned $395,867 annually, along with a $250 monthly expense allowance and access to a district car and driver for work-related activities.
Just 20 months earlier, Chait was earning $278,205 as chief of school operations.
The school board has not yet released details of Chait’s permanent superintendent contract, including whether he will receive a raise, how long the agreement will last or what additional benefits may be included.
At the same time, taxpayers were footing the bill for two superintendents during the FBI investigation that engulfed Carvalho.
Carvalho remained on administrative leave while continuing to collect his $440,000 annual salary.
His compensation package also included an additional $50,000 yearly contribution to a retirement annuity.
District officials have so far declined to say whether Carvalho will receive a severance package following his resignation.
Chait first assumed control of the district on Feb. 27, two days after FBI agents raided Carvalho’s home and office.
Law enforcement sources have confirmed the investigation includes a review of Carvalho’s actions involving a company hired to develop an ill-fated artificial intelligence chatbot for the district.
Carvalho has not been charged with a crime and has maintained his innocence.