The Los Angeles Unified School District board this week approved a six-figure salary for Acting Superintendent Andres Chait while Superintendent Alberto Carvalho remains on paid leave.
The move raises questions about whether the district is effectively paying two top administrators at once, how long the arrangement could continue, and what it could mean for LAUSD’s budget following recent labor agreements.
The item, approved on the board’s consent agenda Tuesday, reflects an increase from Chait’s prior salary of $278,205 as chief of school operations. District documents show his pay set at $395,867 under the new contract, following his appointment as acting superintendent on Feb. 27, an increase of about $117,000.
Chait’s current contract runs through June 30, according to the board report. The agreement also includes a $250 monthly allowance and access to a district vehicle for official duties.
Carvalho, who has led the district since 2022 and earns about $440,000 annually, remains on paid administrative leave. The Board of Education voted in September to retain him under a second four-year contract at the same salary.
He was placed on leave in February after federal agents searched his San Pedro home and district office. Authorities have not publicly detailed the focus of the investigation, though media reports have linked it to the district’s past contract with the now-defunct education technology company AllHere. Federal authorities have not confirmed that connection, and Carvalho has not been charged with wrongdoing.
Through his lawyer, Carvalho has said he hopes to be reinstated and remains confident he acted appropriately.
Carvalho continues to receive his salary while on paid administrative leave, though the district has not clarified how his compensation overlaps with Chait’s or how long the arrangement is expected to continue.
An LAUSD spokesperson said Wednesday that Carvalho “remains on paid administrative leave” and that “his compensation has not changed.” The spokesperson added Chait’s yearly salary as acting superintendent is $395,867.
The district did not address questions about the potential budget impact. Board members contacted for comment did not immediately provide responses.
Education finance experts said such arrangements are not uncommon during leadership transitions.
“That does happen sometimes in messy transitions,” said Marguerite Roza, director of Georgetown University’s Edunomics Lab, who studies school finance. “If a superintendent is ousted, they’d be paying severance. Not unusual for double-paying when the outgoing superintendent isn’t finishing out a contract.”
David Tokofsky, a former LAUSD Board member, said the situation raises broader concerns about executive compensation at the district.
“LAUSD is larger than most school districts; however they should not have about 20 people as superintendents and senior staff with salaries greater than California pays its governor,” he said.
The salary approval comes as LAUSD navigates recent labor agreements that are expected to drive up district spending, adding pressure to an already strained budget amid declining enrollment.
The district recently reached new contracts with its three major unions — Service Employees International Union, Local 99; United Teachers Los Angeles; and Associated Administrators of Los Angeles/Teamsters 2010 — that include pay increases ranging from about 11% to 24%. The teachers’ agreement also raises starting salaries to roughly $77,000, according to the district and union.
The deals helped avert what would have been a third strike in a decade. Officials have said meeting those commitments will require cost adjustments and additional resources from the state.
LAUSD has projected a structural deficit of about $877 million for the 2026-2027 school year and in March approved preliminary layoff notices and position reductions affecting central office and other staff as it tried to close the gap. Some of those planned cuts, including roughly 220 information technology layoffs, were later rescinded as part of the district’s agreement with SEIU Local 99.