LOS ANGELES (CN) — The Los Angeles Board of Education named Alberto Carvalho, who has headed the Miami-Dade County Public Schools for the last 13 years, as the new superintendent of the LA Unified School District.
Carvalho will take over the helm of second-largest public school system in the U.S. as it navigates through the challenges of the Covid pandemic. Just this week, the district fired about 500 employees who had refused to get vaccinated by the deadline and also faces a lawsuit over its mandate that all students over 12 must be fully vaccinated or have proof of a medical exemption by the start of the second semester in January.
“It has been the privilege of my life to serve as superintendent of Miami-Dade County Public Schools,” Carvalho said in a statement Thursday. “For the last three decades, I have selflessly dedicated my professional career to the children of Miami’s diverse community, and I am hoping to bring that same passion, compassion and commitment to the students and families in LA Unified.”
Carvalho, 57, grew up in poverty in Portugal and was the first in his family to graduate from high school, according to the statement from LAUSD. He came to the U.S. after finishing high school and supported himself as a day laborer and busboy while continuing his education.
The former science teacher has made the Miami-Dade County schools, the nation's fourth-largest public school system, one of the highest-performing school systems in the U.S., according to the LAUSD statement, and he has received numerous honors, including 2014 National Superintendent of the Year and 2018 National Urban Superintendent of the Year.
“Alberto Carvalho brings the deep experience we need as an educator and leader of a large urban district to manage LA Unified's ongoing response to and recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic,” said LAUSD board president Kelly Gonez. “As the longtime Miami-Dade superintendent, he established a clear record of positive student outcomes and has relentlessly worked towards greater equity for historically underserved communities. I know he will continue that focus in Los Angeles, and he is ready for the challenges and opportunities ahead of us.”
Follow @edpettersson
Subscribe to Closing Arguments
Sign up for new weekly newsletter Closing Arguments to get the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and hot cases and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world.
