Los Angeles school district approves Carvalho’s superintendent contract, $440,000 salary
The Los Angeles Unified School District School Board Tuesday unanimously approved Alberto Carvalho’s four-year contract, including an annual salary of $440,000, securing plans for him to be the district’s next superintendent, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Carvalho, 57, announced Thursday he was leaving after 14 years as superintendent during a press conference at the school district’s headquarters in downtown Miami. He earned around $350,000 as Miami superintendent.
He is expected to begin in March at the nation’s second-largest school district, or sooner if able, according to the Times. Miami-Dade is the nation’s fourth-largest school district. The LA district has about 450,000 students while Miami-Dade has about 350,000.
“Honestly, I’m excited about this opportunity,” Carvalho, who was in LA, told the Times.
The Miami-Dade School Board is set to meet Wednesday where the board will vote on authorizing its chairwoman, Perla Tabares Hantman, to negotiate the terms of Carvalho’s departure and begin the process of hiring his successor.
During the pandemic, Carvalho become a well-known public official over his vocal disagreements with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis over mask mandates and in-person learning. In August, Miami-Dade Schools mandated masks in schools for all students, faculty and staff, as the delta COVID variant surged, despite the governor issuing an executive order prohibiting schools from requiring masks.
The move for Carvalho comes more than three years after he rejected an offer to become head of New York City schools and, perhaps more importantly, as school districts across the country weigh how to best address learning loss and mental health concerns that have compounded during the pandemic.
Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava in a statement Thursday called Carvalho a “visionary leader who led our county’s school district with courage and compassion through one of the most challenging times in our history. ... I am certain he will continue to make his mark on the national stage.”
“Even though I will be calling Los Angeles home, Miami will always have a special place in my heart,” Carvalho said Thursday.
This story was originally published December 14, 2021 at 7:11 PM.
