"This speech is going to be long"
- Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho
If there was any doubt why some refer to LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho as "Mr. Hollywood," the 2023-24 Opening of Schools Address put it to rest. Following several student performances highlighting the breadth of talent in the District, a booming Awards-show Voice brought Carvalho to the stage using phrases like "Outstanding Educator." It was clear that modesty was not in his toolbox.
Like last year's presentation at the Microsoft Theater, the address was a highly polished affair. While, thankfully, the smoke machine was left behind, loud music that was meant to be inspiring and slickly produced videos punctuated Carvalho's Tony Robbins-inspired performance. He paced the stage wearing his hidden wireless mike, dropping celebrity names like Dr. Dre, Snoop Dog, and Taylor Swift along with random pop-culture references. While it looked like the speech was being delivered from memory, the teleprompters could have just been hidden better than they were last year. It would not have been surprising if he had dropped to the floor to do one-armed pushups or copied some other stunt from past Oscar ceremonies. Maybe next year he will figure out a way to skydive into the festivities.
At points in the presentation, I began to suspect that the flash, like the Superintendent's designer suits, is masking his insecurities. It was clear that his ego is still bruised from the Los Angeles Times' negative coverage of his unilateral decision to decimate the Primary Promise literacy and numeracy program. Twice during the presentation, Carvalho found it necessary to call out the reporter, Howard Blume, by name; the first to draw attention to the presentation's length and then to emphasize the point where he would detail the goals for the year.
What Carvalho did not do was ease the fears of those who had opposed his attack on Primary Promise. He could have used this opportunity to assure his opponents that he had heard their concerns and specified steps that would be taken to ensure that students who had benefited from the program would not be left to fall behind again.
For as long as the presentation was, there was little in the way of details. Last year's hack of the district's computers, the failed "Acceleration Days" and the elimination of programs that serve children with severe Special Education needs were all ignored. Carvalho was also silent about the $6 million contract he negotiated with the Florida Department of Education, even as he called out Ron DeSantis and other Republican governors for their attacks on public education, academic independence, and personal freedoms.
Equally perplexing was the superintendent's bragging about the labor agreements signed in the past year and how they improved employees' lives in a city with a cost of living that is often prohibitive for the lowest-paid workers. This rewriting of history ignored the price paid by students to reach these agreements. If the Superintendent had negotiated in good faith before UTLA and SEIU 99 were forced to strike, then children would not have needlessly missed time in the classroom. The lack of agreement with CSEA, which after the SEIU agreement represents the LAUSD's lowest-paid workers, was also not mentioned.
Also largely missing from the speech was how he would improve the delivery of services to approximately 13.6% of LAUSD students with Special Education needs. As an improvement over last year's presentation, Carvalho did at least mention SPED and IEPs several times. Unfortunately, this was only in the context of how overarching programs would also benefit those with Special Education needs. The only specific goal detailed was an effort to improve the time it takes to perform assessments. This is an essential step in ensuring that the District is in compliance with the law but identifying children with disabilities is useless if they are not receiving the services that they need.
The presentation did highlight where the LAUSD has succeeded in living up to the ideal that all students matter. According to the Superintendent, representatives of the District were on hand to meet migrants that have been used as political pawns by Texas Governor Greg Abbott. These children are now enrolled in LAUSD schools, ensuring that they will get the education they need to achieve the American Dream envisioned by their parents.
Carvalho also revealed that Narcan has been used 30 times to revive overdose victims on LAUSD campuses. This validates the decision to quickly roll out this medication to all schools after the overdose death of a student after she received fentanyl from a student at a co-located charter school. Unfortunately, the Superintendent did not address the safety concerns of PROP-39 co-locations that this case highlighted.
By far, the best line of the presentation was the superintendent's admission that the "best ideas come from the Community." Unfortunately, in a morning that was all about him, there was no room for that voice to come through. Instead of the flash, what the community needs is for him to take off his suit jacket, roll up his sleeves and meet his constituents in the field where the work is really done.
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