Accompanied by the harmonies of dozens of student musicians and applause from several hundred school administrators, Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Alberto Carvalho delivered his “Opening of Schools Address” at Walt Disney Concert Hall on Tuesday, July 23.
During the high-profile speech, Carvalho announced that the district has started to see a rebound from pandemic-era learning setbacks, with math and English test scores in all grade levels improving compared to the previous year.
Although achievement levels haven’t returned to pre-pandemic levels, Cavralho pointed to these scores as a bright spot, after distance learning tanked in overall academic performance.
“We truly have much to be proud of in our effort to get students back on track after the pandemic,” Carvalho said. “But we’re not done.”
With the first day of the 2024-25 school year approaching on Aug. 12, Carvalho outlined his priorities of supporting student mental health, academic achievement and college and career readiness in his speech — which lasted nearly an hour.
“We’re shattering expectations, while defying the limits placed upon us,” Carvalho said. “While other school districts have seen their attendance and graduation rates decline, ours have increased. While other school districts have been forced to lay off employees due to the challenging economic conditions, we have not and we shall not.”
Carvalho discussed the district’s $30 million increase in arts education funding for the upcoming school year, a detail that was complemented by the presence of many student performers, ranging from a middle school rock band to teenage dancers, at the concert hall before his speech.
He also pointed to several high-tech district initiatives including a mobile e-sports lab, which aims to make learning more interactive for students.
These highlights come after Carvalho and the district have faced criticism for the district’s rocky rollout of a splashy artificial intelligence chatbot called “Ed.”
The chatbot, which was announced in last year’s “Opening of Schools Address,” was shut down last month after the tech firm LAUSD hired to build the chatbot lost its CEO and furloughed its workers. The chatbot, a $6 million project, is now on hold as district officials navigate its future amid the fallout from concerns over students’ data security and the botched rollout.
As anticipation for the new school year ramps up, the district continues to grapple with declining enrollment.
Since the pre-pandemic 2018-19 school year, when LAUSD had an enrollment of 486,000 students, the district has lost 83,000 students, dropping to an expected 403,000 enrollment for the 2024-25 school year.
Because funding for schools is based on enrollment and student attendance, the dwindling student numbers have posed a challenge for district leadership. However, last month, the district passed an $18.4 billion budget, staving off layoffs and maintaining funding for several key programs including mental health support and Black student achievement initiatives.
Despite the challenges the district faces, Carvalho rang in the new school year with optimism, gratitude for school staff and much fanfare.
“You are closing the achievement gap,” Carvalho said, addressing the audience of school principals and administrators. “I had never worked with talent like the talent represented here today in this room.”
