News Briefs | FYI
July 13, 2026
LAUSD announces Chait as new superintendent
The Los Angeles Unified Board of Education announced on June 24 that it appointed Andrés E. Chait as superintendent of Los Angeles Unified School District, effective immediately.
Chait had been serving as acting superintendent since February, when former superintendent Alberto Carvalho was placed on paid administrative leave due to a federal investigation. Carvalho resigned on June 21, ending four years of leadership in the nation’s second-largest school district.
A respected educator and leader with almost three decades of service to Los Angeles Unified, Chait has guided the district “through a period of significant transition while maintaining a steadfast focus on students, schools, and academic progress,” according to a news release from LAUSD announcing his appointment.
“At this moment, our students, families, employees, and communities deserve stability, focus, and confidence in the future of Los Angeles Unified,” said Board President Scott Schmerelson, in a news release. “After careful consideration, the board determined that Andrés Chait is uniquely qualified to lead this district. He knows our schools, understands our challenges, has earned the trust of employees and school communities, and has already demonstrated his ability to lead with integrity, transparency, and a relentless focus on students.”
During his time as acting superintendent, Chait has led the district through labor negotiations, budget planning, and the successful completion of the school year while maintaining continuity of services for nearly 400,000 students. Throughout his tenure, he has emphasized collaboration, transparency, and support for students, families, and employees.
Chait began his career in Los Angeles Unified as a kindergarten teacher and went on to serve as an assistant principal, principal, local district superintendent, superintendent of Local District Northeast, chief of school operations and acting superintendent. His extensive experience spans both instructional leadership and district operations, providing a comprehensive understanding of the needs of schools and communities across Los Angeles.
In accepting the appointment, Chait expressed gratitude for the board’s confidence and reaffirmed his commitment to serving the students, families, and employees of Los Angeles Unified.
“It is the honor of a lifetime to serve as superintendent of Los Angeles Unified,” Chait said, in a news release. “This district has shaped my life and career. I have had the privilege of serving our school communities in many roles, and I remain deeply committed to ensuring that every student has access to a high-quality education, every employee feels valued and supported, and every family knows they have a partner in Los Angeles Unified.”
Study: School closure may not always save money
District leaders may want to rethink school closures as a cost cutting measure following a Stanford study that found fiscal savings were basically a wash.
As part of the Getting Down to Facts series, the technical report “The Fiscal Consequences of School Closures in California” takes a closer look at one of the most difficult decisions a district leader can face: the closing of a school site.
“As school districts across California confront mounting enrollment losses and persistent budgetary pressures, school closure has emerged as a dominant administrative response, justified routinely on fiscal grounds,” writes study author Francis Pearman II. “This study provides credibly causal evidence on whether that fiscal rationale holds. The findings are clear: entering a school closure regime does not, on average, improve the financial outlook of California school districts.”
The report acknowledges that institutional complexity and California’s “enrollment-sensitive” Local Control Funding Formula make it hard for districts to ascertain whether a school closure would result in cost savings.
Using data from California school district closures that occurred between 2011 and 2019, the study found that any fiscal gains from closing a school site are offset by the closure-induced enrollment drop — which averages 287 students.
“This study estimates that school closures reduced per-pupil expenditures and revenues by approximately $440 each — a pattern of symmetric, imprecisely estimated effects that left districts’ funding deficits and probability of achieving a balanced budget unchanged,” according to the report.
Read the full report at gettingdowntofacts.com/reports/fiscal-consequences-school-closures-california-evidence-statewide-synthetic-difference.
Group grades California on youth-related issues
The children’s advocacy organization Children Now has graded California on how it takes care of its youngest residents, offering “Pro-Kid” policies that can improve educational experiences for the state’s students.
When it comes to educating its children, the state received mostly C’s, with the most dismal marks in early intervention and special education (D) and connections with adults at school (D). The state’s strongest grades were given in the categories preschool & transitional kindergarten (B+), early care & education workforce (B-), expanded learning programs (B) and higher education (B-).
“Drawing attention to where our kids are behind is not a reflection on them and their families. It’s on all of us, especially the elected officials we hold accountable,” said Children Now President Ted Lempert, in an introduction to the report. “California leads the nation in many important areas, but we rank 33rd among states in child well-being. When our state leaders see the grades in this Report Card, my hope is they ask themselves if our kids are truly being prioritized.”
The report card points to large class sizes — 21.7 students for every teacher in California compared to the national average of 15.1 — as one explanation for persistent student achievement gaps. The authors note that California’s 8th grade math scores for economically disadvantaged students vs. those who are not economically disadvantaged have widened over the last 20 years.
Some of the “Pro-Kid” recommendations include universal developmental screenings to ensure early intervention for children needing special education supports and a standardized reclassification criteria for English learners. The report also pushes an increase in education spending as a share of the state’s gross domestic product — if California spent the same percentage of GDP as New York, it would have $43 billion more each year for schools.
Read the full report at www.childrennow.org/portfolio-posts/2026-california-childrens-report-card.
FYI
ACEs online training available for all school staff
The Recognize, Respond, Connect: Supporting the Behavioral Health of Our Students training is now available to all California school staff. Developed by the California Department of Public Health Office of School Health in partnership with the UCLA–UCSF ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) Aware Family Resilience Network, this free, 50-minute online training helps educators working with students in grades seven through 12 to identify warning signs of mental, emotional, and behavioral health challenges, apply trauma-informed approaches to support students, and recognize when and how to connect students to additional help and resources. Register for the training via the ACEs Aware Learning Center web page at training.acesaware.org/aa/detail?id=2285.
Apply for California Schools to Watch by Oct. 1
The 2026 California Schools to Watch program is now accepting applications from both new and redesignated middle schools. California’s Schools to Watch program celebrates excellence in middle grades education and is coordinated by the California League of Middle Schools and the California Department of Education in association with the California Middle Grades Alliance and the National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform. To earn this designation, schools must submit a detailed application and host a site visit by middle-grades experts. Designated STW schools serve as statewide models and offer mentorship and best practices to other schools. To learn more and apply, visit www.joinclms.org/stw. Applications are due Oct. 1, 2026. For questions, contact Martinrex Kedziora at 951-768-8686 or at kedziora@leagueofschools.