Before the new school year begins on Aug. 12, Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Superintendent Andrés Chait delivered his first Opening of Schools Address, where he extolled the district for being on track to deliver record-setting academic achievement for a second consecutive year in English, math and science.
LAUSD staff and faculty assembled in the auditorium of Garfield High School for the address Tuesday, July 21. Adding some energy to the morning program, it began with a performance by students from the Reseda Charter High School cheer and drumline teams, and later folklorico dances by students from San Fernando High, Garfield High, South Gate High and Francisco Bravo Medical Magnet High.
Before the superintendent took the stage, Olivia Flores-Torres, the principal at Panorama City Elementary School who was named LAUSD’s principal of the year in May, delivered her remarks. She spoke of being an immigrant herself and growing up in poverty. She emphasized how important public education was in her youth and how she wouldn’t be where she is today without the support of teachers who saw her potential.
“Their belief in me … taught me that schools and school leaders do more than educate – we transform lives,” Flores-Torres said. “It has been that belief and this conviction that has guided every step of my leadership.”
Flores-Torres said that when she first arrived at Panorama City Elementary, it was one of the lowest-performing schools in the district. But together with the staff, students and families, metrics began improving year after year – to the point the school was named a California Distinguished School in 2025.
“But these accomplishments are not simply data points,” Flores-Torres said. “They are the stories of teachers and staff refusing to give up on students, and they are the stories of children discovering their own potential through perseverance and resilience.”
When Chait came to the podium, he acknowledged the challenges that LAUSD is facing: a decline in enrollment impacting its financial state, fears and concerns that continue with ICE immigration raids and increasing expectations “for what schools must provide academically, socially [and] emotionally.”
Chait has stepped into a challenging position after his predecessor Alberto Carvallo was forced to resign amid an FBI investigation. Chait maintained a positive spin, although he is facing a financial crisis and a projected cash shortfall by next year that could result in major layoffs at the school district. Last month, the school board voted to lay off 1,000 employees. If the district doesn’t make steep budget cuts, it could face a county or state takeover.
During the address, Chait remained positive – he proudly announced the preliminary 2026 Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBA) results that show modest gains in standardized test scores in math, science and English. This would reflect three straight years of year-over-year growth in these subjects.
“These early results reflect not only overall progress, but accelerated gains among historically underserved student groups, who are narrowing achievement gaps and, frankly, outpacing district-wide rates of improvement,” Chait said. “Even more encouraging, we are seeing consistent improvement in every grade, every subject [and] almost every student group.”
The new superintendent also took time to praise not just the students’ academic performance, but their determination and resilience. He spoke of resilience, giving the example of the students in the robotics program at Marquez Elementary School who had all of their equipment destroyed in the Pacific Palisades Fire and were forced to start all over.
But instead of giving up, they rebuilt their robots and went on to win a judges’ award at the national robotics competition in Iowa and moved on to the World Championship competition in Dallas, Texas.
Chait heaped similar praise onto Pablo Lopez, a senior heating and air conditioning fitter who was named a 2026 California Classified School Employee of the Year by State Superintendent Tony Thurmond for his leadership during the wildfires and ensuring schools had air filtration support.
“These individuals and school communities represent the very best of LA Unified, people who are pushing forward every day to create better outcomes for our students,” Chait said. “That is the full picture of LAUSD: challenge and progress, pressure and possibility. And our responsibility is to lead with both in mind.”
Chait added that real progress comes from people getting together with a shared purpose and strategy. The main office has the responsibility of providing clarity, support and being responsive to the needs of their communities. Schools, meanwhile, have the responsibility of engaging with families and communities and creating environments where students can thrive.
“These roles are different, but they are interdependent, and when they are aligned, the system works,” Chait said. “We are committed to doing our part, to being more aligned, more transparent [and] more strategic in how we allocate resources and support our schools.”