LOS ANGELES — New Los Angeles schools Superintenddent Andrés E. Chait made a calm official entry Tuesday into a school system that faces a projected financial crisis, declining enrollment and legal attack from the Trump administration, citing student test scores that continue to rise and “a sense of belonging” that binds school communities.

In his first annual “state of the district” speech, held at Garfield High in East Los Angeles, Chait, 51, talked of stability, hard work well done and school district family values. He tamped down concerns over a looming multibillion-dollar deficit, immigration raids that have depressed attendance and enrollment and the sudden change in leadership that left him in charge of the nation’s second-largest school system.

Chait became acting superintendent in February and accepted the permanent job on June 24. Eight days later, the Los Angeles County education office — a financial oversight agency — said recent school board budget decisions “erode confidence” in the district’s ability to avoid bankruptcy.

L.A. Unified had overextended itself in newly approved union contracts and faces a deficit that, if unchecked, would grow to $3.585 billion by June 30, 2029, the county said. This year’s budget calls for spending $20.6 billion.

The Board of Education had already approved a plan with cuts that would eliminate the deficit, but county officials said oversight is necessary given recent actions that exacerbated the problem, such as canceling hundreds of authorized layoffs.

Chait has said he is prepared to take the steps necessary to balance the books — and the district has committed to slashing thousands of jobs, among other measures. But those actions are largely postponed until next year, in hopes that rising state revenues will limit the damage.

All crises seemed distant in Chait’s prepared remarks.

“The challenges we are facing are system-wide,” Chait said. “They require us to work together as a group of people, as a unified school district, centered on a common purpose.”

Chait shifts tone from Carvalho’s high-profile era

As has become typical, the event featured impressive student performances — but notably less glitz and showmanship than under Chait’s predecessor Alberto Carvalho, who resigned in June and is not allowed to work again after a February FBI raid of his San Pedro home and downtown L.A. office.

Carvalho has not been charged with any crime and denies any wrongdoing.

In the hands of Carvalho, the annual address for the last two years was held at Walt Disney Concert Hall. The superintendent himself served as the master of ceremonies, with performers weaving around him, cameos by celebrities, and slide projections and film sequences appearing on cue to supplement his applause and laugh lines. At times, district administrators would pull out cellphones to take video or to wave like electronic lanterns at a rock concert.

Chait, a homegrown administrator who started as a kindergarten teacher, avoided a comparable vibe in the high school setting.

LAUSD test scores rise in English, math, science

Like Carvalho, however, he focused on the good news of rising state test scores, a bread-and-butter metric that is, at this point, a product of the Carvalho team, of which Chait was a senior member as director of operations.

He said the district was on track for “record-setting academic achievement” for the second consecutive year of gains in English language arts, mathematics and science.

The district said the results “continue a three-year trend of year-over-year growth across all three subjects and reflect progress across student groups.”

Across all grades tested in spring, 48.3% of L.A. Unified students met or exceeded the state standard in English, up 1.9 percentage points from last year.

In a notable math gain, 39.7% of students met or exceeded standards for their grade level, up 3 percentage points from a year earlier. Science scores improved as well.

The district also called attention to progress in closing the achievement gap, saying there were “accelerated gains among historically underserved students who are narrowing achievement gaps and improving at rates that exceed overall district growth.”

In recent years, the test score rise has been incremental, but compares well with other school systems.

Statewide scores of the Smarter Balanced standardized test have not yet been released. The district’s scores are the highest they’ve been under the current testing system, which dates back to the 2014-15 school year.

“These are collective accomplishments,” Chait said in his prepared remarks. “They reflect the dedication, skill and commitment of our entire community.”

Chait took charge of L.A. Unified with labor groups on the verge of striking. Union leaders praised his people skills and his willingness to negotiate. But if county analysts are correct, those good feelings will be tested in the harsh cutbacks to come over the next three years.

Focus on culture and belonging at LAUSD

The new schools leader emphasized the sense of family and shared purpose he hoped to build on, a setting that he said would benefit students.

“The schoolhouse is the daily rehearsal of what it means to live together,” Chait said. “It’s where children learn to sit next to someone different from them, to share supplies, to speak up, to fail and try again.”

“That’s what we’re building,” Chait said. “A sense of belonging where students feel valued, connected and supported.”

“This is a family gathering,” Chait said. “And like any family gathering, it’s important to recognize the people who make this community what it is.”

“When the school bell rings, it calls not only students to class but a community to itself,” Chait said.

The district has not released his contract, but his salary as acting superintendent was about $396,000 a year. Carvalho was paid $440,000 and also received an annual annuity payment of $50,000.

With district finances under scrutiny, the county education office has appointed a fiscal expert to assist the district and said it is prepared — if necessary — to appoint a fiscal advisor with the authority to veto district spending decisions. The worst-case outcome — a state emergency bailout loan — would result in Chait losing his job and the elected school board being stripped of power.

Chait’s tone seemed to foreclose that possibility.

“Our responsibility is to lead with both challenge and progress in mind,” he said. “We will be disciplined. We will be strategic. And we will be clear about what matters most.”

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