United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) scored a massive victory this week, finalizing a new contract with the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) that will cost the nearly-insolvent district an additional $1.2 billion a year and increase the union's power going forward by expanding the areas in which the union has bargaining rights (AI, subcontracting). The complete fold by LAUSD isn't so surprising, though, given that the district's Acting Superintendent is the brother-in-law of UTLA Secondary Vice President Alex Orozco and UTLA Director Victoria Casas, a relationship that wasn't disclosed.
Funny how that works.
How did this happen?
UTLA had been threatening to strike for months; it was the number one issue facing the district when its superintendent, Alberto Carvalho, was placed on leave after his home and office were raided by the FBI in February as part of a securities fraud prosecution of an LAUSD contractor.
DIVE DEEPER: FBI Raid of LAUSD Superintendent Reportedly Part of Securities Fraud Prosecution of AI Startup CEO
LAUSD's Board of Trustees appointed Andres Chait, a second-tier administrator, as Acting Superintendent at the end of February, and by mid-March, the other two unions in negotiations with the district joined with UTLA to set a coordinated strike deadline of April 14. At the last minute, Chait struck a deal with the union that is much more generous than what Carvalho was offering and includes additional items that weren't even on the table previously.
Before his suspension, Carvalho emphasized to UTLA that the district was facing extreme financial difficulties - facing potential insolvency within four years - due to a combination of reliance on deficit spending, a massive decline in enrollment, and one-time COVID funding running out. The situation was so bad that the LAUSD board had voted to send notice of possible layoffs to 3,200 employees and expected to actually lay off 700 people.
In the deal Chait and his team negotiated:
- At least 200 layoff notices will be rescinded
- Teachers will receive double-digit raises (11.65% base, 13-14% effective)
- Salary scale restructuring
- 450+ new staff positions
- Paid parental leave
- Enforceable special ed student/teacher ratios with penalties
- Expanded bargaining rights related to AI and subcontracting
With the inclusion of the expanded bargaining rights plank and the salary scale restructuring, UTLA effectively reshaped the relationship with LAUSD to more closely fit its vision, which was UTLA's major goal. As documented in a 2020 UCLA Luskin Center report, UTLA leadership aims to achieve broad societal change and "ensuring the centrality of racial, social, gender, and economic justice."
The deal is so bad that even the Los Angeles Times is slamming it; their headline on the deal reads, "The price of LAUSD union peace will be $1.2 billion a year. Next up is paying for it." Chait doesn't even have a plan for LAUSD to meet its new contractual obligations; in a press conference announcing the deal, he said that LA Mayor Karen Bass and LAUSD officials were going to trek to Sacramento with their hands out, asking for a bailout. Apparently, they haven't heard that Sacramento is broke, too.
Oh, and Chait's getting a big raise, too. He was earning $278,205 a year as Chief of School Operations, but that's gone up to $395,967 a year in this new role, plus $250 a month for a driver to take him to school functions.
Sounds like a great deal for everyone, except taxpayers in LA Unified. California Policy Center's vice president of government affairs and education policy, Lance Christensen, had a more severe description of what happened:
“When the [unions] gang up on an insolvent district to ‘force’ — using their terminology — agreements of significant pay and benefit increases of a district that has no money to make those deals, that is called extortion. These deals will only further exacerbate LAUSD’s financial problems and do nothing to improve the delivery of education for their declining student base.”
Relationship Between Chait and UTLA
Chait is married to Laura Orozco Chait, a LAUSD teacher and the sister of UTLA Secondary Vice President Alex Orozco. Multiple LAUSD sources speaking to RedState on condition of anonymity said that the relationship is well-known among employees but not openly discussed. Orozco is married to UTLA Director and LAUSD teacher Victoria Casas. Laura, a 4th-grade teacher at Topeka Street Charter in Northridge, is also a UTLA member.
📢CONFLICT OF INTEREST ALERT… LAUSD Acting Superintendent Andres Chait, who’s currently leading the district’s negotiations with the unions and trying to avert a strike, is the brother-in-law of *TWO* UTLA leaders (Secondary VP Alex Orozco and Director Victoria Casas) and… pic.twitter.com/8QJN4SWCjM
— Jennifer Van Laar (@jenvanlaar) March 23, 2026
Orozco is UTLA’s healthcare bargaining lead and one of its top organizers, so Chait essentially negotiated with his brother-in-law on a contract that he and his in-laws will directly and indirectly benefit from - and by giving UTLA this big win, he's helping Orozco and Casas elevate their careers in union politics.
Orozco is a protege of Alex Caputo-Pearl and Cecily Myart-Cruz; it’s widely believed he’ll be the union’s next president.
— Jennifer Van Laar (@jenvanlaar) March 23, 2026
UTLA is asking for a 17% salary increase, reduced class sizes, no layoffs, protections against subcontracting and AI replacing staff, and has set an April 14… pic.twitter.com/dKUgUhgDO4
Why would the LAUSD Board of Trustees appoint someone to this position who had such a conflict-of-interest in dealing with UTLA? RedState contacted the board on March 23, asking if they knew about this relationship, and if they did, when they were informed about it, referencing LAUSD's Code of Ethics:
“We are committed to abstaining from decisions that could result in a direct benefit to a close relative or co-habitant including, but not limited to, hiring, promotion, discipline, evaluation or direct supervision.”
We have not received a response.
How Was Chait Selected?
There isn’t an automatic fill-in for the role of LAUSD Superintendent if the incumbent goes out on leave; the board members discuss and vote behind closed doors.
The last time LAUSD appointed an Acting Sup., in 2018, they appointed someone who directly reported to the Superintendent: Vivian Ekchian, who was Associate Superintendent of HR.
But Chait is further down the org chart; he’s the Chief of School Operations (and there will be more soon on his issues there). So, the LAUSD Board bypassed more experienced superintendents and elevated someone with a massive conflict of interest.
LAUSD Board of Trustees President Scott Schmerelson, a former teacher from the San Fernando Valley, has worked with Chait and Orozco for years; when Orozco first ran for UTLA office, he touted his real-world campaign experience getting Schmerelson elected, saying in a video: “I have also played a key role in many political races, including Scott Schmerelson’s victory over Tamar Galatzan.”
RedState also asked the LAUSD board what role Schmerelson played in Chait's odd appointment, but received no response.
Editor's Note: President Trump is fighting to dismantle the Department of Education and ensure America's kids get the education they deserve.
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