Denver school board extends Superintendent Alex Marrero’s contract, makes it harder to fire him

The Denver school board voted Thursday evening to extend Superintendent Alex Marrero s contract by another two years and made it harder for directors to fire the Denver Residents Schools leader The Board of Instruction reopened conversations about Marrero s contract which was set to expire in June earlier this year but Thursday s meeting was the first time the board revealed the changes they were considering It s really major for us who know him well to think about the future of the district board President Carrie Olson announced in an interview A lot of the things he is doing is what we want for our children Under the changes approved by the board Marrero s contract will run to and his ability to earn a bonus has been removed Directors also voted to make it harder to fire Marrero without cause by increasing the threshold to a supermajority which would require at least five of the seven members votes Previously only a majority four votes were needed to terminate the superintendent without cause The changes voted on Thursday still require Marrero s signature to be finalized Two board members John Youngquist and Kimberlee Sia voted against Marrero s contract extension I don t believe it s appropriate at this point to extend the contract or to engage the supermajority Youngquist revealed School board members announced they needed to renew Marrero s contract so that the district has consistent leadership at a time when K- institutions are facing threats to federal funding DPS the state s largest district is also the subject of an research by the Trump administration regarding a gender-neutral bathroom at East High School Additionally Marrero made the decision earlier this year to sue the U S Department of Homeland Guard in an attempt to prevent federal immigration officers from making arrests in city schools DPS stands on a crossroads right now board member X chitl Sochi Gayt n mentioned We understand what is at vulnerability What is at stake Marrero was hired in and earns a salary He received a bonus in October The school board last extended his contract two years ago Both Marrero and school board members have declared his bonus has been an issue Marrero in an interview Wednesday mentioned the bonus was added to his contract as an incentive for him to reach goals set by the school board but that he didn t think it was necessary especially since other district staff don t receive bonuses I just never liked it Marrero declared Board members stated in interviews that they have heard from constituents who also don t like Marrero s ability to receive a bonus Director Michelle Quattlebaum noted during the meeting that she didn t vote for Marrero s contract previously because of the bonus structure It s been part of the contract that has been pretty widely critiqued board member Scott Esserman reported in an interview The reasons why it was put there may have had great intent but the intent of that has been problematic Marrero had until September to inform the school board that his contract is due to expire and the board had until Jan to decide whether to extend it Particular neighborhood members questioned why the school board is extending Marrero s contract a year before it expires given there s an balloting in November that could change the leadership of the board Since Denver s school board has been controlled by union-backed directors who are more skeptical of charter schools and other reform-era practices such as closing schools for low performance Rushing this major decision would sideline the voices of the very people our schools are supposed to serve commented Clarence Burton Jr who leads Denver Families for Citizens Schools in a declaration Even the possibility of pushing this through without real locality input suggests that political agendas are being prioritized over students and families That s not leadership and it s not what our neighborhood expects or deserves Denver Families launched in and receives funding from The City Fund a national group that supports charter schools and school overhaul according to Chalkbeat Colorado The meeting s citizens comment session was the clearest indication yet that the debate over Marrero s contract is a proxy fight for control of the school board which will have four seats on the ballot in November Jeremy Harris a candidate for a board seat as of now held by Quattlebaum reported the board that it was too early to extend the superintendent s contract when leadership of the board could change in just six months Quattlebaum who was elected in is the only director to announce her re-election campaign so far I appreciate particular of the efforts led by the superintendent but the decision to renew his contract early is a premature decision Harris advised the board A decision of this magnitude should not be made without a thorough populace review Related Articles Denver school board weighs contract extension for Superintendent Alex Marrero and may drop his bonus Marrero doesn t deserve an early DPS contract renewal especially not shrouded in secrecy Opinion Douglas County to close elementary schools next year as enrollment falls Metro Denver school districts curtail facilitator raises as budget pressures mount DPS board may require -year pause between rounds of Denver school closures A group of Latino region leaders Denver City Council members and state legislators sent a letter earlier this week asking directors to wait until the school board can assess Marrero s progress in improving aspirant performance before extending his contract Former Denver Mayor Federico Pe a and City Council President Amanda Sandoval were among those to sign the letter Another group of Latino leaders including former Denver mayoral candidate Lisa Calder n also sent a separate letter to the school board supporting Marrero s contract extension DPS demands informed steady leadership to keep moving forward and the time to secure it is now they wrote There are groups in the district who want to use Marrero as a punching bag in the November voting process noted Auon tai Anderson a former school board member during population comments This is about an referendum when you have individuals who want this contract to fail he explained Get more Colorado news by signing up for our Mile High Roundup email newsletter