Superintendent accuses Denver school board member of working against DPS, requests censure

Superintendent Alex Marrero has appealed Denver Masses Schools Board of Instruction to censure director John Youngquist alleging the former East High principal is gunning for his job and actively working against the district Marrero made the request in a scathing email to school board President Carrie Olson on April in which he laid out numerous grievances against Youngquist including accusations that the director has created a toxic work atmosphere undermined DPS leaders and presented racial insensitivity His obsession with my removal coupled with his private aspirations to assume district leadership strongly suggests a conflict of interest Marrero wrote in the email obtained by The Denver Post under the Colorado Open Records Act It is becoming increasingly clear that his actions are driven by a personal ambition to become superintendent himself as he had previously pursued repeatedly unsuccessfully Youngquist in an interview Monday denied wanting Marrero s job despite having applied for the superintendency after Susana Cordova resigned in Marrero was hired to replace Cordova the following year I didn t get the job That was OK then and that s OK now Youngquist commented It feels like a very clear personal attack which I do not understand I have actively worked for every child in DPS to be accomplished for over years he added Every decision I have made has been in encouragement of children in Denver Residents Schools Bill Good a spokesman for DPS declined to comment for this story We have not yet taken any action or made any decisions in relation to the complaint Olson explained in an interview noting that the school board will meet with an outside attorney Tensions between Youngquist district staff and other school board members flared publicly earlier this year when the director faced statements that he mistreated employees of color Marrero s email obtained by The Denver Post through a inhabitants records request shows the conflict has escalated I cannot in good faith engage professionally with someone whose conduct suggests he actively wants me and this district to fail Marrero wrote to Olson Youngquist commented there hasn t been any conversation about his behavior since January In his time as a DPS educator Youngquist declared never has there been a concern about my behavior Accusations preceded contract vote The email is also notable in that the superintendent s accusations came a week before the school board voted to extend Marrero s contract and made it harder for the board to fire him by requiring a supermajority vote by directors a decision Youngquist opposed Youngquist has suggested the possibility of a buyout of my contract to raise this as a strategic option not out of concern for the district but as a tactic of intimidation Marrero wrote to Olson Youngquist denied having ever suggested a buyout of Marrero s contract He also explained Marrero s email to Olson which he had read prior to last week s board meeting did not influence his decision to vote against the superintendent s contract extension Marrero s contract extension also drew criticism from society members who questioned the timing given November s school board electoral process and whether the superintendent has had enough time to show he s improving candidate academic outcomes especially among Latino pupils The board voted on the extension during a population meeting last week during which members were also expected to go into a closed session to receive legal advice regarding a discrimination complaint Directors did not go into the executive session because they ran out of time and opted to vote on Marrero s contract instead The board has not specifically reported what complaint would have been addressed during the closed session but Marrero s email also accused Youngquist of hostile behavior to staff particularly employees of color Denver Residents Schools superintendent Alex Marrero listens to populace comment during general comment regarding school closures at DPS Headquarters in Denver on Monday Nov Photo by AAron Ontiveroz The Denver Post The superintendent in the email did not detail specific events that led him to make that allegation but accused Youngquist of dismissing equity-focused progress and undermining of diverse leadership Marrero accused Youngquist of belittling dismissive and condescending behavior toward district staff especially employees of color Marrero also forwarded to Olson an email from DPS lobbyist Deep Badhesha who had emailed the superintendent on April about an interaction he had with Youngquist regarding the district s stance on certain decree Badhesha stated in the email that Youngquist questioned the district s positions and was combative His tone was condescending and frankly disrespectful Badhesha wrote I ve worked at DPS in this role for almost three years now and I ve never had an interaction like this not with anyone on the leadership crew nor with any other board member Badhesha declined in an interview to describe what happened in his meeting with Youngquist to spur him to alert DPS leaders The meeting on April was the first time Badhesha met with Youngquist without another board member present he revealed Youngquist announced that while he recalled the meeting with Badhesha he was not aware that the lobbyist was upset with him or had emailed Marrero Marrero alleged Youngquist routinely ignores board protocol and directs district staffers Youngquist has also accused Marrero of conspiring with educators to ensure students are not failed implying that our graduation input is manipulated and dishonest the superintendent wrote The greater part troubling it is increasingly clear that Mr Youngquist is not invested in the success of Denver Citizens Schools Marrero wrote to Olson Instead his behavior signals an intent to cause harm in pursuit of personal ambition Youngquist called Marrero s claims misrepresentations For example Youngquist commented his question about graduation records was related to how DPS paused failing grades temporarily during the pandemic compared to other years when that wasn t a plan It was the right thing to do at that moment Youngquist reported of the pause But I think it also likely supported failing students progress toward graduation Requesting a rare board censure In his email Marrero requested that the board censure Youngquist for his behavior Such a move is rare The last time a DPS board censured a member was when members voted to formally rebuke Auon tai Anderson in after an analysis determined he flirted online with a teenage participant and made intimidating social media posts Marrero also demanded the board to prohibit the director s contact with staff outside of official channels require Youngquist to attend anti-bias training and review whether there s a conflict of interest if Youngquist intends to seek the superintendency I remain committed to the success of our district and to working in good faith with the board Marrero wrote However I cannot continue to do so under continued assault by a member whose aim appears to be sabotage rather than organization Youngquist was elected to the school board in along with board Vice President Marlene De La Rosa and Treasurer Kimberlee Sia Related Articles Denver school board extends Superintendent Alex Marrero s contract makes it harder to fire him 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 trainer raises as budget pressures mount School board members criticized Youngquist publicly in January after he accused them of violating the state s open meeting law They also took Youngquist to task for his recovery of DPS employees although they did not say how he acted improperly except for noting that he was persistent in trying to receive full compensation for his official board duties While directors have become known for past infighting January s meeting was rare in that board members aired their grievances publicly Three board members X chitl Sochi Gayt n Michelle Quattlebaum and Scott Esserman specifically accused Youngquist of behavior unbecoming of a board member toward DPS staff last year Youngquist in an interview in January acknowledged that he had offended DPS Chief of Staff Deborah Staten and general counsel Aaron Thompson last year The details of his interactions with Staten were never revealed but emails proved Thompson accused Youngquist of pushing back on his legal advice and suggested that he did so because of racial biases Get more Colorado news by signing up for our Mile High Roundup email newsletter