DENVER — Following a split vote by the Board of Education, Denver Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Alex Marrero will see his salary increase to $305,000 beginning May 18.
Our partners at The Denver Post obtained a copy of the contract, which also contains a new performance pay clause. A certain percentage of Marrero's base salary will be added to his retirement plan, based on whether or not he meets certain performance metrics.
"I do believe that the superintendent deserves a fair compensation. He should not be leading the largest district in the state with having the 12th ranked pay in the state. But this wasn't the time," said DPS Board of Education Vice President Auon'tai Anderson.
Education
Superintendent Alex Marrero wins 10% raise from divided Denver school board
Anderson was the first to speak up against the superintendent's raise at the Wednesday school board meeting. He suggested a better time might be during an evaluation period or when the contract is up for discussions for renewal.
Other members raised concerns, too. Some said by the time they were made aware of a board vote on the matter, the board's attorney had already negotiated the contract without full board input.
"I find it difficult to vote on something I was not authentically or transparently involved in. Yet, denying an employee a right to seek a change in the compensation, that doesn't sit right with me," said Boardmember Michelle Quattlebaum during the meeting.
"This was primarily through email and phone calls, and we were being told, 'You know, these four board members already support it. This is where we're moving forward,'" said Anderson. "I just don't believe that's good governance. However, I support the the will of the majority, even if I was in the dissenting opinion."
Board of Education President Xóchitl "Sochi" Gaytán spoke to the salary change, saying it is fair compensation compared to other superintendent salaries across the state.
"I'm looking at this through the lens of equities, and that being one of the most important values for DPS as an Afro-Latino superintendent in this state and the leader of the district's most students of color," said Gaytán during Wednesday's meeting.
While unavailable for an interview, Gaytán released a statement to Denver7 highlighting some of Marrero's achievements.
"Dr. Marrero is a nationally recognized, and sought after educational thought leader who has been invited to speak at the White House, Harvard University, Columbia University, Boston University, and other prestigious settings about wide ranging topics.
-Met 96.9% of the metrics he was evaluated on this Fall.
-Selected by his peers as President-Elect of the Association for Latino Administrators and Superintendents.
-Successfully launched a new Strategic Road Map, in collaboration with the community. This ambitious road map commits to accelerating the trajectory of our most marginalized students in Denver."
Anderson said the compensation is not what concerns him — it's the timing.
"After the event at East High School, the Denver School Board told the superintendent, 'We want you to come up with a long-term safety plan.' So right now, that should be the only thing our attention is dedicated to. It should only be about the safety and well-being of our students, both physical, emotional, and mental," said Anderson.
In Gaytán's statement, she said discussions over the superintendent's compensation change is not new.
"There have been ongoing conversations regarding his compensation since earlier this school year when he met 97% of his goals that were established as part of his yearly evaluation... In light of the commitment to equity of Denver Public Schools as well as Dr. Marrero's significant accomplishments during his tenure it was important that the Board adopt a new contract with Dr. Marrero to reflect that."
Denver7 has submitted open records requests to view the documented discussions about the compensation change. We've also reached out to Marrero for a comment and will update this story when we hear back.
