GREENWOOD VILLAGE, Colo. — The Cherry Creek School Board will not begin its search for a new superintendent until sometime this summer and is moving forward with an external audit, which is expected to take several months.
The board also announced at a Friday study session that it had adjusted Interim Superintendent Jennifer Perry’s contract and will pay her $27,716.76 per month through the end of June with an option to extend her contract into the next school year.
Board President Anne Egan said most superintendent searches begin in late summer with selection processes ramping up in the fall.
Additionally, the district will create a six-person committee to develop a request for proposal to hire an outside company to do an audit into the district. The committee will consist of two board members, two district employees and two others.
It’s expected that it could be four to six months before the district has any results or recommendations from the audit. The board would then vote on those recommendations.
Earlier Friday, the board had a special meeting and immediately went into executive session.
There, the board was scheduled to meet with its attorney regarding negotiations on Interim Superintendent Jennifer Perry’s contract, the investigations involving Chief Human Resource Officer Brenda Smith and Assistant Superintendent of Special Populations Tony Poole, and negotiations with former Superintendent Chris Smith.
The actions come just weeks after a Denver7 Investigation into what insiders called a “toxic culture,” stemming from the relationship between now-former Superintendent Chris Smith and his wife Chief Human Resource Officer Brenda Smith.
Sources told Denver7 Investigates that the relationship left them with nowhere to go if they had problems.
After multiple reports, Chris Smith told the board he was resigning and announced his retirement the following day. His last day on the job was Jan. 30.
The following week, Brenda Smith was placed on administrative leave.
And earlier this week, it was also revealed that Tony Poole, assistant superintendent of special populations, was also on leave pending an investigation into allegations of insubordination.
