GREENWOOD VILLAGE, Colo. — Cherry Creek Schools Chief Human Resource Officer Brenda Smith was put on administrative leave, the district's board of directors announced Tuesday in a special meeting.
Her husband, Cherry Creek Schools Superintendent Chris Smith, announced his resignation and retirement less than a week ago after his leadership was put under the microscope by Denver7 Investigates. His last day was Friday. The board said during the meeting that both Chris Smith and the board has obtained legal counsel.
Prior coverage:
- Employees, insiders speak of toxic culture within Cherry Creek School District
- Big response from Denver7 Investigates story on Cherry Creek School District culture
- Former Cherry Creek Schools board president calls on current board to hold superintendent accountable
- Cherry Creek School Board announces it will review culture following Denver7 Investigation
- Cherry Creek superintendent resigns, announces retirement following Denver7 Investigation
“As of Feb. 2, 2026 Brenda Smith was placed on administrative leave. Given that this is a personnel matter, the district can comment further at this time,” Cherry Creek School District General Counsel Sonja McKenzie announced at the start of the meeting.
The board then moved into executive session to meet with its attorney for legal advice on the board's employment policy, including its conflict of interest policy. It was also set to discuss Chris Smith's employment and retirement agreements as well as the organizational chart for the district.
During the past several months, more than a dozen informed insiders, including current and former staff members spoke with Denver7 Investigates on the condition of anonymity out of fear of retaliation. They explained that the superintendent and chief HR officer's relationship left employees with nowhere to turn when problems arise in the district. It has created what they describe as a “toxic culture” within the district.
"I think people don't feel safe. You can't question the superintendent because his wife is head of HR," one of the sources told Denver7 Investigates. "I think it's a huge problem and I think it hurts our students."
Through open records requests and from inside sources, Denver7 Investigates obtained nearly a dozen complaint letters circulating inside of the school district, including several sent directly to the elected school board. Some were signed while others were anonymously written, which sources said point to the fear of retaliation.
One eight-page letter from two district principals — sent more than a year ago — accused Chris Smith of unprofessional conduct, retaliation against employees and misallocation of budgetary items, including expenses and salaries.
"I saw a lot of fear tactics, intimidation tactics. A lot of 'My way or no way,'" another source told Denver7 Investigates.
That letter sparked an investigation by the district.
"People need to know what the leadership in Cherry Creek looks like and how people who push back or give feedback or disagree are pushed out," the first source said. "I think the superintendent is leveraging his relationship with his wife as head of HR to make staffing and personnel decisions that benefit him."
That letter from the principals also stated that "The Human Resources Department operates with the intent that people are guilty prior to an investigation. They refer to the conference room in their office as 'the cry room.'"
"They have a room that they meet with employees that's called the crying room. It's nicknamed the crying room," the second source said, adding in her opinion, it’s the district's goal to make people cry when called into that room.
Last month, the school district told Denver7 Investigates that Brenda Smith reports to a deputy superintendent and not to her husband, so the relationship wasn’t seen as a conflict of interest at the time of the superintendent’s hiring, “nor is it one today.”
Since Chris Smith's resignation and retirement, Deputy Superintendent Jennifer Perry is serving as interim superintendent. Denver7 Investigates has requested and interview with Perry, but that request was denied, with a spokesperson saying she needed to focus on the work of the district.
Cherry Creek is one of the largest districts in the state, boasting 53,000 students and more than 9,000 employees with a history of success in the classroom and on the athletic fields. Many of the schools have some of the highest ratings in the state on websites such as GreatSchools.org.
