The former Cherry Creek superintendent and his wife, the former director of human resources, likely violated school board policy with their travel and relationship with certain vendors, according to an independent investigation.
The report, obtained through an open records request, outlines how former Superintendent Chris Smith and former Chief Human Resource Officer Brenda Smith took trips using district funds — that included personal travel on at least one occasion — and contracts with Education Accelerated, an education development company the district paid nearly $2 million dollars over roughly 2.5 years.
The 35-page report, dated May 12, was conducted by the law firm Caplan and Ernest. Investigators reviewed roughly 11,000 pages and interviewed nine district employees. Brenda Smith is the only employee whose name was not redacted. Chris Smith declined to be interviewed for the report.
The report states that it found no evidence of conflicts of interest or of the Smiths accepting any improper gifts.
Last Friday, the school board and superintendent announced that they were terminating Brenda Smith for cause after a months-long investigation found “significant policy violations.” Brenda had been on paid administrative leave since early February.
Chris Smith resigned in late January after a series of Denver7 Investigates reports on what insiders called a “toxic culture” in the district. He was paid out more than $160,000 in unused sick and vacation pay.
The investigation stated that the Smiths had a “close personal relationship” with Education Accelerated Principal David Palumbo, whom they met on a 2022 cruise. It adds that Smiths showed favoritism toward the company and discouraged any criticism of the company within the district. According to the report, Brenda Smith also approved payments for vendor expenses that did not comply with school board policy and signed a contract with Education Accelerated that exceeded her purchasing authority.
The report stated that the Cherry Creek Schools paid Education Accelerated $1.9 million between May 2023 and January 2026, including more than $110,000 in travel expenses. The Smiths, according to the report, "failed to exercise consistent, close control over their travel expenses to ensure that all expenses were 'appropriate and necessary travel costs in carrying out their authorized duties' and 'related to district business.'" Investigators said they identified expenses from the Smiths that likely were related to personal travel rather than district s activities.
Attorney Anthony Leffert, who is representing the Smiths, told Denver7 Investigates on Friday that the allegations against Brenda Smith are false and that the school board knew about all trips and contracts.
See the full report here.
