DENVER — Over the years, Dr. Alex Marrero's employment as Denver Public School's (DPS) superintendent has frequently been in the headlines, whether it was his initial salary, raises or his rumored job hunts.
On Monday, just weeks before the start of the new school year, Marrero and the DPS Board of Education met behind closed doors in an executive session with an attorney to discuss the board's obligation in connection to the superintendent's contract.
Denver7's Danielle Kreutter has the story in the video below:
In June, Marrero sent the board an email claiming that while he had undergone multiple types of formal evaluations, the board had yet to conduct a single self- evaluation which is required by policy.
Marrero added that he had been left out of an executive session regarding his employment and alluded to the board getting involved in his responsibilities as superintendent while they should be focusing on their role regarding finances and capital improvements across the district.
At one point, Marrero wrote that the behavior of the board "raises serious concerns regarding compliance with my employment agreement."
After more than three hours in executive session, the meeting opened back up to the public with Board President Xóchitl Gaytán alluding to an air of collaboration.
"We had a very fruitful conversation with the superintendent, as well as some guidance, some legal interpretations from an attorney," said Gaytán, who went on to say, "We need to continue to do better and get better at doing better."
Other board members acknowledged the relationship between the board and superintendent needs work.
"The more that we improve, the better we get as at how we present policy governance to the public and to each other, the better that relationship will be with our superintendent, who is our one sole employee. So not only do we owe it to him, but to the public, to the students," Gaytán said.
The board mentioned they would be taking a better look at their governing policies at an upcoming retreat on August 17. Before then, it was agreed the board would do self-assessments during work sessions as well.
Board members and Marrero were unavailable for interviews after the meeting.
When asked if Marrero will be the DPS superintendent for this upcoming school year, a spokesperson for the district responded that the current contract is valid through June 2028.
