Commentary
Once lost, credibility is hard to regain. When people no longer trust you, then every move you make will be scrutinized and criticized, and your motives will be called into question.
As criticism of the board has mounted since the March East High School shootings, and calls for mass resignations have gathered steam, Auon’tai Anderson has intensified his allegations that much of the criticism of him is race-based. That is only partly true.
From Fidel “Butch” Montoya: There is a growing movement to change this board. I initially opposed such a dramatic move, but it is becoming clear that the board and superintendent do not have the leadership skills to lead DPS during one of the dangerous and critical periods in its history.
Collectively, board members and the superintendent spent 20 minutes Monday discussing school safety.
Monday’s Denver school board meeting offered an almost perfect microcosm of the board’s operational ineptitude over the past 16 months: struggling to get out of its own way, and then making terrible decisions when it finally does.
The recent proposal from DPS Superintendent Alex Marrero to revoke the district’s partnership with the Beacon Innovation Zone breaks my heart. It is deeply troubling to me that a leader like Alex Magaña, who is leading on equitable education, is being penalized for all of his hard work.
The current Denver Public Schools Board of Education has failed in its oversight responsibilities and has demonstrated an inability to lead and manage effectively. We are among a group of DPS parents that has banded together and launched a petition drive to demand that all seven members resign immediately.
As Wednesday’s shooting of two administrators at East High School demonstrates in the starkest possible terms, the decision by the Denver Board of Education to remove school resource officers from high schools in 2021 was a grave mistake, and one with tragic consequences. Not surprisingly, no one involved is acknowledging this, at least not publicly.Â
Why does DPS want to put an end to an organization that is showing promise? Power and control seem to be the answer.
The school board might close three severely under-enrolled schools, and members are getting along, but they continue a drive toward less transparency.
Podcast season 2 episode 18: Latest twists in the Alex Marrero saga
A lot has happened since our last podcast episode June 29. Denver Public School Superintendent Alex Marrero learned he will not be a finalist for the superintendent’s job in Miami-Dade, Florida. Board President Xóchitl Gaytán sent a letter to a media outlet in which she defends her decision not to call a special board meeting on short notice. Records received through a Colorado Open Records Act request show that Board Vice President Monica Hunter and board members John Youngquist and Amy Klein Molk wrote Gaytán asking for a special meeting to address concerns, including that Marrero might try to trigger a clause in his contract as soon as July 8 that would have allowed him to terminate that contract and collect a full year’s salary and benefits on his way out the door. The earliest possible termination of contract date came and went without any action, but there’s still a lot going on behind the scenes.