{"id":386,"date":"2025-04-28T21:26:45","date_gmt":"2025-04-28T21:26:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sewellconsultancy.com\/?p=386"},"modified":"2025-04-30T10:34:47","modified_gmt":"2025-04-30T10:34:47","slug":"marrero-doesnt-deserve-an-early-dps-contract-renewal-especially-not-shrouded-in-secrecy-opinion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/sewellconsultancy.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/28\/marrero-doesnt-deserve-an-early-dps-contract-renewal-especially-not-shrouded-in-secrecy-opinion\/","title":{"rendered":"Marrero doesn\u2019t deserve an early DPS contract renewal, especially not shrouded in secrecy (Opinion)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>As a former vice president of the Denver Public Schools Board of Education, I am infinitely puzzled by recent behavior among current school board members. For months, these elected representatives aligned in their effort to overcome grievances that haunted the previous board &#8212; opaque decision-making, incoherent processes, and woefully inadequate community engagement.<\/p>\n<p>Progress was apparent in situations like the successful <a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2024\/08\/27\/denver-school-bond-property-tax-ballot-question\/\">DPS bond initiative<\/a> and also the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2024\/11\/21\/denver-school-closures-approved-dps-enrollment\/\">recent school closure process<\/a>, which was expectedly difficult but thoughtfully considered and well-executed. Unfortunately, old habits die hard, and this month, we saw patterns of the past re-emerge.<\/p>\n<p>On March 20, the school board <a href=\"https:\/\/boardhawk.org\/2025\/03\/is-the-dps-board-majority-about-to-ram-through-a-contract-extension-for-supt-alex-marrero\/#:~:text=At%20last%20night&#039;s%20meeting%2C%20board,contract%20for%20an%20additional%20year.\">went into executive session<\/a> to receive legal advice related to the superintendent\u2019s contract. The contract is not set to expire until June 2026 and as such, a frenzy of secrets, whispers, and rumors followed, speculating that an early contract renewal was underway. Concern mounted at the prospect of a new obligation made with no regard for performance evaluation, academic outcomes among students, community input, or the traditional timeline for such a decision.<\/p>\n<p>Why take this topic behind closed doors and why now?<\/p>\n<p>Some allude to motives like potential federal meddling or the challenges associated with short superintendent tenures. Perhaps. However, it doesn\u2019t take a depth of education experience to ponder a relationship with the upcoming Board of Education election. Are members scheming to lock in a controversial superintendent, before their seats are contested? Or is it to get ahead of a difficult bargaining process with teachers?<\/p>\n<p>The only certainty here is that the closed-door conversations and rushed contract are not happening to lock in leadership that is effectively closing achievement gaps or building a culture of safe, welcoming schools for staff and students alike. These are Denver\u2019s values and the principles around which any superintendency should revolve. A board hostile to a superintendent who does not embrace these values won&#8217;t keep him, no matter what the cost. The cost will be to taxpayers \u2013 and students \u2013 via an expensive buyout or a lawsuit.<\/p>\n<p>A recent poll published by Denver Families Action reveals that less than one in four likely Denver voters has a favorable opinion of the DPS School Board. In that context, it is curious that members would move away from transparency, away from sound process, and away from community engagement. Their actions erode public confidence yet again.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"related right\">\n<h2 class=\"widget-title\" data-curated-ids=\"\" data-relation-type=\"automatic-primary-tag\">Related Articles<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p>\t\t\t<a class=\"article-title\" href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2025\/04\/22\/douglas-county-school-cloures-highlands-ranch\/\" title=\"Douglas County to close 3 elementary schools next year as enrollment falls\"><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"dfm-title metered\"><br \/>\n\t\t\tDouglas County to close 3 elementary schools next year as enrollment falls\t\t<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>\t\t\t<a class=\"article-title\" href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2025\/04\/21\/colorado-teacher-raises-school-district-budgets\/\" title=\"Metro Denver school districts curtail teacher raises as budget pressures mount\"><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"dfm-title metered\"><br \/>\n\t\t\tMetro Denver school districts curtail teacher raises as budget pressures mount\t\t<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>\t\t\t<a class=\"article-title\" href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2025\/04\/15\/denver-school-closures-three-year-pause\/\" title=\"DPS board may require 3-year pause between rounds of Denver school closures\"><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"dfm-title metered\"><br \/>\n\t\t\tDPS board may require 3-year pause between rounds of Denver school closures\t\t<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>\t\t\t<a class=\"article-title\" href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2025\/04\/14\/youth-mental-health-immigration-raids-ice\/\" title=\"Colorado&#8217;s immigrant, first-generation youth need mental health support in face of deportation push, experts say\"><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"dfm-title metered\"><br \/>\n\t\t\tColorado&#8217;s immigrant, first-generation youth need mental health support in face of deportation push, experts say\t\t<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>\t\t\t<a class=\"article-title\" href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2025\/04\/11\/colorado-michael-bennet-campaign-for-governor-2026-election\/\" title=\"U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet jumps into governor&#8217;s race, saying he wants &#8220;to forge a better politics&#8221;\"><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"dfm-title metered\"><br \/>\n\t\t\tU.S. Sen. Michael Bennet jumps into governor&#8217;s race, saying he wants &#8220;to forge a better politics&#8221;\t\t<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/aside>\n<p>On April 2nd, a slew of public speakers lined the boardroom to express discontent regarding the initial executive session and a second scheduled for the same date. Their distaste for the inexplicable contract deliberation was palpable. Speakers called on the Board to manage a transparent, authentic, and community-centered process \u2013 to remain true to their commitment to engage DPS families, students, educators, and community members in meaningful discussion about the future of DPS leadership.<\/p>\n<p>With that, the Board abandoned the second, scheduled executive session. Did they remember that trust building in a diverse community is a delicate dance? That community deserves to be at the center of decision-making that impacts their children\u2019s future so directly? The status of the contract extension is uncertain, and I eagerly await their next steps. As a former board member who continues to care deeply about the success of our students and the future of Denver, I encourage each of them to act with integrity and get back on track. Two steps forward \u2026 REPEAT!<\/p>\n<p><em>Barbara O\u2019Brien is a former vice president of the Denver Public Schools Board of Education, a former lieutenant governor of Colorado and a member of EDUCATE Denver, a non-profit dedicated to helping DPS.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><a href=\"https:\/\/myaccount.denverpost.com\/dp\/preference\">Sign up for Sound Off to get a weekly roundup of our columns, editorials and more. <\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>To send a letter to the editor about this article, submit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/submit-letter\/\">online<\/a> or check out our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2013\/07\/09\/submission-guidelines-and-contact-information\/\">guidelines<\/a> for how to submit by email or mail.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As a former vice president of the Denver Public Schools Board of Education, I am infinitely puzzled by recent behavior among current school board members. For months, these elected representatives<\/p>\n<p class=\"more-link\"><a href=\"http:\/\/sewellconsultancy.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/28\/marrero-doesnt-deserve-an-early-dps-contract-renewal-especially-not-shrouded-in-secrecy-opinion\/\" class=\"readmore\">Continue reading<svg class=\"icon icon-arrow-right\" aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"img\"> <use href=\"#icon-arrow-right\" xlink:href=\"#icon-arrow-right\"><\/use> <\/svg><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Marrero doesn\u2019t deserve an early DPS contract renewal, especially not shrouded in secrecy (Opinion)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":388,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[8],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/sewellconsultancy.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/386"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/sewellconsultancy.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/sewellconsultancy.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/sewellconsultancy.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/sewellconsultancy.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=386"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/sewellconsultancy.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/386\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":387,"href":"http:\/\/sewellconsultancy.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/386\/revisions\/387"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/sewellconsultancy.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/388"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/sewellconsultancy.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=386"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/sewellconsultancy.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=386"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/sewellconsultancy.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=386"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}