Denver Public Schools Superintendent Alex Marrero’s year was anything but textbook and his decisions made him one of the most talked about local leaders in 2024.
Marrero nabbed local headlines for a variety of issues, ranging from his annual cost of living increase to a corner office upgrade to school closures.
Through a Colorado Open Records Act request, The Denver Gazette learned Marrero used 2020 bond money to give himself a $100,000 corner office with a view, just as the economy was emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic and construction prices were soaring two years ago.
While denying teachers a full 5.2% cost-of-living (COLA) increase, Marrero and his administration received the entire amount in August. With annual COLA increases, Marrero’s base pay is now $346,529.12, reflecting a 25% pay increase since he took the helm three years ago.
A COLA adjustment is intended to keep up with the cost of living. The state determines the Consumer Price Index, which is used to set the annual COLA amount.
The Denver Board of Education is expected to vote to approve or reject the arbitrator’s non-binding decision on a complaint filed by the Denver Classroom Teachers Association next month.
After releasing his long-awaited school closure list two days after voters approved a nearly $1 billion bond — the largest in district history — Marrero left town to speak at the Global Cities Education Network’s annual symposium, sparking criticism from a public grappling with a proposal to close schools.
“It kind of seems cowardly for him to leave,” Elizabeth Burciaga, a community organizer with Movimiento Poder, said.
Marrero frequently attends conferences.
In his roughly two years as superintendent, Marrero has traveled to multiple out-of-state locations to attend speaking engagements, spending more on travel in his first 18 months on the job than his four predecessors combined, a Denver Gazette investigation found last year.
Marrero replaced former Superintendent Susana Córdova, now Colorado’s commissioner of education, in 2021.