The Denver school board voted Thursday evening to extend Superintendent Alex Marrero’s contract by another two years and made it harder for directors to fire the Denver Public Schools leader.
The Board of Education reopened conversations about Marrero’s contract — which was set to expire in June 2026 — earlier this year, but Thursday’s meeting was the first time the board revealed the changes they were considering.
“It’s really important for us, who know him well, to think about the future of the district,” board President Carrie Olson said in an interview. “A lot of the things he is doing is what we want for our children.”
Under the changes approved by the board, Marrero’s contract will run to 2028 and his ability to earn a bonus has been removed. Directors also voted to make it harder to fire Marrero without cause by increasing the threshold to a “supermajority,” which would require at least five of the seven members’ votes.
Previously, only a majority — four votes — were needed to terminate the superintendent without cause. The changes voted on Thursday still require Marrero’s signature to be finalized.
Two board members — John Youngquist and Kimberlee Sia — voted against Marrero’s contract extension.
“I don’t believe it’s appropriate at this point to extend the contract or to engage the supermajority,” Youngquist said,
School board members said they wanted to renew Marrero’s contract so that the district has consistent leadership at a time when K-12 institutions are facing threats to federal funding.
DPS, the state’s largest district, is also the subject of an investigation by the Trump administration regarding a gender-neutral bathroom at East High School. Additionally, Marrero made the decision earlier this year to sue the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in an attempt to prevent federal immigration officers from making arrests in city schools.
“DPS stands on a crossroads right now,” board member Xóchitl “Sochi” Gaytán said. “We understand what is at risk. What is at stake.”
Marrero was hired in 2021 and earns a $346,529 salary. He received a $17,326 bonus in October. The school board last extended his contract two years ago.
Both Marrero and school board members have said his bonus has been an issue.
Marrero, in an interview Wednesday, said the bonus was added to his contract as an incentive for him to reach goals set by the school board, but that he didn’t think it was necessary — especially since other district staff don’t receive bonuses.
“I just never liked it,” Marrero said.
Board members said in interviews that they have heard from constituents who also don’t like Marrero’s ability to receive a bonus. Director Michelle Quattlebaum noted during the meeting that she didn’t vote for Marrero’s contract previously because of the bonus structure.
“It’s been part of the contract that has been pretty widely critiqued,” board member Scott Esserman said in an interview. “The reasons why it was put there may have had great intent, but the intent of that has been problematic.”
Marrero had until September to inform the school board that his contract is due to expire and the board had until Jan. 1 to decide whether to extend it.
Some community members questioned why the school board is extending Marrero’s contract a year before it expires, given there’s an election in November that could change the leadership of the board.
Since 2019, Denver’s school board has been controlled by union-backed directors who are more skeptical of charter schools and other reform-era practices, such as closing schools for low performance.
“Rushing this important decision would sideline the voices of the very people our schools are supposed to serve,” said Clarence Burton Jr., who leads Denver Families for Public Schools, in a statement. “Even the possibility of pushing this through without real community input suggests that political agendas are being prioritized over students and families. That’s not leadership and it’s not what our community expects or deserves.”
Denver Families launched in 2021 and receives funding from The City Fund, a national group that supports charter schools and school reform, according to Chalkbeat Colorado.
The meeting’s public comment session was the clearest indication yet that the controversy over Marrero’s contract is a proxy fight for control of the school board, which will have four seats on the ballot in November.
Jeremy Harris, a candidate for a board seat currently held by Quattlebaum, told the board that it was too early to extend the superintendent’s contract when leadership of the board could change in just six months.
Quattlebaum, who was elected in 2021, is the only director to announce her re-election campaign so far.
“I appreciate some of the efforts led by the superintendent, but the decision to renew his contract early is a premature decision,” Harris told the board. “… A decision of this magnitude should not be made without a thorough public review.”
A group of Latino community leaders, Denver City Council members and state legislators sent a letter earlier this week asking directors to wait until the school board can assess Marrero’s progress in improving student performance before extending his contract. Former Denver Mayor Federico Peña and City Council President Amanda Sandoval were among those to sign the letter.
Another group of Latino leaders — including former Denver mayoral candidate Lisa Calderón — also sent a separate letter to the school board supporting Marrero’s contract extension.
“DPS needs informed, steady leadership to keep moving forward — and the time to secure it is now,” they wrote.
There are groups in the community who want to use Marrero as a “punching bag” in the November election, said Auon’tai Anderson, a former school board member, during public comments.
“This is about an election when you have individuals who want this contract to fail,” he said.
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