Photo: Denver Public Schools Superintendent Alex Marrero, who was hired in 2021. Hyoung Chang / The Denver Post
Denver Superintendent Alex Marrero met just over 80% of his goals last school year, a record that earned him an $8,235 bonus, equal to 2.5% of his annual salary.
That’s according to Marrero’s second performance evaluation as superintendent of Denver Public Schools. The school board unanimously approved the evaluation Oct. 24 after several lengthy closed-door meetings but little public discussion.
The 2.5% bonus is far less than the 12.5%, or $41,175, bonus Marrero could have earned if he’d met all his goals. In a gently worded evaluation, school board members noted Marrero fell short on several goals based on student test scores, educator retention, and other areas, and asked him to improve his communication and do more to recruit Black educators.
Among the missed targets:
- The district fell short of many of its academic goals, as measured by the percentage of students scoring at grade-level on state standardized tests.
- The district fell short of its goals to reduce out-of-school suspensions for all students — and for Black and Latino students, and students with disabilities, specifically.
- Just 3% of Black families completed an annual survey about their sense of belonging in the district and other topics, well short of a goal of 17%.
- 59% of schools administered a survey to most students meant to assess their social and emotional health. That fell short of the goal of having 85% of schools administer it.
- The district fell short of its student attendance goals at every grade level.
Examples of met targets:
- 75% of Latino students reported on an annual survey that they felt like they belonged at their school, up from 69% in 2021-22 and above the target of 71%.
- Every district-run school had a curriculum meant to improve students’ social and emotional health, exceeding the goal of 75% of schools.
- DPS safety officers reduced their response time to the most serious incidents at schools from 7 minutes in 2021-22 to 5 minutes in 2022-23, which was the target.
- Marrero began meeting with state legislators twice a year to talk about “the many challenges of school districts in Colorado.”
- The district increased the number of graduates earning a “seal of biliteracy” certifying that they can read and write in at least two languages.
In his previous evaluation last October, the board accepted Marrero’s self-evaluation and made fewer comments. Earlier this year, on a 4-3 vote, the school board approved a 10% raise and a new contract for Marrero based on that evaluation that extends his tenure for three years — until the end of the 2025-26 school year. Voting against the new deal in May were Auon’tai Anderson, Michelle Quattlebaum and Scott Esserman.
Marrero’s current salary is $329,400 a year. The $8,235 is a one-time bonus, not a raise.
Marrero has been superintendent of DPS since July 2021. In that time, the district has faced several challenges, including pandemic-related disruptions and learning loss, a rise in gun violence in and around schools, and infighting among school board members.
Board Vice President Auon’tai Anderson, who called the first evaluation a “rubber stamp exercise,” said Tuesday that this year’s evaluation process was more robust. In addition to Marrero’s 11-page self-evaluation — which is full of links to YouTube videos and social media posts highlighting district achievements and good news about DPS — the board released a 12-page summary of the goals Marrero met, as well as the ones he only partially met.
This year’s process “provided you with areas of growth and opportunities for us as a district to continue to move the needle forward,” Anderson said to Marrero before Tuesday’s vote.
Under its governance structure, the board passes policies that set overarching goals for the district. The superintendent then interprets those goals in terms of more specific metrics or targets, and monitors progress toward reaching them.
For example, the board set a goal that DPS graduates will be “ready to meet the world academically and socially.” One way Marrero interpreted that goal is to increase the number of 12th graders on track to graduate, a target he met for the 2022-23 school year.
The board’s 12-page summary is mostly full of kudos. It notes that Marrero successfully negotiated contracts with six employee unions that resulted in higher wages, expanded financial literacy courses to more high schools, and made strides toward making DPS more green and sustainable — an effort recognized in a visit from U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris.
The criticism, which the document calls “growth areas,” is sparse and muted. The board noted that goals around community engagement and the recruitment of Black educators were not met.
“The Board believes addressing the issue of retaining Black educators is not only a moral imperative but also vital for the success and well-being of our students,” the summary says.
The board also softly chided Marrero for his communication, writing that “it is critical that public communications are not only reflective of the Board’s collective position but are also vetted to ensure consistency in the narrative we present to our stakeholders.” Marrero has sometimes criticized the board to the media, including after they rejected his school closure recommendations.
Board members also asked Marrero to include them in “celebratory events and school visits.”
“We will always appear united and collaborative if Board members are present alongside Dr. Marrero at such occasions,” the document says.
In contrast to the softer language of the evaluation, a series of monitoring reports, which are posted online, include more hard data on the targets Marrero met or missed. Nevertheless, the board was complimentary to the superintendent.
“During Dr. Marrero’s time as the Superintendent of DPS, he has prioritized academic achievement, cultivated collaborative relationships within our school district, and championed an inclusive and positive educational environment for our students, families, and educators,” the board said in a statement read by members before Tuesday’s vote.
Board members also thanked him individually.
“I’ve appreciated seeing you grow as a superintendent,” board member Scott Esserman said. “You have successfully implemented a vision based on a series of steps that you said you were going to take when you were hired, and you followed through.”
Melanie Asmar is a senior reporter for Chalkbeat Colorado, covering Denver Public Schools. Contact Melanie at masmar@chalkbeat.org.
