Nico Brambila

After weeks of closed-door meetings about Superintendent Alex Marrero’s job performance, the Denver school board unanimously approved accepting his evaluation during Thursday’s meeting. Marrero received 73.5 points (out of 100), narrowly missing the district’s 75% benchmark for meeting goals. Some of the measures — for example, the percent of kinder through third graders reading at […]

“Racist” has become a go-to accusation by Denver Public Schools leaders and those who attend board meetings. A White woman asking a Black heckler to stop? “Racist.” A White board member proposing guardrails on the board of education hiring outside counsel when the district has in-house Black counsel? “Racist.” Another White board member accused of […]

Five months after the Denver school board gave Superintendent Alex Marrero an early two-year extension on his contract, the board of education discussed the policy for his evaluation Thursday. But the proposed policy was not made available to the public until after The Denver Gazette inquired about it. Scott Pribble, a district spokesperson, said the […]

Denver Public Schools officials are already talking about the next borrowing after Denver voters just approved a nearly $1 billion bond 11 months ago. As previously reported by The Denver Gazette, DPS has grown increasingly dependent on voter-approved borrowing to fund the district’s basic needs. Over the past three decades, voters have approved billions in […]

In a split vote Thursday, the Denver school board narrowly advanced a policy outlining when it can hire its own attorney, sparking debate over whether the measure undermines the district’s first Black general counsel. The measure advanced with a 4-3 vote. Directors Xóchitl Gaytán, Scott Esserman and Michelle Quattlebaum — all of whom are up […]

After the Denver school board filtered the contract language to the district’s general counsel, who answers to Superintendent Alex Marrero, the board of education is now considering a policy that would allow them to retain independent legal services. The Denver Public Schools Board of Education is expected to vote on a first reading of the […]

Breaking news can look effortless. What readers don’t see is the chase — the hunches, the false starts and the dots that don’t quite connect until they do. I spoke on the Boardhawk podcast recently about what it took to break one of those stories. Here’s how it unfolded. In May, when the Denver Public […]

The Denver school board may have run afoul of Colorado’s open meetings law by channeling discussions about Superintendent Alex Marrero’s contract extension through the district’s attorney and a secret, two-member committee, according to experts. Among those raising concerns is Steve Zansberg, a First Amendment attorney who represents The Denver Gazette and several other media organizations. […]

The adolescent brain craves routine and structure. And in the aftermath of a school shooting, mental health experts said keeping life as predictable as possible is a key strategy for helping students recover. “We want to keep the structure in place that helps our kids and our families feel a sense of control,” said Monica […]

Marathon meetings with lengthy public testimony prompted the Denver school board to move community input to workshops held weeks before regular meetings — before even an agenda is published. Take the workshop meeting Thursday. The notice said, in part: “Public comment will now be divided into two sections — one limited to action items scheduled […]