DENVER — Following a split vote by the Board of Education, Denver Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Alex Marrero will see his salary increase to $305,000 beginning May 18.
Our partners at The Denver Post obtained a copy of the contract, which also contains a new performance pay clause. A certain percentage of Marrero’s base salary will be added to his retirement plan, based on whether or not he meets certain performance metrics.
“I do believe that the superintendent deserves a fair compensation. He should not be leading the largest district in the state with having the 12th ranked pay in the state. But this wasn’t the time,” said DPS Board of Education Vice President Auon’tai Anderson.
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Superintendent Alex Marrero wins 10% raise from divided Denver school board
Melanie Asmar, Chalkbeat Colorado
3:24 PM, May 18, 2023
Anderson was the first to speak up against the superintendent’s raise at the Wednesday school board meeting. He suggested a better time might be during an evaluation period or when the contract is up for discussions for renewal.
Other members raised concerns, too. Some said by the time they were made aware of a board vote on the matter, the board’s attorney had already negotiated the contract without full board input.
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“I find it difficult to vote on something I was not authentically or transparently involved in. Yet, denying an employee a right to seek a change in the compensation, that doesn’t sit right with me,” said Boardmember Michelle Quattlebaum during the meeting.
“This was primarily through email and phone calls, and we were being told, ‘You know, these four board members already support it. This is where we’re moving forward,’” said Anderson. “I just don’t believe that’s good governance. However, I support the the will of the majority, even if I was in the dissenting opinion.”
Board of Education President Xóchitl “Sochi” Gaytán spoke to the salary change, saying it is fair compensation compared to other superintendent salaries across the state.
“I’m looking at this through the lens of equities, and that being one of the most important values for DPS as an Afro-Latino superintendent in this state and the leader of the district’s most students of color,” said Gaytán during Wednesday’s meeting.
While unavailable for an interview, Gaytán released a statement to Denver7 highlighting some of Marrero’s achievements.
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“Dr. Marrero is a nationally recognized, and sought after educational thought leader who has been invited to speak at the White House, Harvard University, Columbia University, Boston University, and other prestigious settings about wide ranging topics.
-Met 96.9% of the metrics he was evaluated on this Fall.
-Selected by his peers as President-Elect of the Association for Latino Administrators and Superintendents.
-Successfully launched a new Strategic Road Map, in collaboration with the community. This ambitious road map commits to accelerating the trajectory of our most marginalized students in Denver.”
Anderson said the compensation is not what concerns him — it’s the timing.
“After the event at East High School, the Denver School Board told the superintendent, ‘We want you to come up with a long-term safety plan.’ So right now, that should be the only thing our attention is dedicated to. It should only be about the safety and well-being of our students, both physical, emotional, and mental,” said Anderson.
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In Gaytán’s statement, she said discussions over the superintendent’s compensation change is not new.
“There have been ongoing conversations regarding his compensation since earlier this school year when he met 97% of his goals that were established as part of his yearly evaluation… In light of the commitment to equity of Denver Public Schools as well as Dr. Marrero’s significant accomplishments during his tenure it was important that the Board adopt a new contract with Dr. Marrero to reflect that.”
Denver7 has submitted open records requests to view the documented discussions about the compensation change. We’ve also reached out to Marrero for a comment and will update this story when we hear back.
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Children’s Hospital Colorado signed an agreement this week with TriWest Healthcare Alliance to remain in network with Tricare, which will ensure that Children’s medical services for uniformed service members, retirees and their families in Colorado don’t lapse.
The new arrangement, which begins on Jan. 1, comes as Tricare switches third-party companies — from Health Net to TriWest — to administer its healthcare plans. Tricare is overseen by the Defense Health Agency, which is part of the U.S. Department of Defense.
In a press release, Children’s Hospital Colorado said the new deal supplants a plan that would have moved it to a non-network participation status with Tricare. Children’s said Tricare reimbursement for children’s hospitals remains “well below the cost of providing care.”
This past spring, Children’s warned that it would have to make cuts to key departments this year because of a change in how Tricare pays for care. The insurer tied the payments to what Medicare would pay for the same services, as Tricare does for services to adults at civilian hospitals.
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The U.S. Department of Defense said the change, which was implemented in October 2023, would save the military up to $45 million in taxpayer funds annually, according to the Military Times.
Children’s Hospital Colorado estimated it had lost about $2.1 million a month since the reimbursement change was put in place compared to how Tricare used to pay. The system estimated about 16,000 kids insured by Tricare receive care at Children’s Hospital Colorado facilities, and about one in five children who receive care at the Colorado Springs hospital and clinics have military coverage.
Children’s this week said it will continue conferring with the Department of Defense, and elected officials, to ensure it can maintain high-quality, specialty pediatric care for all kids in Colorado.
“We are grateful for all the individuals and families who have joined us in our efforts over the past 18 months to address these TRICARE cuts,” the hospital said in a statement. “We will continue to share opportunities where your advocacy can help us preserve critical access to healthcare services for military families like yours at Children’s Colorado.”
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Cleveland Cavaliers (26-4, first in the Eastern Conference) vs. Denver Nuggets (16-11, fifth in the Western Conference)
Denver; Friday, 9 p.m. EST
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BOTTOM LINE: Cleveland will attempt to keep its five-game win streak alive when the Cavaliers take on Denver.
The Nuggets are 8-4 on their home court. Denver leads the Western Conference with 20.3 fast break points led by Christian Braun averaging 4.8.
The Cavaliers are 9-3 in road games. Cleveland ranks fourth in the Eastern Conference scoring 50.7 points per game in the paint led by Evan Mobley averaging 12.2.
The 119.8 points per game the Nuggets score are 9.6 more points than the Cavaliers give up (110.2). The Cavaliers average 16.1 made 3-pointers per game this season, 2.2 more made shots on average than the 13.9 per game the Nuggets allow.
TOP PERFORMERS: Nikola Jokic is averaging 30.9 points, 12.5 rebounds, 9.7 assists and 1.7 steals for the Nuggets.
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Mobley is scoring 18.5 points per game and averaging 9.0 rebounds for the Cavaliers.
LAST 10 GAMES: Nuggets: 6-4, averaging 123.2 points, 45.8 rebounds, 33.6 assists, 9.5 steals and 4.5 blocks per game while shooting 52.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 117.2 points per game.
Cavaliers: 9-1, averaging 120.7 points, 44.8 rebounds, 29.2 assists, 8.9 steals and 3.6 blocks per game while shooting 48.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 105.5 points.
INJURIES: Nuggets: Aaron Gordon: day to day (calf), DaRon Holmes II: out for season (achilles), Vlatko Cancar: out (knee).
Cavaliers: Emoni Bates: out (knee), Isaac Okoro: out (shoulder), Dean Wade: day to day (knee).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
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