Denver Public School Board member resigns amid lack of focus on students, "interpersonal conflict"
Denver Public School Board member DJ Torres submitted his letter of resignation to the board on Thursday. According to the letter, Torres' resignation takes effect immediately.
Torres was elected to the board to represent District 3 in November 2025. According to his letter, he said, "I ran for this office because I believe our schools could do better for students," and that his experience as "an educator, a parent, a former district employee" would make an impact on the board.
Instead, Torres said that he has spent "countless hours navigating interpersonal conflict" and that he has had to participate in "cycles of accusation and response" instead of focusing on students.
In the letter, he stated, "Instead, I have experienced an environment where an extraordinary amount of energy is spent on the adult conflict itself. I no longer believe continuing to invest my time and energy in that environment is an effective way for me to serve students, families or the broader Denver Public Schools community."
Last month, the Denver Public Schools board faced renewed criticism over infighting after new allegations against one of its members were revealed. This was the latest to surface after years of tense Denver school board meetings, with board members frequently arguing publicly and speculation that DPS Superintendent Alex Marrero was looking for another position.
The latest controversy involves allegations that Denver Board of Education Vice President Monica Hunter made offensive comments about fellow board member Amy Klein Molk, including an alleged reference to her as a "racist Zionist b----."
In July, it was revealed that Marrero didn't make the list of semifinalists for the same position at Miami-Dade County Public Schools. That followed a report by CBS Colorado on community concerns after a letter was sent by Marrero to the school board on June 8. He alleged violations of his contract, which might permit him to resign and receive a year's salary and benefits under a provision in his employment agreement.
Marrero was appointed to his current position by the DPS board in June 2021. The board approved a contract extension for Marrero last year until 2028. At that time, the board said they had heard a positive response overall from parents in Denver about how things are going in Colorado's largest school district.
The unsettled environment on the board comes as Denver Public Schools is also asking voters to approve a $44 million mill levy.
There are seven members on the DPS board who are elected for 4-year terms. Two are at-large, and the rest represent their specific districts. According to the Colorado Association of School Boards, the board must adopt a resolution declaring a vacancy in the office, and then it has 60 days to appoint a person to fill the vacancy. If the board fails to appoint within this 60-day period, the board president is required to make the appointment.
