Denver Public Schools superintendent Alex Marrero fails to advance in Miami-Dade County Public Schools bid

Denver Public Schools superintendent Alex Marrero didn't make the list of semifinalists for the same position at Miami-Dade County Public Schools. According to MDCPS, Marrero isn't listed in the top six semifinalists for its superintendent position.

Earlier this week, CBS Colorado reported 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 issued this statement regarding the position at MDCPS: 

I remain fully committed to the students, families, educators, and staff of Denver Public Schools.

My former candidacy for the Miami-Dade County Public Schools Superintendent position does not diminish my focus on Denver or the work we have led together. I entered that process as exactly who I am, with a record and a set of values I will never minimize, sanitize, or rewrite for another opportunity.

Denver's record was before them.

Graduation rates at an all-time high. Math recovery matching or outpacing statewide trends. Stronger ELA growth. Fewer schools on the state's accountability clock. National recognition through NAEP and TUDA. Improved early literacy outcomes. And DPS earning a green rating on Colorado's District Performance Framework for only the second time.

The hard but necessary work of closing schools.

But our work is bigger than test scores and right-sizing.

We have unapologetically invested in Black and Latino student success, supported our LGTBQ+ communities, welcomed thousands of newcomer students, stood with immigrant families, expanded multilingual education and family empowerment, elevated student voice, and made equity inseparable from excellence.

I recognize that these values may not align with the increasingly conservative ideology shaping public education in certain parts of this nation. If that made me less attractive to Miami-Dade, I can live with that. Although I feel for the historically underserved communities.

I will not retreat from equity because it has become politically inconvenient. I will not rewrite my leadership to fit a political moment.

Denver knows exactly what it has in me.

Our progress is real. Our work is worthy of celebration. And our work is not done.

I remain here. I remain focused. And I remain unapologetically committed to the students of Denver.

On Tuesday, Board President Xóchitl Gaytán announced that a virtual special meeting has been scheduled for July 27. She said that the meeting "is sufficient to address any questions board colleagues may have regarding the superintendent's June 8 memo."

Last week, CBS Colorado asked Marrero whether he intended to invoke the contract provision allowing him to leave with a year's salary and benefits if certain conditions were met.

Marrero declined an interview and instead issued a written statement.

"I have clearly articulated my concerns. The Board has not informed me that it has materially altered the Governance Policy framework, nor has it responded substantively to the concerns I raised," Marrero said. "Before discussing hypothetical remedies, it would be appropriate to first ask whether the Board believes its actions are consistent with the governance model it adopted and the contractual commitments it made. I have honored my commitments and will continue to do so."

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.