Denver School Board dealing with new allegations against one of its members as $44M mill levy heads to voters

A Denver Public Schools board facing criticism over infighting is dealing with new allegations against one of its members, and raising concerns among some parents about whether the board is focused on the district's students and schools.

There are seven members on the board who are elected for 4-year terms. Two are at-large and the rest represent their specific districts.

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----."

Hunter denies making the comments. The allegations against board member Monica Hunter were raised by DPS Superintendent Dr. Alex Marrero and school board President Xóchitl Gaytán.

"I'm very saddened by these allegations. It doesn't reflect who I am," Hunter said.

The allegations come as members face growing questions about how they handle conflict and conduct district business.

"I firmly believe that, like people's identities, should never be weaponized against them," Hunter said.

Hunter also questioned the timing of the allegations.

"I think the public is smart enough to ask why that if that happened in January, [the superintendent] would wait nine months to report such malicious behavior," Hunter said.

Klein Molk did not respond to a request for comment on Tuesday. In her most recent statement to the board, Klein Molk said, in part, "...Antisemitism and hate of any kind has no place on this board… I was disappointed that this was known by district leadership for months before it was disclosed to me..."

The latest allegations come after years of tense Denver school board meetings, with board members frequently arguing publicly.

At last week's meeting, Hunter and another board member clashed over whether Hunter had ignored a request. Hunter also raised concerns about how much time the board has spent dealing with interpersonal conflict.

"We continue to spend an extraordinary amount of time on interpersonal conflict, and who pays the price? Our students," Hunter said.

For some parents, that's exactly the problem.

Alexis Menocal Harrigan, whose son attends Bradley Elementary School, said she wants to see the board spend more time talking about what is happening inside Denver classrooms.

"I want to scream at the television sometimes when I'm watching the meetings, because we're not talking about what matters, we're not talking about my kids, we're not talking about teachers," she said. "That should be what we're talking about, not 'he said, she said' stuff."

The concerns come as Denver Public Schools is also asking voters to approve a $44 million mill levy.

"I don't want to punish teachers for the behaviors of a dysfunctional superintendent, leadership, administration, and board," Menocal Harrigan said.

The Denver school board is scheduled to hold a special public comment session Thursday focused on the allegations. The board is also expected to consider whether to launch an investigation into the allegations and consider a censure vote.