After repeatedly denying rumors he was pursuing jobs in other districts, Denver Public Schools (DPS) Superintendent Alex Marrero confirmed that he has been “recruited” in the Miami-Dade County Public Schools search.

In a June 9 email to the Board of Education obtained by The Denver Gazette, Marrero said he was “recruited regarding the Superintendent vacancy in Miami-Dade County Public Schools and have agreed to participate in that process.”

Marrero did not explain what he meant by being “recruited.” Miami-Dade officials confirmed he was among 21 applicants for the position but said they did not know what efforts the district’s search firm undertook to recruit candidates.

Representatives of the search firm did not return a phone call seeking comment Monday and Denver Public Schools spokesperson Scott Pribble did not respond to questions about Marrero’s statement.

In a statement last week, Marrero touted the district’s “green” status on the state’s district performance framework. He also reiterated his focus is on preparing for the upcoming school year.

“This is not a decision I made lightly and is not one intended to diminish or disregard the great success we’ve shared in DPS during my tenure,” Marrero said.

Miami-Dade is the third largest school district in the United States with about 335,000 students in more than 500 schools and a budget of about $4 billion.

If Marrero were to be offered and take the job, he would be facing similar issues in Miami-Dade that he has confronted in Denver, most notably declining enrollment and school closures.

The U.S. has seen a significant decline in births since the Great Recession. That has meant fewer students in classrooms, leaving school districts across the country grappling with funding typically tied to enrollment.

The district’s funding mix has shifted over the past two decades, with state support shrinking while local property taxes make up a growing share of revenue, a Denver Gazette audit review found.

In 2005, a little more than a third of the district’s total revenue came from the state. Twenty years later, that share has fallen to about 17%. Over the same period,the share of district revenue from property taxes increased from about 58% to roughly 75% today.

Board President Xóchitl Gaytán said she was not surprised to get a phone call from Marrero informing her of his intention to seek the top spot in Miami.

“He’s a well-sought out superintendent,” Gaytán said. “So, there’s always people trying to recruit him.”

Marrero also stated in his email to the board that he has not previously applied for other superintendent opportunities.

Since taking the helm in 2021, Marrero had been rumored to be a candidate in New York City and Chicago. Both would have been a significant jump for him.

DPS is the largest school district in Colorado with nearly 90,000 students and a budget of about $1.5 billion.

Those enrollment numbers are dwarfed by the more than 900,000 in New York City Public Schools and the 316,200 in Chicago Public Schools.

During his tenure, Marrero has faced a string of controversies, including his handling of the East High School shooting, school closures, a nearly $100,000 corner office upgrade and annual cost-of-living increases he received while denying the same to teachers.

Records obtained by The Denver Gazette show Marrero asked the Board of Education to discuss the return of school resource officers in executive session, a meeting a judge later ruled was illegally held behind closed doors.

Before coming to Denver, Marrero served as interim superintendent for the City School District of New Rochelle, which is outside New York City and serves fewer than 10,000 students, according to the district’s website.

Under his leadership, the district has touted a return to pre-pandemic academic performance levels — progress Marrero and his team have publicly praised. Critics, meanwhile, noted that most DPS students still fall short of meeting state expectations in math and English, raising questions about how the district defines success.