education
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Cherry Creek school district to pay ex-superintendent $165K after resignation amid toxic workplace claims
The Cherry Creek School District will pay nearly $165,000 to former Superintendent Chris Smith following his resignation last month amid allegations of a toxic workplace. The board of education announced last week that the district is contractually obligated to pay Smith $119,857.87 in unused sick leave and $44,070 in vacation leave. He abruptly resigned in…
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Denver school board to consider property swap
The Denver Public Schools board will consider replacing an administrative building with Pascual LeDoux Academy in the district’s 2020 lease-purchase structure, a financing arrangement tied to the sale and leaseback of several school buildings now under legal challenge. The deed swap is part of a financial maneuver to sell the administrative property on Yuma Street…
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Cherry Creek orders outside audit, tightens contract oversight amid leadership shakeup
Amid heightened public scrutiny following recent leadership upheaval, the Cherry Creek School District will launch an independent audit of its internal controls and impose stricter contract approval rules, lowering the dollar threshold for board oversight and requiring additional executive and legal sign-offs on spending. Friday was the fifth time the board has met over the…
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Cherry Creek School District Assistant Superintendent Tony Poole placed on administrative leave
Cherry Creek School District Assistant Superintendent Tony Poole has been placed on administrative leave, district officials confirmed Wednesday. Lauren Snell, a district spokesperson, declined to say whether Poole’s administrative leave was paid or not. Poole started with the school district in 1989 as a teacher and worked his way up the ranks to assistant superintendent…
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Cherry Creek assistant superintendent to leave full-time post amid district leadership upheaval
Cherry Creek School District Assistant Superintendent Tony Poole will not return to full-time work at the end of the school year and will instead transition to a limited post-employment arrangement. Ashley Verville, a district spokesperson, said the move was not a signal that Poole is retiring while acknowledging “110s are often a transition into retirement.”…
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Cherry Creek interim superintendent pushes for restructuring during board session
The newly-appointed interim superintendent of the Cherry Creek School District is pushing for an organizational restructuring to limit conflicts of interest, including some that previously took place under her watch as deputy superintendent. Jennifer Perry, who was formally introduced as the interim superintendent of the district at a Board of Education study session on Friday…
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Wife of former Cherry Creek superintendent placed on paid administrative leave
Less than a week after Cherry Creek Schools Superintendent Chris Smith abruptly resigned following allegations of a toxic work environment, his wife, Brenda Smith, has been placed on paid, administrative leave, officials confirmed Tuesday. Brenda Smith is the district’s chief human resource officer, a position she has held since 2019. “As of Monday, February 2,…
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Conflict-of-interest safeguards at Cherry Creek Schools lacked clear oversight, memo shows
To avoid a conflict of interest, the wife of Cherry Creek Schools Superintendent Chris Smith — who resigned this week amid allegations of a toxic work environment — was supposed to report to Deputy Superintendent Jennifer Perry. In the wake of Smith’s resignation Wednesday, Perry was named interim superintendent. According to a Denver7 investigation, insiders…
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Cherry Creek Schools superintendent resigns after allegations of toxic workplace
Cherry Creek Schools Superintendent Chris Smith resigned abruptly during an executive session Tuesday, school officials confirmed, after allegations of a toxic work environment surfaced earlier this month. “We’ve had some tremendous achievements under Chris’ leadership including Traverse, the first of its kind mental health facility for students; passing school construction bonds that will allow the…
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Gov. Polis highlights Colorado’s business climate and affordability during annual gathering
Gov. Jared Polis used his annual meeting with Colorado business leaders on Wednesday to take stock of his time in office, highlighting the state’s pandemic response, ongoing challenges facing downtown economies, and what he described as continued efforts to balance a strong business climate with affordability concerns. Polis was joined by leaders of some of…