education
-
DPS names panel to shape $43M tax hike
A newly appointed Mill Levy Override Advisory Committee has been tasked with deciding how Denver Public Schools should spend more than $40 million in additional revenue, should voters approve the tax hike in November. The district received about 30 applications and accepted nine for the committee, said Scott Pribble, a DPS spokesperson. The group represents…
-
Cherry Creek School District to pay assistant superintendent $190K to retire amid leadership shakeups
Cherry Creek School District taxpayers will pay Assistant Superintendent Anthony Poole more than $190,000 to retire at the end of the school year, according to the school district’s separation agreement. Obtained under the Colorado Open Records Act, the agreement stipulates that the Cherry Creek School District will pay him a lump sum of $187,925 under…
-
Survey: Most Colorado teachers satisfied, but lack prep time
A biannual teacher satisfaction survey released today shows deep job satisfaction, even as educators struggle with inadequate time for lesson prep and professional learning. Released by the Colorado Department of Education, the 2026 Teaching and Learning Conditions Colorado found nine in 10 teachers reported that their schools are good environments for student learning. But just…
-
Cherry Creek school district plays defense | Jimmy Sengenberger
Cherry Creek Schools is a shadow of its former self. When I graduated from Grandview High School in 2008, the district still earned its motto: “Dedicated to Excellence.” These days, Colorado’s fourth-largest district clings to that antiquated reputation even as it unravels in plain sight. Facing a nearly $20 million shortfall on an $840 million budget this…
-
Denver promised every school funding from $1B bond — but campuses later closed received far less | Analysis
Denver voters overwhelmingly approved the largest bond measure in Denver Public Schools history on the promise that every school — including charter campuses — would receive something. And they did. But the nearly $1 billion bond was not distributed evenly. Schools that remained open were allocated about 57% more bond funding on average than campuses…
-
Marrero argues DPS board’s outside counsel policy undercuts superintendent’s role
Denver Public Schools Superintendent Alex Marrero argued during a discussion of the request-for-proposal process that the board’s policy allowing independent counsel conflicts with district policy designating him as its sole employee. The new policy was in response to Marrero’s early contract extension in May, which was filtered through the district’s general counsel, Aaron Thompson. Thompson…
-
DPS braces for budget uncertainty as state funding questions loom
The uncertainty over what state legislators will do when they begin hashing out the state budget later this month has Denver Public Schools (DPS) officials worried. DPS Chief Financial Officer Chuck Carpenter warned the board of education Thursday that if the state doesn’t come through on its promises or if funding is cut, it will…
-
Senate committee moves forward with Colorado ballot measure to redirect TABOR refunds to schools
A Senate panel on Thursday voted along party lines to move forward with a bill that would ask voters for permission to eliminate Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights refunds and redirect those dollars to K-12 public education. The 6-3 vote in the Senate Finance Committee sends Senate Bill 135 to the Senate Appropriations Committee for further…
-
Cherry Creek School District violated disability law, state report finds
The Colorado Department of Education found that the Cherry Creek School District violated federal law when the district failed to provide sign-language interpreter services to 11 students at the start of the 2025-26 school year. A CDE investigation found that a week prior to students returning to class, the district suspended its interpreter service contracts,…
-
Denver schools’ legal chief appears unsure about ICE warrants as board weighs new immigration policy
Denver’s school board is considering a major policy amendment that would consider all district properties “safe zones” by requiring a judicial warrant for federal immigration agents to interact with students. If passed by the board, Denver Public Schools General Counsel Aaron Thompson’s office would be tasked with verifying whether a warrant is valid under the…