Superintendent Alex Marrero of Denver Public Schools will receive a $17,326 bonus for the prior school year after meeting 85% of his performance goals. As reported by The Denver Post, the Denver School Board unanimously approved the bonus, which is equivalent to 5% of Marrero's annual salary, following a series of closed-door discussions, not much was said publicly about the evaluation before the vote.
According to Denver7, the bonus was decided upon after a performance evaluation which also took into account Marrero's response to an influx of migrant students and his work in creating six community hubs and the district’s focus on environmental sustainability, the Board President Carrie Olson commended his efforts, saying, “We’re really grateful for all you’ve done for Denver Public Schools and we’re excited to see what you’ll do over the next year.”
This round of performance-based pay marks Marrero's third since taking the role in 2021 and reflects a significant increase from the previous year's bonus of $8,325, which was just over 80% of his goals met, Denver7 reported.
In other board matters, as detailed by The Denver Gazette, the school budget is trending on target with about 81% of funds remaining for the fiscal year, the board members also unanimously passed a resolution opposing Amendment 80, a proposed amendment to the Colorado constitution that would create a right to school choice for K-12 students Director Scott Esserman criticized the amendment, remarking, "This is a piece of legislation that is a classic example of a solution in search of a problem."
