Denver Public Schools Board of Education member Donald “DJ” Torres resigned effective immediately on Thursday, stepping down from his District 3 seat amid accusations that he repeatedly skipped meetings and neglected his duties as the board's treasurer. His departure comes as the seven-member board, elected in part on promises to restore order, instead finds itself consumed by infighting rather than student-focused policy.
Torres was elected to represent District 3 in November 2025 for a four-year term that was supposed to run through 2029, according to the Denver Gazette. His resignation followed a 26-slide presentation delivered by Board President Xóchitl Gaytán in September, in which she accused Torres and Vice President Monica Hunter of 19 policy violations collectively, as detailed by Chalkbeat. The allegations against Torres reportedly included repeatedly missing board meetings, work sessions, Latino Education Advisory Committee meetings, and Finance and Audit Committee meetings in his role as treasurer. Torres defended himself during board meetings before ultimately stepping down, per the same outlet's reporting.
A Board Already Under Scrutiny
Torres' exit is only part of a broader pattern of discord on the Denver board. Gaytán simultaneously accused Vice President Monica Hunter of policy violations, including alleged antisemitic slurs directed at fellow board member Amy Klein Molk, according to 9News. The allegations prompted the board to schedule a vote Thursday — the same day Torres resigned — on launching an independent investigation into Hunter. Hunter has denied the allegations and said she welcomes an independent review, the station reported.
CBS News Colorado framed Torres’ resignation as occurring amid a lack of focus on students. Before joining the board, Torres worked as a Denver Public Schools teacher, and he currently serves as a faculty member and teacher coach at the Metropolitan State University of Denver School of Education, according to the Denver Gazette. He had cited that classroom experience, along with his role as a parent, when he ran for the seat last year.
Filling the Vacant Seat
Colorado law lays out a clear process for what happens next. Under Colorado Revised Statutes § 22-31-129, the board must pass a resolution declaring the District 3 seat vacant at the next board meeting immediately following the vacancy, then appoint a replacement within 60 days; if the board has not made an appointment within 60 days, the board president appoints a replacement, according to FindLaw. If the vacancy occurs more than 90 days before the next biennial school election and more than two years remain, the appointee serves until that election, when a successor for the remainder of the term is elected and qualified.
This isn't the board's first attempt to address its internal dysfunction. In August, the board held a daylong retreat aimed at restoring trust, improving civility, and reforming how agendas get set, following months of squabbling, Chalkbeat reported. Members acknowledged during that session that better collaboration was needed — an acknowledgment that now looks premature given the events of the past few weeks.
Administrative Fallout and the Ballot Measure
The board-level turmoil has reportedly rattled district leadership too. An internal email obtained by news outlets in June revealed that Superintendent Alex Marrero was actively seeking executive roles in other school districts, citing concerns that board members were overly micromanaging administrative matters.
The resignation lands just weeks before Denver voters decide on a $43.9 million mill levy override on the November ballot, a measure that would fund $1,750 base pay increases for district staff along with mental health and career programs, as Hoodline previously reported. It marks the district's first request for new operational tax revenue in years, adding fiscal stakes to a governance crisis already playing out in public.
The current conflicts follow the November 2025 election, after voters swept multiple incumbents from the board in 2023, the Denver Gazette reported. Despite that earlier turnover, interpersonal friction has persisted among board members. Denver Public Schools remains Colorado's largest school district, serving approximately 89,000 students across nearly 200 campuses, according to The Colorado Sun, which also notes the district is grappling with declining enrollment even as its board struggles to keep its own house in order.
