Superintendent Alex Marrero mentioned Friday that his “dedication stays firmly with Denver Public Faculties,” however neither Marrero nor the district explicitly denied media experiences that he’s a finalist to change into Chicago Public Faculties’ subsequent CEO.
The Chicago college district has not publicly recognized its two finalists, however WBEZ Chicago and the Chicago Solar-Instances reported Friday that Marrero and Meisha Ross Porter, who led New York Metropolis’s public faculties in 2021, will interview for the CEO place with the college board subsequent week, citing two sources with data of the search course of.
The DPS Board of Training members whom JHB might attain on Friday night expressed shock on the report. The Submit requested a DPS consultant repeatedly whether or not Marrero was a finalist for the Chicago job, however didn’t obtain a direct reply.
“Whereas I’ve nice respect for Chicago Public Faculties and recognize the skilled recognition implied by current hypothesis about my potential candidacy for superintendent, I wish to be clear that my dedication stays firmly with Denver Public Faculties, the place I’m proud to proceed serving as superintendent,” Marrero mentioned in an announcement launched by DPS.
Invoice Good, a spokesman for the district, mentioned the superintendent “has no plans to depart the district. Presently, he’s attending the International Cities Symposium representing DPS, in Asia, and might be extending his journey for a short, however well-deserved, trip previous to returning to Denver.”
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, the college board and members of a group panel are interviewing the 2 finalists on Monday, the Chicago information organizations reported. The Chicago Board of Training may also maintain a particular session Thursday to resolve who they wish to rent earlier than voting on a contract in December, they reported.
Chicago Public Faculties representatives couldn’t be reached by The Submit for remark Friday.
The Chicago college board fired the district’s former CEO Pedro Martinez with out trigger in December 2024 and Martinez left the district earlier this yr, Chalkbeat Chicago reported. Chicago Public Faculties, the fourth-largest college district within the nation, has 316,224 college students and runs 630 faculties.
The DPS Board of Training employed Marrero in 2021 to interchange Susana Córdova because the chief of Colorado’s largest Ok-12 district. Córdova, now the state’s schooling commissioner, resigned from DPS after two contentious years on the helm.
Marrero’s contract with DPS runs by means of 2028. The college board prolonged the contract earlier this yr and made it more durable to fireplace the superintendent by requiring a supermajority — no less than 5 votes — to fireplace Marrero with out trigger. He earns $346,529 a yr.
The transfer, board members mentioned on the time, was an effort to take care of constant management for DPS at a time when Ok-12 schooling is dealing with funding threats from the Trump administration.
However now, DPS might be dealing with a change in management at each the superintendent degree and with new college board members who have been voted in Tuesday.
“I used to be all the time involved about new college board members coming in at a second after we are beneath assault by the Trump administration,” mentioned board member Scott Esserman, who this week misplaced his bid to modify seats on the board. “…There are going to be some issues with the brand new board making an attempt to rent anyone new and who they will appeal to and who’s .”
As superintendent, Marrero has taken on the Trump administration by suing to stop federal immigration raids in faculties and has defied the U.S. Training Division’s order to transform gender-neutral bogs into restrooms for women.
DPS board members have supported Marrero’s actions towards the Trump administration. However the superintendent has additionally sometimes discovered himself at odds with administrators in addition to metropolis officers throughout his tenure in Denver over college closures and armed police in faculties.
Marrero is Afro-Latino and bilingual, which DPS college board members have touted as a constructive for the district, the place greater than half of the 90,450 college students are Latino.
However a gaggle of Latino leaders expressed concern when Marrero was employed, together with whether or not he understood western Chicano tradition — and, ever since, some group members have by no means accepted the superintendent, Esserman mentioned.
“I don’t blame him,” he mentioned. “The truth that he has carried out excellent nationally reorganized work in Denver and but has acquired nothing however critique and assault.”
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