Denver Public Schools Cuts 131 Administrative Positions As Part Of Reorganization Plan
DENVER (CBS4) - More than 100 of Denver Public Schools administrators lost their jobs on Tuesday. A district spokesperson confirmed with CBS4 that it impacted at least 131 people in the Central Office.
"We're in a place where because school funding is inadequate in the state of Colorado, we're always having to make choices," said Robert Gould, the president of the Denver Classroom Teachers Association.
On Tuesday, Superintendent Dr. Alex Marrero sent a letter out to staff saying the reductions are part of his reorganization plan. He wrote that the lost jobs are in response to the district's declining enrollment and its direct impact on the budget. It's unclear if more lay offs are coming or what specific DPS departments were targeted. The district first notified staff of its plan to resize in February.
Marrero also included in his letter that in the central support teams, the district reduced 76 budgeted roles in the general fund.
"I do think Dr. Marrero is seeing that there is ... central admin is bloated more than it needs to be," Gould said.
CBS4 spoke to several administrators off camera about the layoffs but none of them wanted to speak on-camera because of fear of retaliation. Some also said district officials asked them to sign non-disclosure agreements.
Gould said the teachers union supports the decision to downsize on administrative positions, and said it all comes down to funding.
"We'd rather make sure we prioritize those funds to make sure that those funds are going to our schools, to our teachers and making sure that we have teachers in the classrooms for our students," said Gould.
Will Jones, a DPS spokesperson, said the school district is combining some of those roles and reposting some of those positions, but some may have new job titles. Jones said those who were let go can apply for those jobs and other job openings within DPS in the future, except for the 76 budgeted roles that have been eliminated.
"We need to do something about school funding in the state of Colorado, we need to do it yesterday," Gould said.
