Superintendents of Colorado college districts spend 1000’s on journey

Colorado’s 5 largest college districts spent greater than $121,000 in taxpayer cash over the previous two years to ship their superintendents to conferences throughout the U.S. and as distant as Finland and China, in response to expenditures reviewed by The Denver Post.

The bills present former Cherry Creek Schools Superintendent Christopher Smith — whose journey drew scrutiny in current months — isn’t the one frequent-flying Ok-12 chief in metro Denver.

His friends on the Denver, Jefferson County, Aurora and Douglas County college districts have additionally had the prospect to accrue miles previously two years as they traveled to locations comparable to Breckenridge, New Orleans and Helsinki, Finland, the expenditures confirmed.

It’s common for Ok-12 district leaders to journey to conferences throughout the U.S. to obtain skilled growth, but it surely’s changing into “increasingly more common” for superintendents to undertake worldwide journey, stated Melissa Gibson, government director for the Colorado Association of School Executives.

“Professional learning has always been a priority and, frankly, should be a priority,” she stated. “…A lot of the highest quality conferences really occur at the national level.”

The expenditures reviewed by The Post coated a spread of prices, together with the superintendents’ airfare, mileage, meals, lodges and different journey bills for the 2024-25 and 2025-26 fiscal years.

The journey prices for every superintendent replicate a small portion of every district’s finances, however come as Ok-12 programs are tightening spending and shutting faculties amid declining enrollment and different monetary pressures.

“It just sounds like a lot of money when schools are laying off teachers,” stated Jane Feldman, an ethics guide who beforehand was government director of the Colorado Independent Ethics Commission, of the superintendents’ journey bills. She can be chair of the Denver Board of Ethics. “…It’s a lot given the current economic pinch that all governments are under.”

Among the state’s 5 largest districts, Denver Public Schools Superintendent Alex Marrero spent essentially the most cash — $37,433 — on journey to conferences, together with to Helsinki and Shanghai, China, paperwork present.

Marrero’s journey seems to exceed comparable journeys taken by his predecessors.

Former DPS Superintendent Tom Boasberg spent at the very least $8,927 touring to conferences throughout his ultimate two years main Colorado’s largest Ok-12 district — though data for him had been incomplete. Susana Córdova, who preceded Marrero, spent lower than $5,000 on journey as her tenure overlapped with the pandemic.

“It is important for the superintendent to also collaborate with, and learn from, other similar districts nationwide for the benefit of our students,” spokesman Bill Good stated in an announcement. “As such, travel is an expected and endorsed part of the superintendent’s role and has been included in each of his contracts.”

Marrero traveled overseas to attend conferences held by the Global Cities Education Network, a corporation that Good stated has a protracted historical past with DPS. Boasberg additionally attended conferences hosted by the group, he stated.

Jeffco Public Schools’ outgoing Superintendent Tracy Dorland spent the least sum of money — $6,408.53 — of the 5 metro Denver leaders, The Post discovered.

DPS and Jeffco Public Schools are the state’s largest and second-largest Ok-12 districts, respectively. They every function a roughly $1 billion finances.

Aurora Public Schools Superintendent Michael Giles and Douglas County Superintendent Erin Kane spent $29,039 and $25,212, respectively, on journey throughout the identical time interval.

Smith, who beforehand ran Cherry Creek Schools, spent $23,499 on journey to conferences earlier than he resigned in January.

An exterior investigation discovered that Smith and his spouse, Brenda Smith, the district’s former human sources director, doubtless violated district coverage by charging Cherry Creek Schools for prices of occasions they didn’t attend or solely partially attended.

The district fired Brenda Smith earlier this month, citing a number of coverage violations associated to journey and contracts. The exterior investigation didn’t discover the Smiths violated district coverage by accepting paid journeys to Brazil and Guatemala, however ethics specialists informed The Post doubtless violated a state legislation that prohibits authorities officers from accepting items that may affect their decision-making.

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