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The Denver school board censured member John Youngquist Thursday after an independent investigation found he was likely “belittling, dismissive, and condescending” toward some Denver Public Schools staff of color, but that his behavior was not deliberate.
Before censuring Youngquist in a 5-1 vote, several board members said two things could be true at the same time: that the longtime DPS educator and former principal of East High School had done good things in his career and that, as a board member, he treated some DPS staff poorly.
“Our students, staff, and community are watching us,” board member Michelle Quattlebaum said. “They need to see that this board dares to confront bias, to learn from it, and to grow through it.”
Board member Kimberlee Sia was the sole no vote but otherwise made no public statement. Youngquist abstained. Quattlebaum voted for the censure along with board President Carrie Olson, Vice President Marlene De La Rosa, and members Xóchitl Gaytán and Scott Esserman.
Youngquist asked a few technical questions before the censure vote but did not make any other comments. Last month, he said in a statement that the investigation was retaliatory and he intends “to take legal action at the appropriate time.”
In a statement released after the vote, Youngquist said there “is a lot more to this story than the public has been made aware of through the biased and limited context of the investigation report.” He called the investigation “a personal and professional attack.”
A censure is a formal reprimand of a board member’s behavior. The board cannot remove one of its members; only voters can do that through a recall election. Youngquist was elected in 2023 to a four-year term on the seven-member board.
Denver Superintendent Alex Marrero asked the board to censure Youngquist after raising concerns about Youngquist’s behavior earlier this year.
The school board ordered an investigation into Youngquist’s behavior in May and hired the Denver law firm Garnett Powell Maximon Barlow & Farbes to conduct it. A 29-page report, released last month, says investigators found no evidence of “overt racism.” However, they concluded that Youngquist likely exhibited bias in interactions with some district leaders of color.
The report notes that the 27 witnesses who were interviewed had differing opinions about whether they had “experienced biased conduct from Mr. Youngquist.”
“We noted white staff members — even those who present on data and issues Mr. Youngquist has identified as a priority — largely did not feel they received inappropriate or disrespectful pushback from Mr. Youngquist,” the report says. “In contrast, several staff members of color … described feeling Mr. Youngquist treated them less favorably than white staff members.”
Youngquist told investigators that he feels it’s his responsibility to ask tough questions, the report says. Youngquist “described himself as interested in ensuring transparency and engaging critically at a level that allows him as a board member to understand what is going on, question what results mean, and not just be ‘responsive to and led by the superintendent,’” it says.
The investigation was partly prompted by a letter that Marrero sent to Olson in April, alleging that Youngquist “has consistently demonstrated a pattern of hostility, policy violations, racial insensitivity, and unethical conduct.”
Marrero wrote that Youngquist’s behavior “aligns with someone who is threatened by diverse leadership and equity-centered progress.” Marrero, who is Afro-Latino, wrote that Youngquist, who is white, has “an obsession” with removing him as superintendent.
Youngquist has said that he does not want to be superintendent. He applied once, in 2021, but Marrero was hired instead.
Youngquist said in his statement Thursday that Marrero’s interest has been “in damaging the strong and positive presence of my character, based on 35 years of effectively serving the diversity of children” in Denver.
The board first discussed the report’s findings at a public meeting last month. At that meeting, Youngquist said that while he understands he has unconscious biases and can do better, the accusations that he treated staff of color poorly were meant to damage his credibility, in part because he will be a witness in at least one school safety-related lawsuit against Denver Public Schools.
Youngquist said he offered to meet with two people who were reportedly offended by his behavior, but he doesn’t know who else felt that way because the report doesn’t include names. For that reason, he said, “a blanket level of accountability is not something that makes a great deal of sense to me.”
This article has been updated to include a statement from John Youngquist after the vote to censure him.
Melanie Asmar is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Colorado. Contact Melanie at masmar@chalkbeat.org.
