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Denver Public Schools Superintendent Alex Marrero is a candidate for the top job in Miami-Dade County Public Schools, he confirmed Thursday.
Marrero is one of 21 candidates who applied to be superintendent of the 345,000-student district, according to the Miami Herald. The current leader’s contract is set to end in February, the Herald said. The application window closed Wednesday evening. The district shared the applicants’ names with the Herald in a preliminary response to a public records request.
In a statement Thursday, Marrero said his candidacy was “not a decision I made lightly” but one made “after thoughtful reflection on several personal and professional considerations.”
“Regardless of the outcome of the Miami-Dade superintendent selection, my commitment to leading Denver Public Schools, our students, staff, families, and the important work ahead remains unchanged,” Marrero said.
“My focus continues to be on successfully closing out this school year, preparing for the year ahead, and ensuring stability and continuity in service of our shared priorities to continue to advance the district,” he said.
Marrero, who identifies as Afro Latino and is bilingual in Spanish, has been superintendent of 89,000-student Denver Public Schools since 2021. His current contract runs through 2028. His salary for this past school year was $346,529.
Marrero’s name has been floated for other high-profile superintendent jobs in the past. Earlier this school year, the Chicago Sun-Times reported that he was a finalist for Chicago Public Schools’ CEO position. But Marrero said he was staying in Denver. There was speculation that he might be in line to lead New York City Public Schools, but he did not get that job.
Denver’s graduation rates have risen in Marrero’s five-year tenure, and the district’s state rating jumped to green, the second highest, for the first time since 2019, before the pandemic.
But concerns about school safety have sown discontent among some parents. Marrero has also overseen unpopular school closures and disagreed with the school board about school autonomy.
Before coming to Denver, Marrero was the interim superintendent of a much smaller district in New Rochelle, New York. He was previously the assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction in New Rochelle and an assistant superintendent in East Ramapo, New York.
Marrero began his career in the country’s biggest school district, New York City, where he served as a guidance counselor, assistant principal, and principal. It’s also where he attended school as a child growing up in the Bronx.
This story has been updated to add a statement from Superintendent Alex Marrero.
Melanie Asmar is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Colorado. Contact Melanie at masmar@chalkbeat.org.
