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Denver school board member DJ Torres announced Thursday that he is resigning from the board because “too much of my time and energy have been consumed by internal conflict,” according to a statement Torres provided to Chalkbeat.
Board President Xóchitl Gaytán recently accused Torres and board Vice President Monica Hunter of a long list of policy violations, which the board was set to publicly discuss for a third time — and potentially take action on — at a Thursday afternoon meeting.
Torres’ resignation is the latest blow for an elected board that has long struggled with interpersonal conflict, public disagreements, and investigations into each other’s behavior.
A Denver Public Schools spokesperson confirmed Thursday that the district received Torres’ resignation and said Gaytán would address it at the afternoon meeting. Under state law, the board has 60 days to appoint someone to fill the vacancy.
Torres, a former DPS teacher whose son is a DPS student, was elected in November 2025 to represent central-east Denver’s District 3.
“I ran for this office because I believe our schools could do better for students,” Torres said in his statement. “I did not run for office to spend countless hours navigating interpersonal conflict. I did not run to participate in cycles of accusation and response. I did not run to watch personalities, procedures, power, and politics consume time that should belong to students.”
Torres has repeatedly clashed with Gaytán over several issues, some of which are referenced in the allegations Gaytán levied against him and Hunter. The board ordered an investigation last month into the most serious allegation — that Hunter allegedly used antisemitic language, which she denies — but not into any of the allegations against Torres.
The allegations against Torres include that he missed multiple meetings, did not attend a board-related conference after the district paid his expenses, refused to speak with Gaytán by phone, and allegedly gave a “possible unauthorized directive” to Superintendent Alex Marrero to recognize a labor union of DPS employees.
Torres was among the board members who wanted to meet over the summer to discuss Marrero’s employment after the superintendent applied for another job and alleged that the board was overstepping its authority. That meeting didn’t happen.
Torres has defended himself against the recent allegations, saying that board policy “does not require perfect attendance.” He also disputed the allegation that he gave an unauthorized directive to the superintendent, saying he told Marrero to follow an established district policy.
Torres said he missed the board-related conference because his childcare fell through, and that he paid the district back for all of the expenses except for the conference fee, which allowed him to access the materials. He has said he refused to communicate with Gaytán by phone to ensure that their interactions were documented.
In his statement, Torres said the board’s dynamics strained his mental health.
“My mental health and how I show up for my family are my number one priority,” he said. “For the last year, I have been a public official, but I am a husband and a father first.
“My family deserves more of me,” Torres said. “So do I.”
Melanie Asmar is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Colorado. Contact Melanie at masmar@chalkbeat.org.
