The Denver school district spent $161,375 over the past four months on a superintendent search that has resulted in a single finalist. Although Denver’s search was the most expensive, the system provided a more extensive cost breakdown than other comparable districts. A survey of other large metro area districts also found that Denver’s short timeline was not abnormal.
The Denver school district spent $161,375 over the past four months on a superintendent search that has resulted in a single finalist: Deputy Superintendent Susana Cordova.
A public records request shows that the district paid more than $100,000 to a Denver political consulting firm, Dimension Strategies, which ran nine of 11 community meetings. The firm produced a detailed report on the characteristics and qualifications that students, parents, teachers, and city residents said they wanted in the next superintendent of Denver Public Schools. The district paid another $30,000 to an executive search firm.
The school board is expected to vote to appoint the next superintendent Dec. 17, wrapping up a process that started in August shortly after former Superintendent Tom Boasberg announced he would step down. Boasberg led Colorado’s largest school district for nearly 10 years.
