Accountability and Communication

On Friday, April 24, 2026 Terry Bates resigned from the CCSD Board of Education, which created a vacancy in Director District D.

• The Board voted on a resolution to formally create the vacancy. They then have 60 days to appoint someone to serve in District D. 
• The Board opened the application window, with a deadline of 4:00 p.m. May 26, 2026. Information about the application can be found on the Board Vacancy webpage
• 5/29/2026 - The Board of Education has reviewed all submitted applications to fill the vacant Director District D seat. The Board decided to move forward with interviews of all candidates that submitted complete applications and reside in the District D boundary. Public interviews with candidates occur during the Board’s June 3 study session.
• 6/2/2026 - The following candidates were selected to move forward with interviews:
       Keith Frazier
       Christopher Locky
       April Rasheeda Ouedraogo
       Ross Peterson
       Amanda Thayer
• 6/4/2026 - The Board interviewed five candidates on Wednesday, and then voted to appoint Keith Frazier to fill the vacant seat in Director District D. Keith Frazier will be formally sworn in at the end of the Board of Education meeting on Monday, June 8, 2026.
• 6/8/2026 - Keith Frazier sworn in as Director District D.

Statement from the CCSD Board of Education regarding the resignation of Terry Bates:

"As elected leaders serving the Cherry Creek Schools community, we have a responsibility to respect the district’s values, uphold district policies, and act with the utmost professionalism.

When a member’s actions fall short of board policy and those values, we must address it directly and stand for what is right. As a Board, we have zero tolerance for this type of behavior.

We have credible information that Board Director Terry Bates made racialized remarks that were unacceptable and inconsistent with our values. In addition, others reported concerning interactions. To protect the privacy of individuals involved, we will not release details about this matter.

We also have been recently made aware of inappropriate remarks made by Mr. Bates before his election to the Board.

We cannot overlook these actions. For that reason, we join together in accepting his resignation from the board."

Update as of 5-1-26

The District received eight proposals in response to the RFP, all within the $250,000 allocated budget. The audit committee will review the submissions and make a recommendation to the Board, which will make the final selection of a vendor to conduct the audit.

We will be sharing more information as it becomes available.

Update as of 4-9-26
The Request for Proposal (RFP) was posted on Friday, April 3. It will remain open for three weeks, accepting proposals through April 23, 2026. As previously mentioned in Dr. Jennifer Perry's community letter on March 26, the proposed budget for the audit is $250,000.  View the submitted RFP.
 

The District is initiating an internal control audit to review organizational systems and structures, including internal controls, operational processes, and fiscal responsibilities. The District will begin this process by establishing an Audit Process Committee to oversee the work. The committee will develop and issue a Request for Proposal, review submissions, and recommend a vendor to perform the audit. The District will then enter into a contract with the selected firm to conduct an independent audit. The audit is expected to take several months to ensure it is thorough and comprehensive. The committee will review the findings, make recommendations to the Board, and the District will implement the approved recommendations.

The Committee is not a Board Advisory Committee under Policy BDF which does not make it subject to Open Meetings Laws. The members of the Committee are as follows:

Mike Hamrick, Board Director
JC Futrell, Board Director
Scott Smith, CFO/COO
Jordan Lubeck, Associate Legal Counsel
Jodi Rose, Parent DAC
Ariela Vianu, Parent DAC
Phil Spare, Independent Facilitator

For context, it is important to note that the District consistently receives clean annual financial audits. The District has received an unmodified (clean) audit on financial statements for more than two decades and has earned Certification of Excellence in Financial Reporting from the Association for School Board Officials and Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) for 32 consecutive years. CCSD also maintains among the highest credit ratings received for school districts in Colorado.

Update 6/9/2026 - A balanced budget for FY 2026-27 was presented and approved by the Board on June 8, 2026.

PRELIMINARY AND SUBJECT TO CHANGE FOR 2026-27 SY
(as of 4/7/26 - subject to change)

As part of our efforts to remain transparent and communicate actions we are taking to address the current budget shortfall, we are sharing the following memo on preliminary budget reductions for the 2026-2027 school year. This information is subject to change. 

• Like many school districts across the state, we are facing a significant budget shortfall and are making difficult reductions across the district, with a focus on minimizing impacts to classrooms and student learning.
• The majority of reductions for 26-27 SY are coming from central administration (non-student-facing) positions and budgets. These reductions are in addition to several cost-saving measures already in place for the 25-26 SY. We are working to manage the reduction in positions through attrition as much as possible.
  • In the current year (25-26 SY), on a one-time basis, we have pulled back $5 million from administrative departments and $1 million in discretionary budgets at schools. 
• The District prides itself on running a lean central office, with the majority of our money going to schools. 
  • Nearly 90% of CCSD’s budget goes to people (salaries and benefits)
  • Only 3.8% is spent on central office staff
• School staffing ratios remain the same. If a school is changing staffing, it is due to enrollment changes, not budget reductions. 

While the state isn’t reducing K-12 education next year, they are not investing either. CCSD is expected to receive approximately $5.3M additional funding as compared to the current school year. State funding continues to fall well below the increasing costs of delivering a high-quality K12 education. The final state budget won’t be finalized until May 2026.

PRELIMINARY BUDGET REDUCTIONS FOR 2026-27 SY

(as of 4/7/26 - subject to change)

Central Personnel (36 FTE and $3.7M):

• 21 District Operations Positions (i.e. transportation, maintenance)
• 12 District Support Positions (i.e. fiscal services, IT, communications, HR)
• 3 Central Office Leadership Positions

Central Non-Personnel Budget ($8.9M):

• $2M in reduced district property and liability insurance claims and premiums
• $850K for Education Accelerated contract
• $850K for professional development (across districtwide budgets)
• $840K for overtime and extra pay (across districtwide budgets)
• $800K for Renaissance Education contract
• $350K for FLGA contract
• $332K for Learning by Design contract
• $300K for renegotiated mobile leases
• $200K for renegotiated wellness platform 
• $200K reduction in communication services
• $135K for Hanover contracts
• $2M for miscellaneous (supplies, equipment, food, technology, materials, consultants etc.) (across districtwide budgets)

School Support (123 FTE, $10.3M):

• 51 Special Education FTE - $4.2M 
• 37 Gifted and Talented FTE - $3.7M
• 4 Language Supports and Services FTE - $800K
• 18 FTE Elementary Administrative Health Liaisons - $850K
• 13 FTE High School Administrative Support - $760K 

School Investments Maintained:

• Staffing Ratio
• Declining Enrollment Averaging
• Weighted Student Funding (SELF Factor) 
• Backfill of EARRS partners and addiction counselors

Following the Board’s announcement to review all District contracts, the Board made specific changes to the procurement and expenditure approval policies across the District. Specifically, they:

• Changed the threshold for board-approved contracts from $400,000 to $250,000
• Required an additional approval from the Chief Financial and Operating Officer or the Superintendent on any contract between $150,001 and $250,000
• Required an additional approval from a member of the District Leadership Team on any contract between $25,001 and $150,000
• Changed approval authorities for all contracts between $5,001 and $25,000
• Mandated all contracts be reviewed and approved by the Legal Department with failure to do so resulting in disciplinary action, up to and including termination
• Accounts Payable now has an indicator showing whether a contract has been reviewed by the Legal Department, improving communication and ensuring the appropriate requirements are followed regarding contract approval in the District

As part of efforts to address concerns about district travel and to rebuild trust with the community, the Board has directed Dr. Perry to clarify guidelines regarding District employee travel to prioritize the following:

1. Trips are approved for adults traveling to chaperone students
2. Existing travel is approved if it is: 
   • In-state
   • Supporting a student trip
   • Booked and paid for and cannot be refunded
3. New travel is not allowed until further notice

In addition, the District will review existing practices and protocols for approving travel, with a focus on: 

1. Alignment with district goals and priorities
2. Strengthening educational experiences and outcomes for students 

Based on guidance from the Colorado Association of School Boards (CASB) and National Association of School Superintendents (NSBA), the Board will begin discussing the selection process for the next superintendent at the end of the summer, when most searches typically begin. Over the summer, the Board will also work with the District to better understand the culture of CCSD before moving forward. The official selection process is expected to begin Fall of 2026. At this time, Dr. Perry’s contract is approved through June 30, 2026, with the option for the Board to extend into the 2026-27 school year.

Update 6/5/2026 - the Cherry Creek School District Board of Directors unanimously voted to approve McPherson & Jacobson as the firm to run the search process for a permanent Superintendent of Cherry Creek Schools. The vote follows an RFP process which was initiated on May 20, 2026. The search process will formally begin in Fall 2026.

The $950 million bond passed in November 2024 can only support capital expenses, such as rebuilding aging schools, building repairs and maintenance, technology upgrades, and other physical infrastructure improvements. These projects are well underway and can be tracked here.

The Mill Levy passed in November 2024 provides 5% in additional funding and supports inflationary cost increases as well as additional staff at buildings like the expanded CCIC and Pathways at Overland.

CCSD board meetings are currently live-streamed. Board meetings are held monthly, usually on the second Monday of the month at 7pm at a school in the District.

District members are invited to speak during the time specified for Public Comment. Speakers must complete the Public Comment Form and submit it electronically prior to 12:00 p.m. on the day of a regularly scheduled Board meeting. If written testimony or a handout is submitted, speakers are asked to supply one (1) copy to the Board Secretary. Each speaker is required to present in-person at the Board meeting and may only speak once during public comment. This is your opportunity to make comments; it is not a question and answer session.

Each individual speaker will be afforded three (3) minutes to make comments on matters that are germane to the business of the District. The first twenty (20) speakers will receive three minutes each. If more than twenty (20) speakers sign up for Public Comment, all registered speakers will be notified via the email address provided at registration that speaking time has been reduced to two (2) minutes per speaker. Audience Comments are limited to a total of two (2) hours. We encourage speakers to make their presentation clear and concise. At the end of a speaker’s allotted time, when the buzzer sounds, the microphone and audio will be muted.

By law, the Board is allowed to take action only on items on the agenda. The Board may, at their discretion, refer any matter to district staff or calendar the issue for future discussion.

View upcoming board meetings or sign up to speak. Members of the public can email the Board at ccsdboard@cherrycreekschools.org.

Today, the Cherry Creek School District Board of Education and Interim Superintendent Dr. Perry released the following statement regarding the employment status of Brenda Smith.

“In conjunction with Interim Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Perry, we the Board of Education have received the final investigative findings regarding Brenda Smith. Ms. Smith will not be offered a contract for the 2026-27 school year. Based on the personnel investigation, significant policy violations occurred. We will not be paying out any of the additional benefits as this is a for-cause termination.”