Joe Vaccarelli worked as a newspaper journalist for nearly a decade prior to joining the team at Denver7 in April 2020.
Another top administrator within the Cherry Creek School District was placed on paid administrative leave on Wednesday.Tony Poole, assistant superintendent of special populations, is under investigation due to allegations of misconduct in the form of insubordination, according to a memo obtained by Denver7 Investigates .
In an email to the district’s administrative council Wednesday, Interim Superintendent Jennifer Perry wrote that Poole is on leave “effective immediately.” She also wrote that Michelle Weinraub will oversee special populations.At a Monday board of education meeting, it was announced that Poole would retire at the end of the school year.Poole is the second administrator to be placed on leave in the past two weeks. Last week, it was announced that Chief Human Resource Office Brenda Smith, wife of now former Cherry Creek Superintendent Chris Smith, was also placed on leave.Smith told the school’s board of directors that he would resign during an executive session and announced his retirement to a group of principals on Jan. 28, noting that his last day would be Jan. 30. The announcement came after a Denver7 Investigation into the culture inside the school district. Multiple insiders spoke to Denver7 Investigates in silhouette and with their voices disguised because they feared retaliation.They told Denver7 Investigates that they felt they had no place to go with complaints because of the superintendent’s marriage to the chief human resource officer.Through open records requests, Denver7 Investigates obtained roughly a dozen complaint letters, including several sent directly to the school board. One letter accused Superintendent Smith of unprofessional conduct, retaliation against employees and misallocation of budgetary items, including expenses and salaries.That letter sparked an internal investigation regarding a potential conflict of interest due to the relationship of Chris and Brenda Smith. That investigation concluded that Smith “exhibited unprofessional behavior,” and recommended “executive leadership training/coaching.”At the Monday school board meeting, the board announced an external audit and other reforms, including requiring all contracts to be approved by its legal department. The board last month also announced that it was freezing travel for district administrators for six months
Cherry Creek School District Chris Smith Colorado Investigative News Denver Investigative News Denver Investigations Denver News Investigations Denver7 Investigates Denver7 Investigates Jaclyn Allen Denver7 Investigates Joe Vaccarelli
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