The newly-appointed interim superintendent of the Cherry Creek School District is pushing for an organizational restructuring to limit conflicts of interest, including some that previously took place under her watch as deputy superintendent.

Jennifer Perry, who was formally introduced as the interim superintendent of the district at a Board of Education study session on Friday morning, said that she may decide to realign the district’s organizational chart despite her current temporary label.

“Currently, we’re trying to discuss where people believe (a conflict of interest) happens,” Perry said. “We’re working to try and understand where that exists, and what we can do to offset it.”

She said such a realignment would “solve a few of those things that I believe to be potential issues now.”

The declaration comes days after Chief Human Resource Officer Brenda Smith was placed on administrative leave over allegations of nepotism and a toxic work environment cultivated between herself and her husband, Chris Smith, the district’s former superintendent who resigned for the same reason a week prior.

Brenda Smith was previously supposed to report to Perry in her role as the deputy superintendent — in case the couple’s marriage complicated their abilities to perform their professional duties, in particular in relation to making personnel decisions, according to a 2022 memo obtained by The Denver Gazette.

But the one-page memo did not directly say how those complications would be identified or reviewed, nor did it note what role the board would play in ensuring the parties complied with the agreement.

A former president of the Cherry Creek School Board had warned the panel nearly four years ago – prompted by Denver Gazette stories detailing allegations of a toxic and misogynistic work environment within the district – that employee grievances might not be impartially or fairly addressed because of the marriage between its superintendent and human resources director.

The latest controversy is much the same as those exposed in February 2022 by The Denver Gazette, which outlined alleged behavior that included outright threats of firing to subordinates for reporting any misbehavior or misconduct, as well as a permissive culture where men were treated demonstrably different than women and inappropriate or harassing behavior was routinely tolerated.

On Friday, after discussing staff retention and student assessment performance for nearly two hours to begin the meeting, Perry passed around the district’s current organizational charts and opened discussions about a potential restructuring for the final 10 minutes of the public portion of the meeting.

The interim superintendent also clarified that neither of the Smiths would be consulted in regard to the topic.

Other members of the board chimed in.

“I think part of the elephant in the room is that, within these charts, however they may change, we are one of the largest employers in this area and we’re a great place to work,” said District C Director Angela Garland. “If people who are related come to work here, how are we going to address that from the very beginning and address it at every level, not just administrators?”

Garland added that an internal audit could be necessary to ensure the district is free of conflicts of interest at all levels. Board President and District A Director Anne Egan said district officials are also currently considering a travel freeze throughout the organization.

Board members agreed to review the current organizational structure in advance of Monday evening’s meeting, during which they will be asked to provide their opinions on its current form as well as provide possible ways to improve it.

Monday’s Board of Education meeting will take place from 7 to 9 p.m. at Sky Vista, 4500 S. Himalaya St. in Aurora. The public can view the meeting on the district’s YouTube Live channel.

Denver Gazette Education Reporter Nico Brambila and Investigative Reporter David Migoya contributed to this report.