Just when you thought Denver Public Schools politics couldn’t get more absurd, Superintendent Alex Marrero demanded in a letter to President Carrie Olson that the school board censure at-large Director John Youngquist — an admired former East High principal and one of Marrero’s own bosses.

Welcome back to DPS Theater, where the motto may be “every learner thrives” but in reality, adult egos hog the spotlight on center stage; accountability gets the cheap seats — and academic achievement gets less attention than an understudy’s understudy.

“Mr. Youngquist has consistently demonstrated a pattern of hostility, policy violations, racial insensitivity, and unethical conduct that has created a toxic working environment, undermined district leadership, and distracted from our core mission of serving all students equitably,” Marrero wrote — days before his gold-plated, $346,529-a-year contract extension, with added job protections, was approved 5-2.

“This is a personal attack on me by the superintendent. It seems intended to hurt and intimidate me,” Youngquist told me on KHOW radio. “There are no facts (or) representations of what things are or where they come from.”

Marrero’s letter, a follow-up to board drama involving Youngquist in January, offered seven vague claims without evidence. “I cannot, in good faith, engage professionally with someone whose conduct suggests he actively wants me — and this district — to fail,” he concluded.

Seriously, Alex?

Where was this moral outrage when board members Scott Esserman, Michelle Quattlebaum and ex-member Auon’tai Anderson dragged you through legally questionable executive sessions to grill you behind closed doors — before suddenly deciding you’re their bestie?

How about when Esserman and Anderson ambushed a Manual High JROTC instructor, accusing him of racism in front of students and parents while blaming him for a district decision? That power trip violated board conduct rules and humiliated a teacher.

Or when Quattlebaum and Anderson hijacked a meeting with antics so ridiculous, civil-rights activist Alvertis Simmons called it a “clown show?” Then-President Sochi Gaytán ordered Quattlebaum’s mic cut — and Anderson berated your staff for doing what she asked.

Let’s be serious: If unprofessionalism were a class, DPS would pass with flying colors — and Marrero would get top marks. Just last month, he publicly smeared critics as “delusional” for audaciously questioning his inflated achievement claims. Is that “engaging professionally?”

Marrero also claimed Youngquist “is not invested” in the district’s success. Pot, meet kettle: Failure hasn’t reversed under Marrero — it has become the status quo.

Roughly 60% of grade 3-8 students aren’t proficient in English; nearly 70% lag in math. Nearly half of high schoolers fall short on P/SAT English, and two-thirds miss the mark in math. Yet Marrero celebrates an “historic” 79% graduation rate — because diplomas trump learning.

In January, the board adopted new performance metrics Marrero created for himself, then ignored them to pass his extension — months before the October performance evaluation.

Youngquist was one of two “no” votes. “My interest is about accountability… for student achievement, for growth over time,” he explained.

Let’s be honest: Marrero is employing the “How Dare You Hold Me Accountable” defense, deeming tough questions “hostile behavior.” But he and his team aren’t leading DPS. They’re managing its decline — like the pharaohs who insisted they never lost a battle but kept winning closer to home.

“We’re dealing with a whole clown show,” lamented Brandon Pryor, a Black education activist and cofounder of Robert F. Smith STEAM Academy, calling Marrero “retaliatory” and “insecure.”

“(Marrero) knows he’s not the right person for this position,” he said. “He knows he hasn’t delivered on any measurables he set forth for himself and his own strategic plan. Those are things we should be evaluating him on for contract renewal.”

The only board member ever censured was Tay Anderson in 2021 — a wrist-slap for “unbecoming behavior” following a five-month, $200,000-plus taxpayer-funded investigation that uncovered grooming, predatory behavior toward underage teens.

One 17-year-old said Anderson pushed for “stargazing or a sleepover,” making her “feel extremely uncomfortable and scared to go places.” When she declined, he replied: “You’re a pussy. Just come.” Charming to the last.

Even after the bombshell report, Anderson was elected VP by the next board, which included Olson, Gaytán, Esserman and Quattlebaum — members who remain on the board and align with Marrero.

In a dazzling display of terrible judgment, Esserman and Quattlebaum even paid Anderson a combined $10,000 to handle social media for their 2021 campaigns — the same platform he used to hit on students.

You can’t make this stuff up.

Will the board properly investigate Youngquist? Or will they huddle behind closed doors, as Olson’s already indicated, with Marrero’s go-to attorney — general counsel Aaron Thompson, who’s already clashed with Youngquist — and unleash a Trumpian loyalty purge?

“I believe it’s outrageous for a superintendent to make these kinds of accusations and publicize them,” Youngquist said, urging “an investigation (into every accusation) that is fair and equitable.”

He’s right. If they fast-track censure, the message will be clear: Predatory behavior toward minors gets a lengthy, costly investigation, followed by a careful rebuke. But questioning academic failure and unsafe schools? That’s a threat to the system.

Maybe Marrero can back up his claims, and maybe they’d hold up in a real investigation. But don’t hold your breath. This is DPS, where hypocrisy isn’t just tolerated — it thrives.

Jimmy Sengenberger is an investigative journalist, public speaker, and longtime local talk-radio host. Reach Jimmy online at Jimmysengenberger.com or on X (formerly Twitter) @SengCenter.