Denver Public Schools will keep longtime health care provider Kaiser Permanente Colorado for at least one more year after the Board of Education voted 6-1 Thursday to extend health care contracts with current providers, which includes Kaiser Permanente.
This follows months of pushback from employees who criticized the district’s handling of a major change to employee benefits after DPS leaders recommended dropping the five-decade partnership with Kaiser as one of the district’s health care providers.
The board’s directive extends contracts with Kaiser Permanente, UnitedHealthcare, and Motiv Healthcare through the 2026–27 school year. The board also ordered the district to reopen the bidding process next fall.
After the district proposed dropping Kaiser, teachers and other educators flooded board members’ inboxes, worried they would lose doctors they’ve seen for years.
Rob Gould, president of the Denver Classroom Teachers Association (DCTA), said in a statement following the vote that thousands of educators advocated to keep Kaiser as the health care provider for the 2026-27 school year. DCTA requested the extension.
“For 52 years, DPS staff and families have built long-standing and trusting relationships with their health providers through the district’s partnership with Kaiser,” he said.
The DCTA alleged the district’s health care consultant has been "underbudgeting and poorly projecting health care costs for years,” contributing to a deficit passed onto employees through premium increases, according to the statement.
In a statement, Kaiser said it appreciated the decision to extend the contract and participate in a new bidding process.
“We are grateful for the opportunity to continue serving DPS employees and their families, and our focus is on meeting and exceeding the expectations of our patients and the school district. We’d like nothing more than to continue our partnership for many years to come.”
It said it believes it can work with the DPS leaders to address the challenges and financial requirements of the district.
Integrity of the process questioned
Several board members expressed concern about the emotional toll the process has taken on employees.
“Not a day has gone by where this conversation has not impacted my life, whether it be as a mom, as a school board member, as a member of my community in my neighborhood … of utter fear and stress from our community,” said director Amy Klein-Molk, who was elected in November.
Others were concerned about employees’ mistrust of the process and their feelings that they didn’t have the information they needed to make an informed health care decision.
“If processes are being followed, but the people most impacted by those processes do not feel respected and valued, then it is our duty to change those processes,” said vice-president Monica Hunter.
Superintendent Alex Marrero defended the district’s handling of the process but voiced concern about “interference” by board members and constituents in the request for proposal process.
“A lot of meddling has happened in this process unfortunately, and now here we are,” he said.
Marrero said initially he supported the recommendation to drop Kaiser, but his position shifted. When asked for a recommendation between the two options presented — extending the contracts for another year or dropping Kaiser — he declined to choose, stating his position on the path forward was “50/50.”
Board president Xochitl “Sochi” Gaytán was the sole “no” vote. She said it was a “very completed, fairly scored bidding process” and worried that changing direction could lead to lawsuits from vendors and damage the district’s reputation for running fair competitions.
The DCTA called for a more transparent process.
“This vote gives educators the time they need to plan thoughtfully for the next school year, rather than being forced into rushed decisions that could disrupt ongoing care.”
