North Routt Community Charter School’s new interim head stood before a crowd of parents, staff and students at a community meeting on Jan. 9 and delivered a blunt message: The school’s recent drama has hurt kids, drained enrollment and fueled negative press, but its academic record remains stellar. Now it’s time to “hit the reset button.”

Marquez Elem, who started as interim head of school on Dec. 31, spent an hour laying out his background, the school’s strengths and a road map forward while fielding questions from community members. He didn’t shy away from the pain points — leadership gaps, board confusion, parent infighting — but framed them as fixable if adults put students first.​

“Let’s get to work. We know what needs to be done, and let’s get there,” said Elem. “I want to support the students, I want to support you all, I want to support the board and I want to continue to move the school forward.”

The town hall meeting comes after months of turmoil at the K-8 charter, beginning with the controversial firing of former head of school Dan Kohler; the subsequent resignation of several board members; a legal demand letter sent to the board; and a wave of public disputes that split the small North Routt community.

Charter school veteran steps in

Elem comes to North Routt with more than two decades in education, starting as a paraprofessional straight out of high school and rising through roles in traditional public schools and charters. 

His resume includes helping open Chicago’s first 100 public charter schools, launching Mississippi’s first public charter high school and turning around finances at struggling schools in Rochester, New York, and Washington, D.C., referring to himself at the meeting as a “fiscal and financial hawk relative to public charter schools.” 

“In Washington, D.C., over the course of the last year, I recouped nearly $400,000 by renegotiating contracts relative to facilities and securities, as well as taking us through a child nutrition audit that evaluated our three facilities,” Elem told parents. 

He added that in his 12 years of school operations, he has consistently received clean audits.

One parent asked Elem to describe his leadership style, to which he responded that he was “firm, but fair.”

“I’m extremely firm with what I believe in and my values, and I play by the book,” said Elem. “But … I’m extremely inclusive, and I believe in shared ownership and shared accountability.”

He added that while he takes full responsibility for the decisions that come out of NRCCS, he doesn’t believe in unilateral decision-making, underscoring the importance of hearing from a range of community voices. 

“I have yet to see a cart pull a horse,” said Elem. “My job is to make sure I’m supporting teachers to the point where they can establish the type of environment that’s conducive to culture and conducive to learning.” 

Academic highs, enrollment lows

Numbers dominated Elem’s opener. 

According to Elem, NRCCS scored 93.8 on the Colorado Department of Education’s performance framework — the top mark among all schools in the Steamboat Springs School District, and the only one to hit 90. 

The school also nabbed the 2025 John Irwin Excellence Award for Academic Achievement, which Elem promised to trumpet more loudly online and in newsletters. 

“These accomplishments … speak values about the work that our students are accomplishing. They speak values about our teaching population, and … about the community that we have established here,” said Elem.

“We should get to the point where we do not have any vacancies, and we should have a waiting list of 30 students per grade level because of all the great work that we’re actually doing,” he added. 

Yet NRCCS enrollment has dipped significantly. Around 20 students — or about 25% of the NRCCS population — have either already pulled out of the school or have planned to pull out for the upcoming academic year, potentially costing $300,000 collectively in per-pupil funding. 

One parent called recent months a “different feel,” citing gossip, a lack of trust and deflated volunteer spirit.

Elem pinned parental skepticism squarely on adult conflict: letters sent to the newspaper, boardroom clashes and headlines that drown out the good news. “If I’m looking from the outside, why would I want my student to come to NRCCS?” he asked.

Shortly after beginning his tenure, Elem called every family that withdrew students, inviting them to reenroll at the school.

“We have to move on from it,” said Elem. “I’m not saying to let it go, or who was wrong and who was right, and I’m not saying that’s irrelevant. I’m not saying your emotions are not valid. I’m not saying anything that you all feel does not bear credibility.

“
What I’m saying … is that there were several remnants of ineffective leadership at all levels. Board included, (the School Accountability Committee) included, head of school included, teachers included, community members included, parents included,” he continued.

“I think this is a perfect opportunity for us to own it,” he added. “And not only do we own it, we acknowledge it — mishaps happen, mistakes happen. So I’m putting many different things in place.”

In an interview with the newspaper on Jan. 8, Elem clarified that there is “no concern” of NRCCS closing despite the drop in enrollment, thanks to the school’s excess reserve numbers. 

“The only thing that I would say that would probably have to happen is some restructuring of our master schedule, as well as maybe the loss of a teaching position or two because of the low declining enrollment,” said Elem in the interview. 

Governance tangles and board next steps

Much of the Q&A at the Jan. 9 town hall drilled into structure, with parents wanting details on board elections and makeup. In both the town hall and his interview with the newspaper, Elem called “role clarity” the biggest hurdle for NRCCS. 

Typically, he explained, boards set the “why” and “what”; heads of school handle the “how”; and School Accountability Committees advise school administrators.​

At NRCCS, said Elem, lines blur, and the board skews unusually “parent-heavy.” That setup, Elem noted from his 20 years in charters, risks “self-interest” outweighing schoolwide needs.​

“The executive of the organization, which is me, is the individual that actually recommends board members,” Elem told parents. “I would recommend those individuals to the actual board, and the board, by a governing majority, selects those additional board members to actually serve out the remainder of the current terms.” 

With Elem at the helm, the school has opened up applications for two 17-month board terms beginning in March, due Jan. 26, to fill the seats previously held by Jeremiah Shaw and Elizabeth Wegner. The two selected members will have the opportunity for renewal to a four-year term. 

Board President Sarah Barr’s term will expire in June, with a new board member expected to fill her seat in July as part of a planned transition. 

Suzie Wyman, who was appointed to the board in November, was the fifth board member to resign since Kohler’s firing, having resigned over the past month. Currently, the timeline for filling her seat, as well as the remaining two open positions, is undetermined. 

Elem also announced the launch of Zoom town halls from 6-7 p.m. on Jan. 26, Feb. 11, March 2 and March 30, where parents can drop in, ask questions and pitch ideas.​

At the town hall, staff also highlighted upcoming events for NRCCS, including an ice fishing tournament with prizes on Jan. 31, an online silent auction and free weekly yoga classes on Thursdays.

For now, Elem is interim. He said he hasn’t decided on whether he will apply for the permanent position and sees this stretch as a bridge to clarify roles, shore up systems and involve the community in picking long-term leadership, whether that’s Elem himself or another candidate. 

“We have a gem here,” Elem told parents. “What I’m tied to is making sure our students and our staff are successful, and I’m going to do what I can to service and support them. That’s my promise.”