{"id":474,"date":"2026-05-17T19:03:37","date_gmt":"2026-05-17T19:03:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=474"},"modified":"2026-05-17T19:03:37","modified_gmt":"2026-05-17T19:03:37","slug":"cherry-creek-schools-spent-65000-on-a-brazilian-film-crew-that-shot-a-6-minute-promotional-video","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=474","title":{"rendered":"Cherry Creek Schools spent $65,000 on a Brazilian film crew that shot a 6-minute promotional video"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Getting your Trinity Audio player ready…<\/strong><\/div>\n
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Cherry Creek Schools paid an outside company that\u2019s come under scrutiny more than $65,000 for a Brazilian film crew to shoot a promotional video for the district\u2019s teacher residency program in\u00a02024, according to documents obtained by The Denver Post.<\/p>\n

The Post\u2019s findings come as the Board of Education has scrutinized expenses made by the company, Education Accelerated \u2014 including the possibility that it overbilled Cherry Creek for monthly travel costs and sought reimbursements for alcohol purchases.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe expense of it is primarily one of the larger pieces of it that we are definitely concerned about,\u201d Angela Garland, who was board president at the time, said about the video. \u201cJust the lack of communication that this was even happening. We have (a media team) in-house or have that available locally.\u201d<\/p>\n

The video, which was shot in the summer two years ago by a Brazilian company called Filmistas, is less than six minutes long. It features both former Superintendent Christopher Smith and his wife, Brenda Smith, the district\u2019s human resources officer, talking about the Aspiring Educator Pathway program. <\/p>\n

David Palumbo and Richard Boerner, two executives with Education Accelerated, also make brief appearances in the video \u2014 as does Garland. <\/p>\n

\u201cI was clueless about them being from Brazil,\u201d she said of the crew. \u201c\u2026 I just thought it was something we were filming for the website \u2014 a social media or some educational piece down the road.\u201d<\/p>\n

The school board terminated the district\u2019s contracts with the company after investigating the Smiths\u2019 connections with Education Accelerated, which the couple has awarded nearly $3 million worth of contracts since 2023.<\/p>\n

Christopher Smith resigned in January. Cherry Creek Schools placed Brenda Smith on administrative leave in February.\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

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After Filmistas traveled to Colorado to shoot the video, Cherry Creek reimbursed Education Accelerated for an additional $6,914.55 in travel costs for the film crew, including airfare from S\u00e3o Paulo and hotels, according to expenditures reviewed by The Post. <\/p>\n

The film crew\u2019s travel expenses were dated for July 2024, but Cherry Creek did not approve their hiring until October, documents show. <\/p>\n

At that time, Christopher Smith and the Board of Education signed off on a multiyear contract with Education Accelerated worth as much as $2.6 million, which included an allocation of $85,000 for media development. The funding included $65,000 for Education Accelerated to hire Filmistas to document the development, design and implementation of the Aspiring Educator Pathway program, according to the contract. <\/p>\n

Education Accelerated\u2019s CEO Alicia Densford did not respond to multiple requests for comment, including a detailed list of questions. Filmistas also did not respond to a request for comment.\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

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Cherry Creek Schools isn\u2019t the only district to question expenses made by Education Accelerated employees. The company also worked with Aurora Public Schools, which signed a $300,000 deal with the firm in March 2025. <\/p>\n

Palumbo, the chairman of Education Accelerated, sent APS Superintendent Michael Giles an invoice seeking $4,756.15 in reimbursement in travel expenses last summer, emails show. Giles, upon receiving the invoice, asked Palumbo if the travel costs were part of the memorandum of understanding setting out the arrangement between the district and the company.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d Palumbo responded. \u201cNot as we wrote it. Travel has been steep do (sic) to last minute airfares this time. It will be much less when we lock in travel going forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess I was unaware that travel and associated costs would be billed separately,\u201d Giles replied. \u201c\u2026 Of course, we will make good on this invoice, but I think we need to consider all future meetings virtual unless mutually agreed\u00a0(on) the need for an in-person meeting.\u201d<\/p>\n

APS stopped working with Education Accelerated last year and with TruFit Talent in January, said APS spokesman Corey Christiansen. <\/p>\n

Get more Colorado news by signing up for our Mile High Roundup email newsletter.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Read more Today in History: May 17, televised Watergate hearings begin<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Read more Cherry Creek Schools officials\u2019 international travel raises ethics questions \u2014 even if it\u2019s \u2018how people do business\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Read more Thousands flock to the National Mall in Washington for an America-themed prayer rally<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Cherry Creek Schools paid Education Accelerated more than $65,000 for a Brazilian film crew to shoot a promotional video for its teacher residency program, new documents show.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":473,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-474","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nCherry Creek Schools spent $65,000 on a Brazilian film crew that shot a 6-minute promotional video - Colorado Springs Moverss<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=474\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Cherry Creek Schools spent $65,000 on a Brazilian film crew that shot a 6-minute promotional video - 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