DENVER -- The Denver school board has hired a marriage counselor to deal with rifts exposed after the election of new members.

The decision follows a rancorous meeting Monday during which new board member Andrea Merida voted against reforms at a troubled middle school. She and other opponents question whether the reforms, which were approved, are legal.

The board will meet privately with a counselor Thursday at the five-star Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs to sort through the disputes. Jeannie Kaplan says she and other board members need time to talk to each other privately.

The schedule calls for breakfast at 8 a.m., followed by a meeting and lunch at 11:30 a.m.

The sessions were intended to be private but the board decided to make them public instead. The board made the decision after a legal challenge by The Denver Post under the Colorado Open Meetings Law.

The board is at the Broadmore in advance of this weekend's annual convention of the Colorado Association of School Boards at the hotel.

Board members believe the closed therapy session is allowed under parts of the state open meetings law that allow private discussions of personnel matters and contracts.