At it’s regular meeting tomorrow, Tuesday, 2/10 at 6:30 p.m., the Montrose County School Board will consider whether to hire controversial legal figure Brad Miller of the Miller Farmer Law Firm, as the school district’s attorney. The Miller Farmer firm is known for religious and political leanings that stir up controversy and draw trouble and expense to school districts, like working to launch Colorado’s “first public Christian school,” in hopes of generating a legal test case that might make it to the U.S. Supreme Court. Miller has encouraged school board members to skirt laws and rules, like coaching them on how to get around established request-for-proposal (RFP) policies so board members can hire whomever they want, and coaching school board members on how to get around rules guiding what can get on a meeting agenda and when. Miller gave the Elizabeth School District (on the eastern plains) bad advice about transparency that brought costly legal fees to that school district, in part by requesting continuances that dragged out a lawsuit against the district for a year and seven months. He’s engaged in conflicts of interest, like representing both a charter school and the public school district in which it’s located. He’s encouraged school districts to adopt controversial and discriminatory culture war policies that could draw lawsuits and get them in front of the U.S. Supreme Court, like policies that discriminate against transgender students.
While Brad Miller denies being a charter school crusader, he uses his Twitter feed to advocate for for charter schools and oppose institutional funding of public schools. His own kids attended charter schools, private schools and were homeschooled. They did not attend public school.
Based on the experiences of other Colorado school districts, hiring Brad Miller is likely to bring turmoil, increased legal expense and unwanted negative headlines to the Montrose County School District — things the Montrose County School District could avoid entirely by hiring a less controversial attorney whose primary purpose isn’t imposing political, religious and cultural changes on school districts for the sake of generating test cases and pushing right wing ideological changes.
Folks should watch the Montrose board’s discussion last night. Several board members truly do seem to be taking the situation seriously and feel conflicted. Several board members said they felt rushed; one pointed out more than once that the Board has not identified what their shared goals are, how they would be making the decision, like a decision-making matrix, etc. One said that the Board was given a mandate by voters to focus on conservative, classical education. It also sounds like some really emotional emails were sent to Board members in reaction to fears people have, like with the union. Several Board Members said that they have no desire to eliminate the union and were surprised that people feared it. Teachers’ fears about attacks on the union makes sense, though. Look at the union conflicts in Woodland Park and around Colorado Springs. Bryce Carlson and Brad Miller’s law firm has to political groups who’ve targeted teachers unions. Ready Colorado does, too, which donated $12,200 to 4 candidates for the MCSD school board. Including Balleck and Valerio. President Balleck made a really good point about how the community’s conflict over the MCA charter resulted in legal fees since the Board voted against MCA twice, then went to CDE upon appeal. (I personally watched that entire appeal and read all the supporting documents. I thought the MCA knocked it out of the park when they presented to CDE. I wasn’t surprised that CDE Board voted in favor of MCA.)
Brad Miller has spoken publicly many times about his personal priorities & tactics for manipulating school districts. He puts politics over the law and protecting the rights of ALL students, parents and staff.
He uses school board members and districts to achieve his goals – far beyond just getting paid as a lawyer. A reporter got an email he sent telling an Arizona-based political law group that he’d find a school district where he could plant a lawsuit. Many of his districts are involved in lawsuits they either CHOSE to file or triggered. He encourages board members to break laws and policies they personally have problems with. He starts by talking about innovation, but what he’s really doing is manipulating board members into believing they are justified, if not “chosen,” to pass policies that discriminate and prompt law suits. He’s openly encouraging school boards to focus on distracting political & religious issues. Not education. HE will get the accolades, money & political power if his client districts are involved in high profile lawsuits. Just look at the destruction in Woodland Park, CO where both the district & Merit Academy charter are in serious financial straits.
Would the Montrose school board president, Balleck, be pressuring the district to hire him if she weren’t enmeshed with Miller’s group, CLAS? Would she have promoted the new consulting biz of former Woodland Park COO Aaron Salt?
People lauding Miller’s family ties to Monument Academy should do some research. That’s yet another school he’s involved with that’s dealing with serious financial problems.
All of the above has been covered by journalists or in many different posts or comments by informed citizens around the state.
Sounds like he’d fit right in with the local leadership in Mesa County.
This 2023 reporting includes Mr. Miller’s own words about takeover strategy.
https://coloradotimesrecorder.com/2023/08/davis-secret-audio-recording-reveals-inner-workings-of-woodland-park-takeover/55228/
Thank-you for addressing the ‘dangers’ of Montrose County School District hiring a controversial Miller Farmer law firm lawyer.
How can so-called “lawyers” keep their law degrees when they so blatantly defy our Constitution?
Maybe they could be disbarred in Colorado.
Tammy Eret, MCVSD51 attorney hasn’t been disbarred yet and the ACLU outed her for violating defendants Constitutional Rights in municipal court (her side job) as the only judge in municipal court… it just festers…
Getting disbarred in Colorado takes remarkable talent and is almost unknown for attorneys other than those who stole from their clients.
More of the same corruption if they do it, good-old boys ride!!!