Support Elizabeth Schools

ESD and ERBOCES Part 1:
Elizabeth School District joined ERBOCES, but ERBOCES does not appear to provide Elizabeth students any meaningful shared service benefit. Instead, it ties ESD to a controversial statewide BOCES model now being restricted by the legislature, challenged in court, and scrutinized for public funding flowing to private and religiously affiliated programs.

------> ESD must remove themselves from ERBOCES membership. Please email the Elizabeth School Board telling them that ESD deserves better than ERBOCES and we must dissolve that relationship.

Nicole Hunt [email protected]
David Fletcher [email protected]
Mary Powell [email protected]
Rhonda Olsen [email protected]

Not-so-fun fact: ESD can't afford to fix the fire suppressant system at Singing Hills Elementary School but they can afford to pay TWO SUPERINTENDENTS for an entire school year. One of whom's primary job is not to focus on academics but to handle all the lawsuits ESD is entwined in and serve as the executive director of attorney Brad Miller's Colorado Leaders for Academic Success (CLAS). The Elizabeth School District has a priority problem and it's the students who will lose.

Watch the May 21, 2026 school board meeting where they hired the new superintendent with no community input and mostly in mostly in a secret executive session. So much for transparency.
https://www.youtube.com/live/DDBOoW_fJ_0?si=x1zFFV_FlQL9YXyV

The Elizabeth School District uses iReady.
As a parent, do you like it?
As a teacher, do you like it?

Ward Wooden, a Los Angeles eighth grader, recently sat at a table in his backyard waiting for an animation on i-Ready to finish so he could answer geometry questions on his school-issued laptop. He had seen the introductory cartoon — which flashes a car, flowers, a blender, an alligator and more over a jazzy drumbeat — hundreds of times before, but he couldn’t skip it.

“I think it’s supposed to serve as a break or something interesting to keep you engaged, but all it does is waste more time,” he said.

A growing number of families and educators say they’re fed up with i-Ready’s personalized math and reading lessons.

nbcnews.to/3Pk76SK

*****Elizabeth School District students and staff deserve better than leadership that will lie to them. They deserve better than leadership that will claim it's strapped for cash but has no problem entering into multiple lawsuits or paying for TWO superintendents for an entire year. Elizabeth deserves better than this school board, better than Dan Snowberger and better than Brad Miller as their legal representation. FIRE THEM ALL! They're draining money from the district and blaming it on the state -- we're smarter than that and we see what they're doing.

*******Check this out:

During a recent meeting regarding new health insurance plans for district staff, district leadership (specifically Dan Snowberger) informed staff that the district is facing "financial issues" and a "funding decrease" for the 2026-2027 school year. He made it sound like the district will be receiving less money from the state for the coming year.

However, the state-level data tells a different story. It is vital for our community to see the actual figures that should be guiding our district’s decisions:

See the image below of the Proposed 2026-2027 Funding Data (now law via the School Finance Act SB26-023):

Analysis of the Proposed 2026-2027 Funding Data:
There is a stark contrast between a $1.3 million revenue increase and the narrative of a "funding decrease." While we are all aware that our district is currently navigating a costly lawsuit, that legal burden should not be characterized to the staff as a "lack of state funding."
Our community and our educators deserve to know if these educational funds—intended for our students and the staff who support them—are being diverted to cover legal expenses or settlements. Transparency regarding how this $1.3 million increase will be allocated is essential, especially when staff are being asked to accept changes to their health insurance and benefits.
The district must ensure that our "Total Program Funding" remains focused on its primary purpose: the education and well-being of our students.

Food for thought — the Elizabeth community needs to start paying attention and eating their vegetables whether they like them or not. Here are the facts:
The Legal "Bucket": In Colorado, districts often pay for lawsuits out of their General Fund or via an insurance pool (like Colorado School Districts Self Insurance Pool - CSDSIP). If ESD’s insurance premiums are skyrocketing because of the multiple lawsuits the district has chosen to engage in, they might be using that to claim they have "less money," even though their revenue is actually up.

The Paper Trail: Since ESD is a district of about 2,300 students, our Board of Education meetings are the place where these budget "transfers" must be approved. If they intend to move money into a legal reserve, it has to be voted on publicly. Have we seen any public votes on this? NOPE!

The "Dishonesty" Factor: The district has money, but it’s choosing to spend that money on legal issues rather than on staff and students.

The Elizabeth School Board and Superintendent Snowberger aren’t delivering on the promises they made to this community. We need to start holding them accountable.
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SOURCE DATA: (Scroll to the bottom to see all districts - ELBERT ELIZABETH )
https://leg.colorado.gov/bill_files/115450/download

"The Montezuma-Cortez Re-1 school district is cutting ties with a highly controversial attorney who has worked for the district for the past four years.
On Tuesday, the school board voted unanimously to accept the Front Range-based firm of Lyons Gaddis as its legal counsel beginning the next day.
The board voted in February to put out a request for proposals for new counsel.
It had been largely relying on Brad Miller of the Colorado Springs-based Miller Farmer Carlson Law firm.
Miller is a major figure in conservative circles who is known for pushing right-wing education policies.
Critics say he embroils districts in costly lawsuits and pushes culture-war efforts."

Re-1 school board chooses new law firm, cutting ties with Brad Miller The Montezuma-Cortez Re-1 school district is cutting ties with a highly controversial attorney who has worked for the district for the past four years.

Attorney Brad Miller isn’t just “helping” Elizabeth School District. He has been steering it straight into chaos.
Why have people been warning the Elizabeth community about Brad Miller for almost 4 years now? Why did people sound the alarm when ESD joined Miller’s ERBOCES just weeks ago?
Because this is exactly what happens when a school district hands the keys to Brad Miller.
Let’s remember how we got here. Former board leaders Heather Booth and Rhonda Olsen pushed to bring Miller into ESD after normal board members like Cary Karcher, Kim Frumveller, and Craig Blackham were pushed out. Old board emails show Booth and Olsen repeatedly asked Karcher to replace Caplan & Earnest with Brad Miller. Karcher refused. He saw no reason to fire the district’s existing counsel and no benefit to hiring Miller. But once the board flipped, Booth and Olsen got their way. Miller was brought in with no meaningful public process, no transparent notice, and no real accountability.
And what has Elizabeth gotten in return?
More lawsuits. Open meetings lawsuits after the public was told, by Miller, the board was following the law. An ACLU lawsuit tied to book banning. Other legal fights, including employment-related claims and racial discrimination.
Massive turnover. Since Miller began influencing district decisions, ESD has churned through leadership at nearly every school in the district. We're on our 3rd principal at SHE, RCE and EMS. Does that seem normal to you?
Fiscal crisis. ESD ended up declaring fiscal exigency, which is the kind of move no healthy district wants anywhere near its name (think bankruptcy for schools).
Conflicts that stink to high heaven. Superintendent Dan Snowberger works for ESD while also working with Miller’s Colorado Leaders for Academic Success (CLAS). So the obvious question is: how exactly is Snowberger supposed to hold Miller accountable as a district contractor when Miller is also his boss at CLAS?
And then there was TAGG Education, another Miller-connected venture, which ESD pursued in an effort that would have allowed unlicensed substitute teachers. The Colorado Department of Education shut that down, thankfully.
Now here we go again.
ESD joined Brad Miller’s ERBOCES, and suddenly TWO contract schools are being dropped into the district without any community discussion and without the board leveling with the public about what this means. These schools will compete with ESD’s neighborhood schools and existing charter schools. And every student who leaves ESD for one of these ERBOCES contract schools takes thousands of dollars in per-pupil funding with them.
Do that math. At roughly $12,000 per student, 100 students leaving ESD means about $1.2 million gone every year. Gone from Elizabeth. Gone from the schools our community already pays for. And who benefits? ERBOCES. ESD doesn't see a cent.
That is not “choice.” That is extraction.
Elizabeth was sold the usual slogans: transparency, students first, heart-of-everything-we-do nonsense. But what we are seeing looks a lot more like a political project than a student-centered plan. Nicole Hunt and David Fletcher have both warned families to get their kids out of so-called “government schools.” That language was never accidental. The strategy is obvious: weaken traditional public schools, siphon off students, drain funding, and then act shocked when the neighborhood schools are destabilized. Woodland Park has already shown what that playbook looks like. Elizabeth should not be volunteering to be the sequel. And yet, here we are...
And please spare us the spin that this is “good for kids” or “more opportunity for families.” That line falls apart the second you ask who profits, who loses funding, and why the public keeps finding out after the fact.
People in Elizabeth should also ask a harder question: was this always the plan? (Spoiler alert: IT WAS ALWAYS THE PLAN)
Dan Snowberger was a longtime friend of Brad Miller. Miller was listed as a reference on Snowberger’s application to ESD. And when the superintendent job opened, the finalists were Snowberger and Priscilla Rahn. Assistant Superintendent Bill Dallas, who would have been the strongest candidate, did not apply. People can draw their own conclusions, but it is fair to ask whether serious professionals saw exactly where this board was headed and wanted no part of it.
Elizabeth needs to stop taking this at face value. You are being lied to. You are being gaslit. Stop drinking the Miller/Snowberger Kool-aid and start asking real questions. Start demanding changes, starting with forcing the board to FIRE BRAD MILLER AS ESD'S ATTORNEY. The Pueblo D70 community is finally smartening up and demanding getting rid of Miller -- why are we? https://www.chalkbeat.org/.../pueblo-70-district-may.../
Our students are not pawns.
Our teachers and staff are not collateral damage.
Our schools are not a business opportunity for Brad Miller and his enterprise.
This community deserves a school board and a superintendent who protect Elizabeth schools, not one that helps outside operators siphon money, power, and trust out of them.
Speak up. Ask questions. Demand transparency. Because if this keeps going, ESD won’t be “reimagined.” It’ll be gutted.
Do your research on Miller and his questionable enterprise. No other educational attorneys in Colorado operate like this. Why? No other BOCES in Colorado operate like this? Why? Stop blindly believing what Supt Snowberger and this school board tell you. Think for yourself. We are better than this. We are smarter than this. Show it.
https://coloradotimesrecorder.com/.../davis-the.../74863/

FYI: Apparently ESD has a new book fair company and it's yet another religious one. See below for details. Not sure when this happened because it was never discussed in a school board meeting or shared with parents before it happened.

I55 Bookfairs I55 Book Fairs is a business that works with schools in the continental US to provide quality, age-appropriate literature to the next generation of readers ❤️☀️📚

ESD joined Education ReEnvisioned (erBOCES) in December. What, exactly, is ESD getting out of this relationship? Are they providing the SPED support ESD can't get on their own? Are they providing more CTE classes to ESD? Has ESD expanded their arts or language programs based on what erBOCES can provide for them? Nope. Nada.

ESD became a member of erBOCES because Supt Snowberger is in bed with erBOCES founder and ESD attorney, Brad Miller. Period. ErBOCES knows that its existing member schools are considering severing their relationship with erBOCES and since erBOCES cannot operate without two schools as members, Supt Snowberger ran to erBOCES and Brad Miller's aid. Pathetic.

This relationship does nothing for ESD students. It provides no additional services to ESD families. So, who's getting the rewards for this erBOCES membership? Tell us, Supt Snowberger.

erBOCES is a scam and, once again, attorney Brad Miller has dragged ESD into it. When will Elizabeth wake up and demand the firing of attorney Brad Miller?

Chalkbeat Colorado has done an extensive series on the shady tactics of Brad Miller's erBOCES -- ESD doesn't need to be involved in yet another shady Brad Miller enterprise!

https://www.chalkbeat.org/colorado/2026/02/28/boces-opened-christian-public-school-riverstone-academ/

A Colorado BOCES started a public Christian school. Why that’s concerning to some
https://www.chalkbeat.org/colorado/2026/02/28/boces-opened-christian-public-school-riverstone-academ/
Where’s Riverstone? New site of ‘public Christian school’ raises safety questions
https://www.chalkbeat.org/colorado/2026/02/20/mystery-location-public-christian-school-riverstone-academy/
Colorado’s ‘first public Christian school’ sues state
https://www.chalkbeat.org/colorado/2026/02/18/christian-public-school-riverstone-academy-sues-state/
Colorado’s ‘first public Christian school’ closes building to address officials’ safety concerns
https://www.chalkbeat.org/colorado/2026/02/02/riverstone-academy-first-public-christian-school-closes-building/
Health, safety violations cited at state’s ‘first public Christian school,’ records show
https://www.chalkbeat.org/colorado/2025/11/26/riverstone-academy-public-christian-school-has-safety-violations-records-show/
Search for legal test case led to Christian public school, emails suggest
https://www.chalkbeat.org/colorado/2025/11/12/alliance-defending-freedom-sought-religious-public-school-emails-suggest/
Is this Christian school in Colorado public or private? The answer is murky
https://www.chalkbeat.org/colorado/2025/10/29/is-christian-riverstone-academy-public-or-private/
Will this ‘public Christian school’ prompt a legal fight in Colorado?
https://www.chalkbeat.org/colorado/2025/10/22/riverstone-academy-billed-as-first-christian-public-school-in-state/

https://www.chalkbeat.org/colorado/2026/02/28/boces-opened-christian-public-school-riverstone-academ/

This group quietly started a Christian public school in Colorado. Could it happen again? Some Colorado lawmakers and education officials say more guardrails are needed after a public education co-op opened Colorado’s “first public Christian school” last summer.

Attorney Brad Miller (ESD's current attorney) asked the D70 Pueblo School Board President, Ann Ochs, to approve a Memo of Understanding (MOU) to allow a contract school to open in her district so that the contract school could provoke a lawsuit.

*******The attorney for the school district wanted to provoke a lawsuit.******

Is this the type of legal representation Elizabeth wants? Is this what happened in Elizabeth with the book banning lawsuit? Is this why the school board and Superintendent Snowberger banned those books with such flare and public display rather than just culling them out of ESD libraries for non-use like they do with books and curriculum all the time?

In D70 Pueblo, their school board president was given a $125,000/year position on the erBOCES school board...was Rhonda Olsen or Dan Snowberger given anything for their willingness to take on the book banning lawsuit in Elizabeth? Dan Snowberger does work for Brad Miller's side business, CLAS...was that a pay-off for instigating the book banning lawsuit?

Something is fishy here. Brad Miller needs to be fired. He does not operate in the best interest of the Elizabeth School District.

Attached: email between Brad Miller and D70 Pueblo board president, Ann Ochs asking her to approve the contract school so they can invoke a lawsuit. Ann Ochs has since resigned from the D70 school board -- seems she knew she was unethical and probably breaking the law so she baled.

Multiple news articles about the issue:

https://www.chalkbeat.org/colorado/2026/01/27/pueblo-70-district-may-drop-lawyer-brad-miller/

https://annelandmanblog.com/2026/03/criminal-complaint-filed-against-attorney-brad-miller-of-miller-farmer-law/

https://www.chalkbeat.org/colorado/2026/02/28/boces-opened-christian-public-school-riverstone-academ/

https://www.chalkbeat.org/colorado/2025/11/12/alliance-defending-freedom-sought-religious-public-school-emails-suggest/