The Montrose County School Board held a special meeting this week to discuss a threatened lawsuit from former district administrator Brian Purnell.
Purnell is a former Olathe Elementary and Peak Elementary assistant principal, and the self-proclaimed whistleblower whose report led to the investigations of then-Olathe Elementary Principal Jennifer Hesse and then-Superintendent Dr. Carrie Stephenson. Purnell says he plans to sue the district for failing to protect him from retaliation, unless they provide him with a settlement of nearly $570,000. That sum includes three years’ salary each for himself and his wife, who was also a district employee, as well as $30,000 in legal and moving expenses.
Purnell’s claims started back in May of 2025, when he submitted a whistleblower report to Human Resources Director Michelle Pottorff and Superintendent Dr. Stephenson. The report largely focused on the conduct of former Olathe Elementary Principal Jennifer Hesse.
Purnell says that just days after he submitted the report, Dr. Stephenson reassigned him from Olathe Elementary to Peak Academy. Within nine months, Purnell says, Dr. Stephenson terminated not only his employment, but also his wife’s. Purnell believes his wife received adverse treatment because she asked for a copy of a slideshow outlining concerns about controversial attorney Brad Miller at a staff meeting.
In March of this year, Purnell submitted a retaliation report to the school board, which then commissioned an independent investigation. Dr. Stephenson said she supported the measure. No written report was submitted to the board, so findings from the investigation are not accessible to the public. Hesse resigned shortly after the investigation was announced, and the board asked Dr. Stephenson to resign immediately after the investigation concluded.
Purnell outlines significant financial and professional losses stemming from the district’s alleged failure to protect him. He says he has experienced substantial difficulty obtaining comparable employment, and that potential employers are concerned about “the absence of a meaningful recommendation from Montrose.”
But his employment woes might not be coming solely from the lack of recommendations from within the Montrose School District.
Purnell previously served as the principal of Prospect Charter School in Oregon. During his tenure, a local paper there spoke to current and former students and staff about their concerns regarding Purnell. The Mail Tribune reported that the individuals they spoke with “claim Purnell’s leadership has been marked by unresolved harassment complaints, favoritism, and targeting.” The concerns were also documented in correspondence to the school district. In May 2018, “the Prospect teachers union outlined 24 concerns about Purnell to the Prospect school district’s superintendent, saying some staff members described the environment at Prospect as ‘toxic.’” The Mail Tribune’s report includes multiple, detailed allegations against Purnell. The district’s school board did not substantiate the allegations and decided to renew his contract through 2022.
Purnell left at the end of that contract. It’s not clear whether his departure was voluntary, or if the board decided not to re-renew his contract.
Purnell then moved to Montana and started as the K-12 principal at Ekalaka Public Schools. He was there a little over a year, submitting his resignation to the board and departing on November 2, 2023. He gave no public explanation. Within the same month, the district’s superintendent, Charles Cook, also resigned. The Ekalaka Eagle reported that after announcing his own resignation, Cook said “untrue rumors” had been spreading about Purnell’s recent resignation.
This reporting from Oregon and Montana about his leadership suggests his claims about the difficulty he’s had in finding comparable work may not be tied solely to his experiences in the Montrose County School District.
At the same time, the Oregon allegations aren't proof that his Montrose claims are false.
The public has been paying close attention to the school board, and the request for Stephenson’s resignation following the investigation into Purnell’s complaints unleashed an uproar.
Some residents have questioned whether the board's decision was connected to comments made by the founder of the school board’s new law firm, Brad Miller. Miller stated at a 2023 education conference that he encourages conservative school boards he represents to have a superintendent who is aligned with their values.
There has been speculation that the two events are connected. No public evidence has established such a connection.
The school board discussed Purnell’s letter in executive session in its meeting this week, so it’s unclear whether they plan to settle with him.
KVNF was not able to immediately reach Purnell for comment.
