Earlier this month, KVNF’s regional newscast covered the controversy surrounding the Montrose School Board’s decision to hire Miller Farmer Carlson Law. The decision has sparked debate across Colorado’s Western Slope because of the firm’s founder, attorney Brad Miller.
Critics argue Miller brings a conservative political agenda into public education. Supporters say he offers experienced legal counsel to conservative-majority school boards operating in a politically blue state.
The conversation expanded beyond Montrose after the Delta County School Board issued a request for proposals for legal services several weeks later, prompting speculation that Miller’s firm might seek a role there as well. Ultimately, Miller Farmer Carlson did not submit an application, and Delta’s decision on additional legal counsel remains on hold until a vacant board seat is filled.
The role of school board attorneys
To better understand the role of legal counsel in school districts, KVNF spoke with education policy expert Dr. Anna Perkins, who recently completed a PhD in education and previously served on a school board in Montana.
Perkins said school board attorneys typically handle routine legal and contractual matters.
“Lawyers would take a look at policies to make sure that things are updated and not illegal,” Perkins said. “They manage contracts, construction agreements, union negotiations, superintendent contracts, and sometimes special education issues. It’s all pretty routine.”
She cautioned against assuming that hiring Miller’s firm necessarily signals a broader political agenda.
“I don’t know if my first reaction would be, ‘Oh dear, they hired an activist firm,’” Perkins said. “It could just be that the price was right, or that they have specific expertise the district needs. But given his history, I understand why people might be concerned.”
Miller’s conservative education advocacy
Brad Miller initially expressed interest in speaking with KVNF but later stopped responding to interview requests.
To better understand his views, KVNF reviewed recordings obtained by Colorado Times Recorder reporter Logan Davis from the 2023 Teacher Freedom Summit in Denver, a gathering of conservative educators and activists.
At the summit, Miller described himself as an “anti-union, pro-family, pro-parent attorney” who works primarily with school districts and charter schools.
“I’ve become known to be the sort of anti-union, pro-family, pro-parent attorney for school districts and charter schools here in Colorado,” Miller said.
Miller also spoke openly about helping conservative school boards implement policy changes.
“In 2013 here in Colorado, two school boards that had been traditionally union-heavy and anti-parent hired me as board counsel,” he said. He went on to describe policy efforts that included changes to union agreements, charter school expansion, merit pay initiatives, and opposition to AP U.S. History curriculum materials.
“We attacked the AP U.S. History curriculum, Fox Newsy type of thing, because it wasn’t very aligned with the way we do the work,” Miller said.
Miller was hired by the Jefferson County and Thompson school boards in 2013.
In Jefferson County, conservative board members who hired Miller were later recalled. The recall campaign accused the board of transparency violations related to Miller’s hiring process. Additionally, during his tenure there, legal fees reportedly doubled compared to previous years.
Miller has also represented the Woodland Park School District since 2022. Critics have pointed to several controversial decisions made during that period, including the adoption of the American Birthright social studies standards, a conservative alternative curriculum criticized by many educators.
Erika Meltzer of Chalkbeat Colorado previously described American Birthright as “a conservative approach to teaching American history” that had been rejected by the Democratic-controlled Colorado State Board of Education.
At the Teacher Freedom Summit, Miller praised Woodland Park’s policy direction.
“We adopted American Curriculum Standards, got rid of the union agreement, changed controversial materials policies so parents have to opt in,” Miller said. “Local boards have tremendous power in education.”
Miller Farmer Carlson also represents the Elizabeth School District, which was sued by the ACLU of Colorado over a book ban policy. The district ultimately lost the lawsuit and did not continue the appeals process.
The firm is additionally connected to controversies surrounding Riverstone Academy, a Christian school in Pueblo linked to a broader effort involving the Alliance Defending Freedom, or ADF. The ADF has been designated as a hate group by The Southern Poverty Law Center designates because of its anti-LGBTQ litigation efforts.
In an email obtained by Chalkbeat Colorado, Miller discussed efforts to create a Colorado case related to publicly funded religious charter schools after a Supreme Court deadlock involving a Catholic charter school in Oklahoma. He specifically stated that ADF asked him to find a parallel case in Colorado.
Miller Farmer Carlson is also facing scrutiny connected to a criminal complaint filed in Pueblo. The complaint alleges a school board official fast-tracked Riverstone Academy’s approval in exchange for a job opportunity with one of Miller’s education organizations. Attorney Bryce Carlson denied knowledge of any wrongdoing during a March phone call with the Montrose School Board.
“I think any accusation that there’s been some sort of quid pro quo involving our law firm would be groundless,” Carlson said.
Montrose hires Miller in March 2026
The Montrose School Board formally discussed hiring Miller Farmer Carlson during its March 10 meeting.
Montrose resident and criminal defense attorney Nick Kreider urged the board not to hire the firm.
“This is the response of an attorney who represents the national conservative political movement,” Kreider said during public comment. “An attorney whose allegiances lie with that movement cannot be trusted to fairly represent the interests of this district.”
Board member Scott Scarborough downplayed those concerns.
“This shouldn’t be this big a deal,” Scarborough said. “Look at who’s out there, what their price is, try them out and see.”
During the meeting, board members reached attorney Byrce Carlson, a partner at Miller Farmer Carlson, by phone to ask him about the allegations and community concerns. He told them, “I don’t have a policy objective for your board,” Carlson told members by phone. “I’d be here to serve your board, your interests, your district.”
No members of the Montrose School Board agreed to be interviewed for this story. Board member Jody Hovde, who voted against hiring Miller, declined comment while saying she was still navigating the district’s new legal arrangement and was “asked to defer comments to the Board President or District Office person in charge of communication.”
Delta School Board divisions
Although Miller’s firm did not submit a proposal in Delta County, the possibility exposed divisions within that board as well.
Delta School Board President Beth Suppes voiced strong support for Miller, saying, “I am a Miller fan. … I believe that he would be good for our community and our district.”
Suppes argued that some Colorado school boards are specifically seeking attorneys willing to challenge state policies. In her words, attorneys like Miller help them “push against these laws that go against community values.”
Delta board member Dan Burke strongly disagreed, saying, “I’m very concerned about him being anywhere close to our legal counsel. He also described Miller as having “a pretty checkered past.”
Suppes also acknowledged her connection to Colorado Leaders for Academic Success, or CLAS, an organization where she serves as secretary. Incorporation paperwork for the organization was filed by Joshua Miller, Brad Miller’s son and a partner at the law firm.
School boards as political battlegrounds
Supporters and critics of attorney Brad Miller see him very differently, reflecting broader political tensions that are playing out in school boards across Colorado’s Western Slope. Supporters describe him as an experienced attorney who helps conservative-majority boards in a blue state. Critics argue he brings a political agenda into public education.
Dr. Perkins says the debate ultimately comes back to elections and voter choice. She told KVNF, “I think it's worth looking into this and raising a flag so people are aware. But, you know, it's also the nature of democracy that people get what they vote for, or get what they chose not to vote for.”
Nearly 50% of registered voters in Montrose turned out for last year’s election, helping elect a conservative majority to the Montrose school board. School board elections are technically non-partisan, but that doesn’t stop political parties or organizations from endorsing candidates. Current board members Shane Daly, Tiffiany Vincent, Neisha Balleck, and Scott Scarborough were all endorsed by the Montrose GOP, and were featured on campaign signs and ads. As Dr. Perkins said, “people get what they vote for, or get what they chose not to vote for.” In last year’s election, voters in Montrose gave conservative voices a majority on the board, which in turn hired a conservative lawyer who doesn’t have any qualms about challenging a blue state. The next school board election will be in 2027.
As debates over curriculum, charter schools, book policies, and local control continue to intensify across Colorado, school board meetings have increasingly become battlegrounds for larger political and cultural fights. Attorney Brad Miller has become a prominent figure in those debates. He’s praised by supporters who see him as a defender of conservative parental rights, and criticized by opponents who believe he brings an ideological agenda into public education.
These conversations underscore how much influence local school boards can have, not just over budgets and policy, but over the direction and identity of public education in their communities.
And as Dr. Anna Perkins noted, those decisions ultimately come back to voters. School board elections may be technically nonpartisan, but across Colorado’s Western Slope, they are becoming some of the region’s most politically consequential races.
For now, Miller Farmer Carlson Law will represent the Montrose School District, while Delta County’s board will choose a different firm later this year.
