In its November meeting, the Delta County School Board, led by Beth Suppes, reversed its previous decision to leave Colorado Leaders for Academic Success (CLAS). The Colorado Springs-based nonprofit produces model education policies and networking opportunities for members.

Suppes said, “We have to be mindful of our rural needs…The school districts who are in CLAS are like Delta County; they are very rural, and they are very small town-oriented…it’s been nice to network with other people who are in the same topographical area as we are, and experiencing those same kinds of needs.”

Suppes, now the president of the School Board, serves as the secretary for CLAS. 

Colorado law requires that “a board member should still announce their relationship with the nonprofit prior to voting on a matter that provides an economic benefit to the nonprofit entity.” The recording of the November 25 meeting indicates that, before the roll-call vote to rejoin, Suppes did not announce her role as secretary for CLAS. 

Suppes was also concerned about the cost difference between CLAS and the Colorado Association of School Boards (CASB). Annually, CLAS charges $1,000 for a board or organization to maintain membership, while CASB costs $13,833 plus an additional policy sample program that the Board pays $750 for. Delta County maintains membership in both organizations, costing the District $15,583 per year. 

Scott Seitmann, President of Delta County Educators’ Association, said, “CLAS is an unproven organization.”

Like CASB, which is an affiliate of the National School Boards Association, CLAS is an affiliate of a larger national group, School Boards for Academic Excellence (SBAE). SBAE promotes abstinence-only sexual education, which Delta County has previously taught. SBAE also keeps a list of “allied legal organizations” that are not “highly risk averse.” Among them is the Republican National Lawyers Association, who SBAE says “understand and directly support Republican policy and agendas.” In contrast, Delta County’s school board members are elected as independents who are not on a party-line ticket.

Dan Snowberger, the Executive Director of CLAS, said, “CLAS is an affiliate organization of SBAE.  That simply means we share a goal of supporting school districts with policies and practices that improve student outcomes.”

CLAS maintains SBAE’s conservative bent. Many of CLAS’s networking opportunities are done through the Leadership Institute, a national organization that trains conservative political candidates. 

Suppes said, “They do a lot of partnering with us for our classes, conferences, and summits. In fact, they had speakers at our last summit.”

The Institute’s stated purpose is “to increase the number and effectiveness of conservative activists and leaders in the public policy process. The Institute identifies, recruits, trains, and places conservatives in government, politics, and the media.”

Guests at the previous summits included Lauren Boebert, former CD-3 representative; Stephen Moore, a former Heritage Foundation economist and economic advisor to the Trump administration; and Brad Miller, a Colorado Springs lawyer whose firm focuses on educational law. 

Much discussion in the public comment section of the November meeting surrounded a letter to the Colorado High School Activities Association opposing their allowance of transgender student athletes under Title IX. The letter alleges that transgender student athletes pose a risk to “safety and fairness”.

Sheldon Kier, the School Board’s Vice President, said that the letter had come from a concerned Delta County citizen. In fact, the letter was written and distributed by Brad Miller, the same Colorado Springs-based education lawyer who attended CLAS’s September networking event.

Of the 80 signatures on the letter, all but three have a professional relationship with Miller, and 58 are current or former clients. 

Included among those signers with a connection to Miller is Suppes. 

A previous networking event held by CLAS, which Suppes and Miller attended, was financed by Miller’s law firm, Miller Farmer Carlson. Miller’s son, Joshua Miller, signed the initial paperwork incorporating CLAS as an organization.

Miller also worked as the attorney for Woodland Park School District, where, in his first year on the job, legal costs for the district increased by 900 percent. 

Miller advised Elizabeth School District that it was legal to add agenda items without notice. The Elbert County District Court ruled against the district under Colorado’s open meetings law. Under Miller, Elizabeth was also sued by the American Civil Liberties Union for viewpoint-based discrimination in book banning.

Said Suppes, “I’m very much a fan of what he stands for.”

The Delta Paw Print was unable to reach Miller Farmer Carlson by phone for a comment.