After weeks of intense public pressure, including loud demands from union supporters, the Pueblo County School District 70 board approved a generous extension of its collective bargaining agreement with the Pueblo County Education Association (PCEA).
The deal continues the practice of using taxpayer funds to subsidize union operations.
This is the same union that endorsed board candidates Michelle Erickson and Mark Emery and poured nearly $45,000 into their campaigns collectively. Once those two seats were secured, union leadership turned its fire on the remaining board members — until its demands were met.
With the contract now in hand, the PCEA has solidified its position as the exclusive voice for all teachers in the district. The agreement ensures the district will continue to cover benefits and PERA contributions for the union president, even though that individual is no longer a Pueblo 70 teacher but rather a staff member of the Colorado Education Association.
These costs are paid with public dollars that could otherwise support classrooms.
Despite the division this process has sown in the community, the union and its allies are not stopping at the contract. Their next target is the district’s legal counsel, Brad Miller.
The attacks on Miller have been relentless and often inconsistent. Critics decry his representation of multiple school districts as somehow improper, yet firms like Caplan and Earnest — along with other Colorado education attorneys — routinely serve numerous districts without objection.
They complain that no request for proposals (RFP) has been issued for legal services since Miller was hired in 2022, yet the same voices raised no concerns when a 10-year transportation contract was presented for approval. And while the increase in legal fees was a point of contention, when transportation cost increases were discussed in the very same meeting, the reaction was laughter.
Board member Erickson ultimately justified the push to replace counsel with a simple declaration: “It’s what boards do.”
At a moment when community emotions are running high, these double standards are difficult to ignore.
The deeper issue extends beyond one district. Teachers’ unions remain one of the fiercest opponents of school choice in Colorado and nationwide.
In 2024, the National Education Association spent more than $4 million — dollars taken from teachers across the country — to defeat Amendment 80, the constitutional school choice measure on the Colorado ballot.
That money was not spent supporting educators or students in the classroom; it was spent blocking parents’ ability to direct their children’s education.
Which brings us to the current flashpoint — Miller’s other clients. From aggressive school choice decisions to controversial hires and meeting transparency, Miller has clients that have made strong moves that some of the public disagree with.
Legal counsel is exactly that — counsel. The elected board of Pueblo 70 remains the ultimate decision-maker.
The current campaign to oust Brad Miller appears less about prudent governance than about punishing an attorney who has advised districts when they choose to pursue policies some activists oppose.
In education, as in any public institution, consistency, transparency and a focus on students — not political score-settling — should guide every decision.
