Colorado Springs School of Technology is a D11 innovation-zone school / school plan that matters to the D11 investigation because the captured CSST board page lists Michael Gaal under Board of Directors, and the CDE approval notice describes the D11 innovation zone as using waivers and an alternative governance structure.
2026-48, renaming the CSST Innovation Zone to D11 Innovation Collective. The resolution keeps CSST as a stand-alone school and requires both D11 and State Board approval before another school joins the zone.$124,941, 220 days, effective August 1, 2026. The same slate transfers Nathan Gorsch to Executive Director of Innovation, location Enrollment; it does not appoint him to lead the healthcare campus. CSST's current page still lists Gorsch, creating a dated publication mismatch.20231966975; IRS records identify EIN 93-3560698. Its first recovered Form 990-EZ covers July 2023-June 2024 and reports $50,612 revenue, $44,651 expenses, $42,843 professional fees/independent contractors, and $5,961 end-of-year net assets. A Lane Foundation filing separately reports a $25,000 general-fund grant. The records do not identify all funders or contractors or reconcile nonprofit activity with D11 accounts.The CSST board page creates a direct Gaal / CSST relationship. It should be typed as board service or innovation-zone governance role, not as a charter-school role unless a separate source establishes that CSST is a charter school.
| source node | target node | tie type | time range | mechanism | possible flow type | observable effect | evidence strength | claim limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Gaal | Colorado Springs School of Technology | board service / innovation-zone governance role | current page captured 2026-04-23 | CSST board listing | Governance, legitimacy, public authority | Gaal is listed under Board of Directors |
direct evidence | Not proof of charter role, compensation, improper influence, or intent |
| D11 / CDE | Colorado Springs School of Technology | innovation-zone approval / alternative governance | 2024-04-11 CDE notice | State Board innovation-zone approval, waivers, alternative board | Authority, waivers, gifts/grants/donations, governance autonomy | CDE says State Board approved the D11 innovation zone | direct evidence | Does not by itself prove privatization or harm to district-run schools |
| D11 Board | CSST Innovation Zone / D11 Innovation Collective | zone rename / scalable innovation-zone structure | 2026-05-13 | Resolution 2026-48 | Governance authority, legitimacy, future partner and school-inclusion pathway | Draft minutes record adoption; future schools need D11 and State Board approvals | direct evidence | Final approved minutes, CDE recognition, revised zone plan, and any added-school proposal remain missing |
| CSST nonprofit | CSST support activity | separate nonprofit ledger | 2023-09 onward; first filing through 2024-06 | Colorado corporation and 501(c)(3) | Contributions and contractor spending | First filing reports $50,612 revenue and $44,651 expenses |
direct evidence | Contractors, all funders, later activity, and D11 reconciliation unresolved |
| Legacy cohort / Nathan Gorsch | CSST innovation-zone development | cohort exposure / development lead | reported in 2026-05 generated meeting transcript | travel with or auditing of a Legacy cohort | Ideas, governance design, legitimacy | Meeting transcript reports Gaal linking Gorsch's cohort exposure to development of the existing CSST zone | candidate lead / reported meeting statement | Exact wording, source-audio verification, underlying records, formal affiliation, payment, control, and influence remain unresolved |
2026-48?$42,843 in professional fees/independent-contractor spending, what supplied the remaining contributions beyond the documented Lane Foundation grant, and how did nonprofit activity reconcile with D11 accounts?