Orton Academy is a D11-authorized charter school under D11 Charter School Contract C2024-0069, effective July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2029. It remains D11-relevant for three linked reasons: the earlier ERBOCES / Colorado Literacy and Learning Center litigation over operating Orton inside D11 boundaries without D11 consent; the later D11 application, conditional approval, waiver, accountability, and final-contract records now preserved in the board-material layer; and a May 13, 2026 D11 packet that proposes Contract Modification 1 and Orton co-occupancy at Trailblazer Elementary under the district's portfolio / Capacity Committee facility model.
The 2024-05-20 Colorado Supreme Court opinion says CLLC agreed to operate Orton Academy through June 30, 2025; ERBOCES and CLLC opened and operated the Academy inside D11 boundaries; and neither ERBOCES nor CLLC obtained D11 permission. The Court held that Colorado law does not allow a BOCES to locate a school inside the geographic boundaries of a nonmember district without that district's consent.
The related oral-argument docket lists Bryce D. Carlson of Miller Farmer Carlson Law LLC for petitioners ERBOCES and CLLC. This supports a firm-level litigation / legal-counsel relationship involving Orton, ERBOCES, CLLC, and D11. It does not show Brad Miller personally appearing as counsel in that case.
D11's Nov. 29, 2023 Resolution 2024-16 says the district received Orton's charter application on Aug. 31, 2023 and conditionally approved Orton subject to final contract terms. The resolution required successful performance-based contract negotiations addressing assessment requirements, requested waivers, ESSA requirements, accreditation, and other conditions.
D11's Apr. 17, 2024 Resolution 2024-29 approved Charter School Contract C2024-0069. The contract states a five-year term from July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2029. The contract package includes annual performance review material, waiver procedures and requested waivers, D11 Charter School Framework attachments, governance provisions, transportation terms, and food-service provisions.
These records support a direct D11 -> Orton charter oversight relationship. The mechanism is district authorization through application review, board approval, contract terms, waiver procedures, and annual performance review. Possible flows include public funding, students, statutory authority, accountability oversight, waiver authority, and service responsibilities. Claim limit: the contract records do not prove hidden coordination, corruption, or Brad Miller personal involvement.
The April 22, 2026 D11 charter-page capture lists Orton Academy among D11 charter schools and identifies Orton Academy on the Trailblazer campus as a Fall 2026 opening. This current web listing should be reconciled against the July 2024-June 2029 contract before making an implementation claim; it may reflect campus timing, a move, a district page convention, or another implementation issue not resolved in this pass.
The May 13, 2026 D11 special-meeting packet moves the Trailblazer-campus listing from a website reconciliation issue into a concrete proposed board-action package. The packet includes Contract Modification 1 to Contract C2024-0069, stating that Orton Academy would occupy 14,065 square feet of classroom space at Trailblazer Elementary School, 2015 Wickes Rd., from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2029. The modification says it is incorporated into the charter contract as Attachment 18, a Facility Use Agreement.
Resolution 2026-47 cites the November 2025 Capacity Committee Report, identifies Trailblazer as having 337 available seats, and says the Capacity Committee recommended continued and expanded co-habitation opportunities for schools with 250 or more available seats. The resolution frames Orton co-occupancy as consistent with D11's portfolio model while Trailblazer remains a comprehensive elementary school.
Claim limit: as of May 10, 2026, the May 13 meeting had not occurred. The packet supports a proposed action and source target, not a completed vote, executed agreement, actual move-in, enrollment effect, public-school displacement effect, or current Brad Miller / Miller Farmer role.
The May 13, 2026 public-video package adds a generated ASR transcript and machine diarization for the special meeting. The generated transcript records public comment, board discussion, and an apparent 5-2 approval of Resolution 2026-47, with Baca Bartlett and Johnson rendered as no votes. Treat this as ASR-derived source-targeting evidence until official minutes or source-video review confirm the exact vote and wording. It still does not prove executed Attachment 18, move-in, enrollment effect, public-school displacement effect, or current Brad Miller / Miller Farmer involvement.
| source node | target node | tie type | time range | evidence strength | claim limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ERBOCES / CLLC | Orton Academy | charter administrative / contract-school operation | 2020-2025 per court opinion | direct | Does not alone establish current D11 charter terms |
| ERBOCES / CLLC / Orton Academy | D11 | litigation / nonmember-district consent dispute | 2020-2024 | direct | Court holding resolves authority question, not motive |
| Miller Farmer Carlson Law LLC | ERBOCES / CLLC | litigation / legal counsel relationship | 2024 docket and opinion | direct for firm | Does not show Brad Miller personally as counsel |
| Orton Academy | D11 | charter application / transfer request | 2023 | direct | Application details still need structured extraction |
| D11 | Orton Academy | charter oversight role / authorizer contract | 2023-2029 | direct | Does not prove hidden coordination or Brad Miller personal involvement |
| D11 | Orton Academy | current charter-page listing | current capture 2026-04-22; Fall 2026 Trailblazer-campus opening listed | direct for listing | Needs reconciliation with the 2024-2029 contract and implementation records |
| D11 | Orton Academy | proposed co-occupancy / facility-use modification | May 13, 2026 packet; proposed July 1, 2026-June 30, 2029 term; generated May 13 ASR records apparent approval | direct for proposed packet text; generated ASR for apparent meeting outcome | Official minutes / source-video verification, executed Attachment 18, floor plans, costs, tenant terms, and Orton-side records remain unresolved |
5-2 approval of Resolution 2026-47 on May 13, 2026?