Two of Colorado Springs School District 11’s newly elected board members — LeAnn Baca Bartlett and Charles Johnson — have responded to the lawsuit filed by D11 Ombudsperson Natasha Bullard Kaonohi against D11 Deputy Superintendent Brandan Comfort and Superintendent Michael Gaal, alleging that Comfort stole confidential files from her office at Gaal’s direction.
“Allegations in the recent court filing by the Colorado Springs School District 11 ombudsperson are alarming,” Baca Bartlett and Johnson said in a joint statement via email. “The District 11 community deserves meaningful transparency and accountability. Instead of leading the District as positive role models, our superintendent and deputy superintendent stand accused of unethical and bullying behavior. Any District employee would have been immediately placed on administrative leave for similar allegations.”
The D11 Board of Education released an earlier statement responding to the lawsuit, noting the completion of a third-party investigation. “We take any concern raised by an employee seriously,” read the statement. “Accordingly, legal counsel for the District retained an independent third party to conduct a thorough investigation of the allegations against Superintendent Gaal and Deputy Superintendent Comfort. The independent investigation is complete, and the findings did not substantiate allegations of wrongdoing by Superintendent Gaal or Deputy Superintendent Comfort.”
According to Baca Bartlett and Johnson, they had no idea of the allegations or investigation util this week. “As school board members, we were not aware of these serious allegations prior to last week, nor were we informed that any investigation was underway, or that a finding had been made,” they said. “Even more concerning, it appears that this hidden investigation was unfolding during the superintendent’s performance evaluation process from May 26 – June 3, 2026. We, as duly elected officials, deserve to know the process for investigation, who selected the third-party investigator, who evaluated conflicts of interest, as well as expenditures. The entire board needs to evaluate the quality and independence of the investigation. We are not speaking for the District nor for our fellow board members. We urge our fellow board members to join us in our commitment to transparency and accountability while actively listening to our students and their parents, as well as our educators, staff, and greater community.”
Baca Bartlett and Johnson won seats during the November 2025 election, following a district-wide strike in response to the conservative board’s decision to end its longstanding contract with the Colorado Springs Education Association. The D11 Board Vice President Jill Haffley is currently running as a Republican for House District 16 against former Representative Steph Vigil.
The lawsuit comes as D11 is asking voters for a $775 million bond measure on the November 2026 ballot. The funds would go toward repairs at D11 facilities and increasing teacher pay.
