After less than four months on the job, Barkley Flynn was terminated as Hot Springs School District’s interim clerk and business manager by the school board on Nov. 3.  

The 3-2 decision during a special meeting of the board came after he allegedly failed to pay multiple utility bills and nearly missed deadlines for crucial school funding. 

Flynn was hired in August to replace former Clerk and Business Manager Carmen Jackson, who was the target of a recent school audit. The report alleged that Jackson embezzled thousands of dollars in grant money, gave herself unapproved payroll advances and made personal purchases with the school district’s credit cards.   

The investigation has since been turned over to the Sanders County Attorney’s Office.   

Gwyn Anderson with ANB Consulting was unanimously voted to replace Flynn as the new interim clerk and business manager on Nov. 3. Before her appointment, Anderson was contracted by the school to train Flynn as clerk and business manager and assist him with services.   

But over the course of training, she grew increasingly concerned about his performance. 

Anderson told board members Flynn was unresponsive to dozens of emails, phone calls and texts she sent, asking him about upcoming deadlines for bills and payroll liabilities.   

The issue turned serious when a Mission Valley Power representative came to shut off the school’s electricity in late October, she said. The unpaid electric bill was five days past due. 

“When your invoices are late, some vendors send a daily email,” Anderson said. “The email was full of vendors telling us that we were late in expecting payment.”  

Flynn also allegedly failed to withhold teachers union dues from employee paychecks, Anderson said. The Montana Federation of Public Employees, to whom the dues were owed, sent a letter to the school district, “chastising [the school] for violating [its] contract.”  

Payment for health insurance was also late, Anderson said. The school district was notified that employee health insurance, along with life and vision insurance, would be suspended until payment was made.   

“The crux of the problem is that your invoices, your bills, are not being paid. The tasks of the clerk are not being completed,” Anderson said. “Deadlines also seem to be an issue.”   

Anderson and another employee took care of payroll in September, so Flynn could focus on putting together a line-item budget for the school. The budget was part of a presentation for a $175,000 loan.  

“We wanted him to work on this line-item budget, because how can you administer a budget that you don't know what's in it?” Anderson said. “You have to at least know the skeleton of it if you're going to manage it.”   

Flynn told them the budget would be ready Oct. 1, Anderson said, but the day came and passed with no update. She told the board she spent 30 hours putting it together herself, so it would be ready for the presentation.  

Flynn also nearly missed deadlines for Title I funding and state reimbursement for transportation and food services, Anderson said. 

“At the very last minute, we're scrambling to get these done,” she said. “We don’t want Hot Springs to be on every naughty list in the state.”   

FLYNN DEFENDED his actions as part of the learning process, since he walked into the position with no relative experience. The status of bills when he inherited the position was “egregious,” Flynn told board members. 

During the meeting, he asked Anderson if she ever presented a list of monthly utility bills to him, so he would know what to pay for. She responded that his desk and email were full of invoices.  

“When you get an invoice, you typically would just pay it or get it ready for pay,” Anderson said. “I don't think you need a list.” 

Flynn also pointed to the intensity of the audit investigation and the impact it had on his training. Six board meetings were held in the first 60 days of his job, and three to four public records requests sat waiting in his office. 

“They've been high intensity, heavy hitting meetings,” Flynn said. “We’ve all met on weekends. We've all poured a bunch of time into it, and I did too.” 

A special school board meeting was held Oct. 15 to discuss the next steps for the audit investigation and answer public questions about the report. In preparation for the meeting, Flynn forgot it was also the same day the electric bill was due.  

“The swirl of the 15th meeting really interfered with my ability to remember to get things done,” Flynn said. “I did not print those checks, and I should’ve. I take accountability for my actions.”   

To highlight his efforts, Flynn brought up a staff award Superintendent Gerald Chouinard presented to him earlier in October, commemorating his efforts as the interim clerk and business manager. Chouinard confirmed giving Flynn the award at the meeting, noting he was an intelligent man with serious intentions.  

However, Chouinard indicated that the severity of the issue was hard not to overlook.  

“I never found your effort lacking. No, I never did,” Chouinard said. "What I can't reconcile is the effort versus the raw data that's in front of us right now.” 

Members of the audience came to Flynn’s defense during public comment. They asked trustees to give him a second chance, citing the unusual circumstances and lack of experience.  

While a couple of trustees were sympathetic, others remained concerned with the severity of Flynn's mistakes. 

“If we don’t take this file seriously, it’s going to come back on us,” said Vice Chair Jennifer Christensen. “We’re damned if we do, and we’re damned if we don’t.”  

Christensen, Lynette Ek and Mandie DePoe voted to terminate Flynn’s contract on Nov. 3. Chairman Ricky DePoe and Chuck Stephens voted against the termination.  

Reporter Hannah Shields can be reached at 758-4439 or [email protected].