HOT SPRINGS — The Hot Springs School District continues to see turbulence as the business manager/school clerk was terminated in a 3-to-2 vote by the school board on Monday night.
The termination of the school business manager/clerk comes on the heels of a recent discovery of another school district employee allegedly paying themselves over $13,000 with school funds. That employee who allegedly paid themselves has been referred to law enforcement.
Watch previous coverage: Audit finds Hot Springs School District employee paid themself over $13,000 from school funds
For the former business manager/clerk, Barkley Flynn, the termination comes after the school found that they had over two dozen bills past due. This includes bills for the school’s power, union dues and internet services, among several others.
The school’s new interim clerk, Gwyn Anderson, said that Flynn had neglected his duties by not paying the bills and not submitting student counts, putting the school’s future funding at risk. But Flynn argued that he was still new to the position and mistakes were bound to be made.
“These documents are important to your funding. That's the point. If you don't file these on time, you risk losing your funding for the next school year,” said Anderson.
“You want to pay your bills, kind of a higher priority are the ones that are getting closer and work your way through. So those are the things that I was trying to do. I asked you guys to let me read, let me learn the job. That's still a request for me. Let me try to learn the job,” said Flynn.
Anderson will now serve as the school’s business manager/clerk until someone else can be hired into the position. She says the bills have all been paid, although the school is now having to address late fees.
