Questions linger as CFO leaves Greater Clark

Clark County

Discussion

May 20, 2009

By TARA HETTINGER The News and Tribune Wed May 20, 2009, 02:07 PM EDT

The Greater Clark County Schools board took final action last week in firing Chief Financial Officer Michael Hodgson.

But he may never know what led to that move or what initiated the paid leave he was put on in February.

Erin Bojorquez, public relations specialist for Greater Clark, said Hodgson was terminated at a school board meeting May 12. She said she could not comment as to the cause because of it being a personnel issue.

Hodgson said he was put on paid leave in early February and told to not come into work.

He continued to receive his income, earning about $32,000 to not work from then until he was let go, according to the amount he earned in 2008, which was $110,550.

He said he asked the corporation to allow him to come back.

“I even expressed that I wanted to come back and would be willing to come back to a different job. Anything other than sitting at home and not knowing what’s going on,” Hodgson said for a previous article, adding that he offered to help with the buses, food service and more. “There was never an explanation. They didn’t do anything.”

The Evening News investigated, requesting access to Hodgson’s e-mails and Internet files in an attempt to find out what happened. Nothing out of the norm was found.

After Hodgson was put on leave, the State Board of Accounts initiated an audit.

“We were requested to come down and do an audit based on a situation that could exist at Greater Clark County Schools,” Paul Joyce, deputy state examiner with the agency, said in a previous interview, adding that the state board comes in any time a CFO is put on leave.

Larry Wilder, attorney for the school board, said he can’t say why Hodgson was put on leave, but said the audit wasn’t requested because of any belief that Hodgson did anything wrong.

“Throughout this matter, the request for the State Board of Accounts to come in and conduct an audit was merely because it seemed to be the best practice when there was potential for change in the CFO office,” Wilder said.

He said the audit was requested to come up with a baseline for where the corporation would go from that point forward.

Wilder said he’s unsure of when the audit will be complete. He said before the results are made public, the state board will notify the school corporation and administer an exit audit. Wilder said neither has been done yet.

Meanwhile, the duties of Hodgson have been covered by others in the corporation’s business office, Bojorquez said. She added that Jim Becker, who served as CFO prior to Hodgson, has been advising the business office when needed.

She said it will be up to the new superintendent, Stephen Daeschner, as to when that position will be filled.

Christina Gilkey, school board member, said the board is considering merging the CFO position with another, such as an assistant superintendent post.

“We’re looking at different options but haven’t decided anything yet,” she said, adding that they need to wait for their new superintendent to take office so that he can give the board his input.