Hot Springs Superintendent Gerald Chouinard is resigning from his position, effective June 30, after overseeing the Hot Springs School District for nearly six years.  

The district’s trustees approved his resignation during their board meeting Wednesday in the high school art room. 

“Serving the students, staff and families of Hot Springs has been one of the greatest professional honors of my career,” Chouinard wrote in his resignation letter. “I am grateful for the trust the [school board] placed in me and for the opportunity to work alongside a community deeply committed to the success and well-being of its students.” 

Chouinard told the Inter Lake Thursday he felt it was time to depart. He plans to continue working in educational administration and is weighing his options, including a potential move to Washington to live closer to family.  

The superintendent said his career with the Hot Springs School District has been a positive experience, despite road bumps along the way.  

“I will look back on this experience with nothing but thanks for it,” he told the Inter Lake. 

Chouinard started his tenure in July 2020, when schools across the country moved to remote learning amid myriad Covid-19 regulations. Hot Springs School District maintained a limited hybrid learning platform, as Chouinard described it, allowing students to return to class with their masks on.  

“I think we were all very relieved when we saw we were coming out of the pandemic,” he said.   

Five years later, he launched an investigation into one of his employees, former Clerk and Business Manager Carmen Jackson, over suspicions of misconduct. It proved to be an unprecedented time for the school district, Chouinard said.  

A report released in September alleged Jackson embezzled funds from the school, used district credit cards for personal purchases and granted herself unauthorized payroll advances. Bradley Pride was hired as the new clerk and business manager on Feb. 11. 

The investigation into Jackson was turned over to Sanders County Attorney Jania Hatfield last fall, and Chouinard said last month he’s been unsuccessful in reaching her directly for an update. But he told trustees in February that the school district’s insurance agent was in contact with the county attorney on Jan. 29.   

“I’m getting this information indirectly, but I believe it’s accurate information,” Chouinard said during a Feb. 11 school board meeting. “The attorney said there will be more happening within the next 60 days.” 

DURING WEDNESDAY’S meeting, trustees debated how to conduct the search for Chouinard’s replacement, with a choice of contracting help from one of two vendors.  

The Montana School Board Association offered to provide a consultant for $7,000, plus expenses. Additional consultations cost $750 for a half-day, or $1,500 for a full day. The association also charges $500 per reference check if needed for more than four final candidates.  

Kaleva Law, the school’s legal representation, also offered to provide consultation services for $275 an hour, with a maximum cost of $6,000.  

Vice Chair Jennifer Christensen said a school district in St. Regis recently contracted the Montana School Board Association in its search for a superintendent. Consultation services included a community survey and a glossy four-paged flyer that advertised all the benefits of working in St. Regis.  

“I’m not sure Kaleva Law spends their time and money on a brochure, but the process is the same,” Christensen said.  

One parent asked if the trustees foresaw getting “that much better of a candidate” with a fancy brochure. Hot Springs Athletic Director Brady Ovitt offered to make a flyer for free.  

“We’re sitting in the art room, can’t they do it?” another parent asked.  

Christensen highlighted her concern that the school is “in a crunch spot” to find a replacement as soon as possible. Trustees voted 4-1 to contract with Kaleva Law, given its lower cost for services. 

Daily Inter Lake Report or America Rural Government Reporter Hannah Shields can be reached at 406-758-4439 or [email protected].

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