The St. Joseph School Board of Education voted Thursday to remove Doug Flowers as the Director of Human Resources and to fire Rick Hartigan as the district’s Chief Operating Officer.

According to a news release from the district sent out Friday afternoon the board voted 5-0 to direct acting Superintendent Dr. Jake Long to remove Doug Flowers as Dir. of Human Resources effective immediately and to reassign him to other administrative duties until June 30, 2015.

The Board also voted to non-renew Flower’s existing administrative contract.  According to

the district’s website, Flowers has worked for the St. Joseph School District since 1991 when he started as a PE teacher at Spring Garden Middle School. In 2001 he became the Principal at Edison Elementary School and then became the Director of Human Resources in 2006.

Pursuant to applicable Missouri statutes, Flowers will be offered a teaching contract for the 2015-16 academic year.

The vote was 5–0 as Dennis Snethen had to leave the meeting at approximately 6:40 p.m.

The Board also voted Thursday to terminate Rick Hartigan as Chief Operating Officer effective immediately with a vote of 6-0.

Hartigan was placed on paid administrative leave by the board last month.  Hartigan has been with the district for more than 25-years.

Last week the board voted to terminate St. Joseph School District Superintendent Dr. Fred Czerwonka after he had worked for the district for just a year and a half.

Dan Colgan was absent from both meetings.

As these are personnel matters, the Board of Education said it will have no further comment.