The St Joseph School District will turn a profit on a controversial painting purchased for the office of a fired administrator.

The bidding has already topped the purchase price in an auction on the Web site eBay.  The painting by Thomas Kinkade is called “City by the Bay: Sunset on Fisherman’s Wharf.”

It was purchased for $1,500 during an office upgrade for district’s fired Chief Operating Officer Rich Hartigan.

Last week, the district announced it was putting the painting up for auction on eBay (read our coverage here).

The bidding started Wednesday. By Thursday morning, the auction site had recorded 18 bids, and the current bid was $1,825.  (Get the latest auction info here)

The description on eBay is telling:  “Originally purchased for executive office decoration, the painting was identified in the 2015 Missouri State Audit Report as an item that “appears unreasonable and/or does not appear to benefit the school district.”  Proceeds from the sale of this painting will go to the St. Joseph School District. – Certificate of Limitation & Authenticity along with descriptive owner’s manual included.”