A painting by Thomas Kinkade that was paid for by the St Joseph School District wound up on the wall in the office of the district’s Chief Operating Officer. It also wound up in the audit report by the Missouri State Auditor’s Office that gave the district a first-ever rating of “poor.”

Now that former COO Rick Hartigan has been fired, the district is putting the painting up for bids in an auction on Ebay.

In a legal notice published last week in the St Joseph News Press, the school district announced it will be accepting bids on the Thomas Kinkade painting “City by the Bay.”

According to the announcement, the framed painting is signed by the artist and has a certificate of authenticity that will be presented to the bid winner. The district posted a picture of the painting on the SJSD Web site.  (Select “City by the Bay.jpeg here. )

The district’s audit report revealed $3,378 in new furniture for Mr. Hartigan’s office. That included more than $1,500 for the painting.

The price noted on eBay is $1,679.95.    The auction is scheduled between August 12 and August 19 (here).

Depending upon whom you ask, the artist is the subject of admiration or derision. According to Wikipedia, he is notable for the mass marketing of his work as printed reproductions and other licensed products via The Thomas Kinkade Company. It has been estimated that 1 in every 20 American homes owns a copy of one of his paintings.

The school district’s Chief Financial Officer Beau Musser says they could see a tidy profit in the auction. Find out more here.

Video of Thomas Kinkade talking about the painting posted on YouTube