School number cruncher stepping down

After more than two decades in the school finance business, Todd Watkins is ready for a break.

He will retire this summer after 17 years as the business manager for Kalispell Public Schools. He spent six years before that as the business manager for the Whitefish School District and four years prior to that as an auditor for the state Department of Commerce.

But even after close to 30 years of work, Watkins isn't ready to retire altogether. He plans to start work this fall for Denning Downey and Associates.

"My wife would tell you I like to be busy," he said.

Watkins' career with numbers began as a student at Laurel High School. He found his accounting classes logical and easy, and continued taking them at Rocky Mountain College.

By his senior year, Watkins wasn't sure he still enjoyed accounting, so he held off pursuing a career in that field. He had worked throughout college for Interstate Brands Corp., now Hostess Brands, the company that owns Sweetheart Bread Co., and continued in that job after graduation.

He wasn't there long before landing a job in Kalispell with the state Department of Commerce.

"I hated it. It was boxed in and claustrophobic," said Watkins, who was used to Billings' open spaces - and the area's oil refineries. The Flathead's air was an unpleasant assault on his senses. "It smelled like wood, like pine trees."

Despite the smell, Watkins continued to work out of Kalispell for the next four years. The job took him all over Northwest Montana and as far east as Chester, and gave him the opportunity to work with cities, counties and schools.

He soon discovered he had a passion for "the opportunity to make a difference in education from a financial perspective." When the business manager position opened in the Whitefish School District in 1988, Watkins, then 28, applied.

"It was a fun place to get started," he said. "A lot of people took a chance on me. I was pretty inexperienced."

It helped that then-Superintendent Ivan Hernandez had a financial background, Watkins said. Hernandez taught him about budgets, cost control and other ins and outs of school finance.

In 1994, the business manager position opened in the Kalispell School District. Watkins didn't want to leave his job in Whitefish, but his wife, Roxy, wanted to be able to stay home with their three young children, Beau, Bailey and Brooke. The salary bump Watkins got in changing districts allowed him to support his family.

Watkins embraced his new job and got involved in the Kalispell community. He served on local nonprofit boards and was treasurer of the Flathead High School Booster Club for years. Watkins had played football, basketball and baseball in high school and never outgrew his passion for athletics.

"They kept me out of significant trouble in high school," he said.

Watkins stayed involved in sports by coaching youth basketball. He returned to the court, this time as a referee, about eight years ago. He has officiated games at every level in the valley, from Rotary leagues through high school.

Watkins easily made the transition from coach to ref, Bruce Nikunen said. Nikunen mentored Watkins when he became a referee and, as Kalispell schools' purchasing agent, has worked for Watkins for 17 years.

"Todd is a great person," Nikunen said. "He is an excellent, excellent official ... and he is an excellent boss."

Watkins was quick to learn the nuances of officiating, Nikunen said. He knew where to stand and when to blow his whistle. He handled tough calls professionally; earned the respect of the players, coaches and fans; and genuinely enjoyed the job.

"He's just out there on the court with a smile," Nikunen said.

When he wasn't on the court, Watkins spent most of the last several years in Kalispell schools' central administration office. He has prepared budgets, run elections, attended board meetings and been a one-stop source of information on Montana's school finance laws and funding formulas.

His job description grew last year when the district consolidated its facilities and finance departments. That made Watkins the go-to guy around the clock for all types of emergencies.

He was called if a bus broke down on a road trip or when crews needed to mobilize early to ensure snow was cleared from school parking lots and sidewalks before teachers and students arrived. Watkins was already the guy to call when local legislators had a question about school finance on a Sunday afternoon.

"Not that I haven't enjoyed this, but it's been kind of 24/7 for 17 years," he said.

Watkins said he isn't the only one who has worked nonstop for so long. There are many dedicated people in the district who are working hard to make sure Kalispell schools are excellent.

"I think we're in that A category," Watkins said. "There are times when we do C work. There are times when we do F work. There are times when we do A-plus work."

Top-notch work might include the district's transition from a junior high to a middle school model, something Watkins said stands out as a shining moment in his 17 years with the district. Kalispell Middle School opened to students in sixth, seventh and eighth grades in 2007.

The move has been "tremendously positive," he said. "I hear so many good things about the middle school."

The low point of his career came that same year when an activities bookkeeper resigned after embezzling from high school activity funds. Cindy Upwall paid more than $49,000 in restitution.

"The oversight wasn't there. Everybody needs supervision and oversight," Watkins said. "We kind of set her up for failure, and we set ourselves up for significant problems."

Watkins and the district learned from the incident, however, and a new system with plenty of checks and balances has come from it.

"We are the standard now in the state for internal controls and cash management," he said.

That learning opportunity was merely one of thousands Watkins said he has encountered in his career as a school business manager.

"Every day for the last 23 years or so, there's been something new to be learned from this business," he said.

Reporter Kristi Albertson may be reached at 758-4438 or by email at kalbertson@dailyinterlake.com.