Board member says union obtained and leaked employee insurance records; district investigation led to termination

Board member JT Bedirce alleged at the March 24 Valley View CUSD 365U school board meeting that a spreadsheet containing protected employee insurance information was exported from the district’s human-resources system and transmitted to union officials, prompting a district investigation and a termination.

Bedirce, identified himself as a board member during his remarks, said the spreadsheet contained records for 407 employees and their spouses and that the district’s investigation concluded the file had been printed from a former district employee’s workstation and subsequently emailed. “The investigation found that the 06/10/2024 document was printed to the same former employee’s default printer in her work area,” Bedirce said. He said the district later terminated that employee for cause.

The matter began, Bedirce said, after the union requested the records as part of a grievance about spousal eligibility for district insurance. He said the grievance focused on whether certain spouses should remain covered and that union leadership later presented the spreadsheet and other documents during a grievance hearing. Bedirce said the union’s field service representative — who he described as the former Valley View council president — would not explain how the information was obtained and “responded that it was not relevant.”

Why it matters: Bedirce said the district paid for a formal investigation that cost taxpayers “in the six figures” and that confidential documents remained unsecured in a district file cabinet until he pressed for stronger protections. ‘‘When I learned of this information, I asked the owners of Snyder Insurance if they ever spoke with anyone who cold called them … they laughed and asked who would do such a thing,’’ he said, describing efforts by a union official to verify employment eligibility.

District response and context: Superintendent Doctor Keith Woods and other administrators were present during the board member’s remarks. The district previously informed employees in September 2024 that an incident had occurred and engaged outside investigators; Bedirce said the investigators traced the printed spreadsheet to a former employee’s workstation and traced an emailed screenshot to a union official’s personal account. The board member said the district later moved the remaining sensitive files to a locked office in the administration center.

Union and personnel details: Bedirce said the former Valley View council president resigned, then later took a position with the union (Local 604), and that the new field service representative at the step-3 grievance hearing was the former council president. He described the union’s demand during the grievance as seeking removal of a board member’s spouse from district coverage, and said no supporting documentation was produced to him.

What the public asked: During the same meeting, community members had raised broader transparency concerns about district promotions and communication practices; separate public commenters also pressed the board about staff accountability and school safety. Bedirce framed his remarks as an attempt to expose what he called mismanagement of confidential data and to explain why the district had not pursued additional legal recovery earlier in the process.

Limits of reporting: The transcript and public remarks record assertions by the board member, including his reading of an investigative report; the school district and union did not provide on-the-record statements during the March 24 meeting for this article. Where Bedirce referenced documents or emails not included in the public record at the meeting, this article reports his statements and the investigative findings he cited. Bedirce identified specific items (a printed spreadsheet, a screenshot of an employee portal, dates and actions) during his remarks.

Ending: The board did not take formal action on the matter during the March 24 meeting. Bedirce urged transparency and accountability in how the district and the union handle confidential personnel information; the district’s prior notices to employees and the outside investigation remain the principal public records described during the meeting.