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Caledonia food‑service employees urge change, allege payroll, safety and communication failures
Summary
A Caledonia food‑service worker told the school board employees faced late paychecks, missing Social Security information, ignored safety concerns and an alleged denied workers’ compensation claim, and said morale improved under interim director Katie Boss but will not return if permanent director remains.
A Caledonia food‑service employee identified only as Beth told the Caledonia Community Schools board that staff have faced months of payroll errors, missing Social Security data, repeated unanswered calls and emails to their new food‑service director, and operational lapses that left employees to buy supplies and improvise procedures.
Beth said Megan Beyer became the district’s food‑service director in 2024 and that problems began soon after, including staff going long periods without pay, one employee quitting after repeated Social Security number errors, long delays implementing a clock‑in system and routine shortages that left employees purchasing kitchen essentials without reimbursement. She also described an incident during a winter power outage when staff struggled to provide meals because, she said, the director did not respond to calls and emails.
Beth said she raised these issues repeatedly, met weekly with Beyer, and discussed concerns with Beyer’s manager, Eric Nearing. She said some employees contacted Nearing’s supervisor but received little or no action and that she is currently appealing a denied workers’ compensation claim she says was not reported promptly. “We were beyond frazzled and stressed,” she said, describing a workplace she called “toxic.”
Beth praised Katie Boss, who has served as interim director while Beyer was on maternity leave, and said morale improved under Boss. She told the board that “the majority of us here and not here today will not return if Meghan does,” and urged the board to address the staffing and management concerns.
Board chair acknowledged the comment and said the district would follow up with the speaker and investigate the matters raised. The chair also reminded the public that personnel issues are referred to the superintendent for appropriate action when necessary.
The district’s contract relationship with Chartwells and the specific investigative or corrective steps the board will take were not specified in the meeting record.
