Former employee files lawsuit

Barkow alleges he was improperly fired as maintenance worker

A former Athens School District maintenance supervisor is suing the school district and an Athens business owner in federal court for financial damages he sustained after being fired from his job.

Todd Barkow of rural Athens filed a complaint on Nov. 23 with the United States Court for the Western District of Wisconsin against the Athens School District and Dean Ellenbecker of rural Athens, who is owner and president of S.D. Ellenbecker.

In the complaint, Barkow claims a comment Ellenbecker made about him influenced the school board to hold a special meeting on May 30, 2019, in which the school board voted to not renew Barkow’s contract as the school district’s maintenance supervisor for the 2019-20 school year.

Barkow says in his complaint Ellenbecker sent an e-mail to Athens school board members meant to get him fired. The e-mail responded to pictures Barkow sent to school board members about standing water on the south side of the new Athens High School baseball diamond.

He says in the complaint that Ellenbecker’s e-mail comment about him conveyed to school board members the threat that as long as Barkow was employed by the school district, Ellenbecker and his construction company wouldn’t finish the baseball field project or other projects for the school district in the future.

Barkow claims in his complaint he was never given an opportunity to be heard by the school board on whether or not he had fulfilled conditions in a Notice of Performance Deficiencies and Performance Expectations filed Nov. 7, 2018. He says Tim Micke, who has since retired as Athens schools superintendent, gave him good job performance reviews in May of 2017 and 2018. Barkow was employed with Athens School District for eight years before losing his job.

Jeff Mastin, current Athens schools superintendent, said he’s not allowed to comment on the federal court case against Ellenbecker and the school district.