In some cases, Sodexo's lack of follow-through has been particularly troubling to its clients.

Public records show district staff in Beaufort, SCcomplaining about Sodexo's lack of follow-up, work orders exceeding 200 days, and principals who'd lost confidence to the point of ceasing to submit work orders.

Difficulties with Sodexo Management

The Sierra Vista (AZ) school board voted in September 2008 to end their food service contract with Sodexo mid-year. On December 1, 2008, the district took charge of its own food service. The district was only partway through their third year of what was expected to be a five-year pact, and Sodexo had already handled the district's food service for 17 years."

We were just having difficulties with their management," said Business Manager Michelle Quiroz, who now oversees the food service. "There were some issues with follow-through responsibility." Quiroz also predicted the potential for lower operating costs: "Just on the surface, it looks like our operational costs will be a little less," she said, adding though that it was still too soon to tell.

A "Babysitting Job"

Beaufort County Schools, SC

In 2009, the Beaufort County Schools' (SC) bid evaluation committee recommended that the district drop their maintenance contract with Sodexo, because Sodexo had not been proactively identifying maintenance projects and needed too much guidance from district staff.

Public records also that show district staff complained in 2005 about Sodexo's lack of follow-up, work orders exceeding 200 days, and principals who'd lost confidence to the point of ceasing to submit work orders.

At this same school district - one of Sodexo's largest U.S. accounts - the 2006 cover letter to the corrective action plan submitted by the general manager Sodexo assigned to the account references his own inexperience: "...being my first SMI audit I found it to be very educational."

Abilene, TX

At the end of Sodexo's second year of facilities work in the Abilene (TX) ISD, Superintendent David Polnick explained that Sodexo's poor performance had "been very demoralizing" in an email to Sodexo VP Ken Cooper in which he explained that for them to be able to continue to contract with Sodexo it was going to "take a lot of supervision and guidance from the head office."

Dr. Polnick continued: "I think it is a shame that our people have to check up on work progress and point out what is not being done. I thought that is what we hired your company to do. I wish I had the exact words of the high ranking Sodexho official who spoke for a few minutes at the general session right before President Clinton this past spring at the national conference. It was something to the effect that school administrators that use Sodexho can spend their time on what is important and leave the cleaning to Sodexho. That isn't the case here."

Unsatisfactory Work Distracting Teachers From Educating

Sodexo school districts have seen their teachers take to wiping tables (in New Orleans) or cleaning their own classroom floors or hallways, or bringing their own lawnmowers from home (in Abilene, TX) to mow their schools' lawns.

Teachers at Sodexo school districts have had their jobs made much more difficult or simply impossible, as in the case of one New Orleans teacher who considered resignation because she was suffering from allergies she said were caused by allergens in her carpet and resulting fleas in her room. She also said she had a "gaping hole" in her window.

Human Waste Left Uncleaned

The following are just a handful of the complaints lodged against Sodexo in 2007 in the Abilene, TX schools:

• Garbage that contained a child's vomit was not emptied overnight.
• Fecal matter was left on a toilet seat and not taken care of throughout the day.
• Special Education teachers not being left garbage bags to take out soiled diapers and as a result not having soiled diapers taken out of rooms as required by the health department.

Over-Promised, Under-Delivered

Abilene, TX

Sodexo had to subcontract out some of their responsibilities in order to catch up to address teacher, administrator, and school board concerns.

St. Louis, MO

Sodexo lost the facilities account at the St. Louis Public Schools this year. In the Facilities Review the district prepared in January 2009, it was noted by a focus group of principals in the district that the conditions and appearance of school buildings is poor and that outsourcing facilities management has not produced cleaner or better maintained facilities, which presents a negative image of the schools to the public. Principals also note maintenance needs and air quality concerns that they have. Students note that heat is not evenly distributed in the classrooms and some schools are without air conditioning. They also noted the lack of supplies and need for more frequent cleaning in the bathrooms. Lack of follow-through on maintenance needs was a continuing motif throughout the focus group concerns.