Curtiss is back on payroll

Mort Curtiss, the Libby High School teacher terminated Sept. 19, 2011, after being charged with distributing prescription drugs, has been reinstated after meeting all pre-trial diversion and subsequent agreements.

Curtiss will be back on the payroll today, Friday, Dec. 7. He likely will not teach a class until next semester.

A weary Curtiss just wants to go back to work. 

“It’s been miserable for me,” he said. “I want bygones to be bygones. I hope people can put this behind them.”

Curtiss, an industrial arts teacher, “must be reinstated to his former or a substantially equivalent position as of Friday, Dec. 7, 2012,” according to the arbitration agreement.

Curtiss was first suspended, and then terminated, after he was arrested for sharing small amounts of prescription drugs, including marijuana, at the Libby Elks Lodge in March, 2011.

Curtiss had prescriptions for both, and shared them with a consenting adult. He has completely fulfilled his legal obligations.

For a school district on a tight budget, Curtiss’ reinstatement could pose problems for K.W. Maki, Libby Superintendent. 

“We’re looking at next year’s budget shortfall,” Maki said. “We’ll have to withhold funds from other areas. That hole gets a little deeper.”

Even with the budget crunch from the situation, Maki believes terminating Curtiss was in the best interest of the school and its students.

“I feel we did the right thing,” he said. “The arbiter said we were too severe in our punishment. We’re going to make the best of the situation.”

The school district’s attitude drew the ire of Curtiss and his wife, Cindy, who called Maki’s actions “unethical” and claimed lies were told.

Even so, Cindy knew her husband’s reinstatement would come with consequences. Namely, sharing class time with Mr. Love, the new industrial-arts teacher hired to replace Curtiss.

“It’s going to be tough, it’s going to be hard,” she said. “My husband’s going to be under a microscope.”

For two years after being reinstated, the school district will have the right to randomly drug test Curtiss not more than once a month. 

“If the grievant is tested positive for either drugs or alcohol during the instructional day, such a positive test is grounds for immediate termination,” reads the arbitration.

The second stipulation to Curtiss’ reinstatement is he must advise Maki in writing within one week of reinstatement of all prescription drugs that he is currently taking and, for the next two years, will immediately update that list should any changes happen.

Despite the monitoring, Curtiss is relieved to have his job back. 

“I feel good about it,” he said. “I could be bitter about it, but I don’t want to.”

Scott Hilderman, Curtiss’ lawyer, said he does not anticipate any blowback on Curtiss for being reinstated. 

Maki, when asked whether there might be any negative reaction to Curtiss going back to work, offered a terse “possibly.”

Libby High School Principal Rik Rewerts said he hadn’t been following the case very closely.

“I’ve been told he’s been placed on the payroll,” he said. “With our budget cuts, we are going to have to figure out when he comes back in the future.”

Libby is facing a shortfall, and is planing to layoff five teachers next year. If the proposed mill levy fails, that number could rise to 10.