Libby schools in transition

• Libby High School Principal Rik Rewerts, citing a desire to spend more time with family, will retire from District 4 service at the end of the current school year. Rewerts, 56, tendered his resignation during Monday’s school board meeting, which board members accepted.

Rewerts, who has served the Libby district for all but two of his 34 professional years, began his 

career in Noxon where he taught before coming to Libby. In the fall, he will rejoin the Noxon district as a part-time principal.

“It’s kind of nice,” Rewerts said Wednesday, two days after the board accepted his resignation. “I’m going back to where I started.”

During the board meeting Monday, Rewerts’ retirement letter was presented on an overhead projector and read by Superintendent K.W. Maki.

“First and foremost, I need to thank my staff for their professionalism and support during my administrative tenure,” Maki read from Rewerts’ letter. “They have been great. Libby is very fortunate to have many dedicated, caring teachers and support personnel. It has been a privilege to work with them.”

Rewerts’ letter cited the challenges that lie ahead for the district while adding the many accomplishments achieved in the face of declining enrollment.

He thanked his “administrative cohorts,” specifically mentioning Vice Principal and Athletic Director Jim Germany “who have worked diligently to make our schools great.

“It has been a great pleasure to serve the Libby community and schools for 32 years,” Rewerts wrote. “I have been in education for a total of 34 years and will continue to work as an educator for years to come. I look forward to new challenges.”

Rewerts completed the letter with a salutation that stated “See you at the lake!” before finishing the letter with his signature.

School Board President Tracy Comeau said Rewerts brought unique qualities to the position.

“His shoes are really going to be hard to fill. He’s done a good job.”

• K.W. Maki, Libby School District 4 superintendent for the last 15 years, was granted a one-year contract extension Monday by the narrowest of margins.

By a 4-3 vote, board members approved a one-year contract for Maki, 68, who has been in education for 45 years.

Voting to retain Maki were board members Bruce Sickler, Les Nelson, Ellen Johnston and Board President Tracy Comeau. Those voting against another contract were Lori Benson, Amy Fantozzi and Melissa LaGoy.

Fantozzi, who voted to let Maki’s contract expire, questioned his leadership abilities.

“I just feel our district needs a change at the top,” Fantozzi said. “I feel like Mr. Maki is not a good leader.”

Fantozzi, who also voted against a new contract for Maki last year, was critical of Maki’s communication skills.

“I don’t feel like he communicates well, and that’s led to a lot of mistrust in the community,” Fantozzi said.

During a recent written evaluation, board members scored Maki’s performance as 3.4 of a possible five points, which garnered the 4-3 split vote.

Last year, Maki won another annual contract with a lesser score of 3.3, yet received a 5-2 vote for another contract.

“He does a good job,” said Board President Tracy Comeau, who voted to retain Maki. “He has great ideas, but sometimes, I don’t think he communicates them as well as he could. That’s where I was critical of him.”

While Comeau does think Maki should communicate better with the board, she is aware of his workload.

“He’s taken on other jobs like curriculum director and special-education director, and he’s principal of Central School. You get someone else in here, and you’re going to have to pay them more or hire other people to do the jobs Mr. Maki does,” Comeau said.

Nelson, who also voted to retain Maki, said he expected the vote to be close. 

“The budget is tight. You’re going to have this kind of fight,” said Nelson, who serves as the Budget Committee chairman. “A week ago, it could have been 6-1.”

On Wednesday, Maki said  it’s been difficult serving a district that has seen declining enrollment every year that he’s been in Libby.

“I think I’ve done the best I can for this district,” Maki said. “I know I might not be the best communicator, but if board members have a question, my door is open. They should stop in and ask a question.” 

Cutting district budgets through the years has been an unpleasant task, Maki said. However, he has always used one criteria when making belt-tightening decisions.

In other action, the board ...:

• ... agreed to reinstate a Libby High School wrestler whose photo was taken at a peer party where alcohol was consumed.

While the athlete professed to not have indulged in alcohol, there were Facebook photos taken at the party that depicted the wrestler holding what was said to be the beverage of another student.

The student was suspended from athletic competition for two weeks for the perceived violation of the Athletes Code of Conduct.

Board members were split on whether to reinstate the athlete or suspend his athletic privileges indefinitely.

However, board member Benson suggested the athlete speak to his peers about the dangers of alcochol, to which he agreed. The board agreed that evidence against him is circumstantial and agree to reinstate him.

• Tommy Cook, the chairman of the political action committee in support of the mill levy, told board members the group’s first meeting would be 6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 22, at Flathead Community College.