Kerry Bentivolio, the GOP nominee in Michigan’s 11th district, had trouble as a high school teacher, according to a new Detroit Free Press report.

Fowlerville High School officials reportedly reprimanded Bentivolio for telling students they were “just a paycheck to me,” threatening to make them cry and pounding on their desks.

Bentivolio faces internist Syed Taj (D) this November in the suburban district west of Detroit. Republicans viewed the district as a safe bet until recently, when a strange series of events made this the most unpredictable House race of the cycle. Roll Call rates the contest as Leans Republican.

In June, former Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (R) dropped his re-election bid because his ballot petitions were filled with errors. He later resigned. Bentivolio, a reindeer rancher, remained the only Republican on the ballot. He won the Aug. 7 primary by defeating a former local official who ran as a write-in candidate.

The Free Press obtained Bentivolio’s personnel file through a Michigan Freedom of Information Act request. In his file, Bentivolio reportedly called the allegations false and “politically motivated.” He later reached a settlement with the district and resigned.

Bentivolio did not return the newspaper’s phone calls on Tuesday. His campaign consultant did not immediately return Roll Call’s request for comment today.