GREEN BAY, Wis. (WFRV) – Standing room only at the Green Bay Area Public School district board meeting on Monday night.
Dozens of people came out to show their support for Claude Tiller Jr. and to ask the Board of Education to reinstate him as the district’s superintendent.
“Every time I have a sliver of hope that you guys would do the right thing, it gets shattered,” said Mary Yang. “Please do the right thing now and reinstate Dr. Tiller.”
“We urge you to consider the impact of this decision on the students’ future and we demand the reinstating of Dr. Tiller Jr. immediately,” said community leader Amanda Garcia.
After two closed sessions, the Board of Education opened up the meeting again and allowed public comment which lasted for over 2.5 hours.
The board put Tiller Jr. on administrative leave on Feb. 13 for controversial comments he made on an Atlanta-based radio talk show. Tiller Jr. eventually resigned and the board unanimously accepted his resignation on Feb. 17.
Tiller Jr.’s supporters said they are upset that board members didn’t publicly support him while he was on paid administrative leave. They also said the Board of Education should have waited until lawyers publicly released the video recording of the comments before deciding whether to accept his resignation.
“You the Board of Education are at a crossroads, will you choose the well trodden path of indifference,” said Matt Froehlich “Or will you use this moment to stand up against racism and celebrate the rich diversity of our student body?”
“Dr. Claude Tiller was putting strategies in place to address the root cause of the inequities that we are seeing in our school district,” said Stephanie Ortiz. “When he talked about it on a talk show, it might make some people uncomfortable but something that I learned is discomfort is a sign of growth. And it’s time for change.”
Many of Tiller Jr’s supporters said that he was the first superintendent who actually listened to their concerns. They said the comments he made on the Atlanta radio talk show was him speaking his truth as the district’s first African-American superintendent.
In a statement, the Board of Education said in part:
“(They) supported and appreciated Dr. Tiller’s efforts to spend time each day in our schools and to be visible in the community. In addition, we are committed to the academic goals developed by Dr. Tiller and the leadership team, which accelerate learning for our students who are in need of the greatest support. As a Board, we are committed to doing the hard work that is needed to move our District forward.
GBAPS Board of Education
For the first time on Monday night, students in the district spoke publicly about how having Tiller Jr. as their superintendent positively impacted their educational experience.
“When Dr. Tiller came into my high school I had the honor to shake his hand and hear his story, I was so happy to see somebody who looked like me in power,” said Hashanti Perry.
Student Phillip Ross said he got the opportunity to shadow Tiller Jr. while he was superintendent. He also described how impactful it was to see a person who looks like him in a position of leadership within the district.
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“I personally believe he should be reinstated because while what he said was harsh, it was not wrong,” said Ross.
In a closed session meeting, the Board of Education discussed what they are going to do about the interim superintendent position. We’re told that they took no action on this or anything else related to the Claude Tiller Jr. situation.
“We believe that every student deserves the best possible education which we firmly believe Dr. Tiller can provide as he has shown us during his brief tenure so far,” said Garcia.
“The weight of this moment is upon all of your shoulders,” said Froehlich. “It’s time to fully acknowledge the gravity of your decisions and their impact. Act boldly, correct the course, and commit to genuine change. Our students deserve no less. Let this be the moment you choose to be on the right side of history.”
Board member Laura Laitinen-Warren announced her resignation from the board early on Monday.
Tiller Jr. supporters vowed to find candidates to run for board positions in future elections that better represent the demographics of the district.
Below is the Board of Education’s full statement on the situation:
“The Board of Education would like to correct misinformation in the community regarding Dr. Claude Tiller, Jr.’s resignation as superintendent for the Green Bay Area Public School District. The Board is aware of threats that have been made against individuals as a result of this misinformation. It is important to note that the information the Board is able to share regarding personnel matters is restricted by laws that protect employees’ rights to confidentiality. Likewise, Board members are required to maintain confidentiality regarding information discussed during the Board’s closed session meetings.
Questions have been raised as to how the Board became aware of the Facebook video of Dr. Tiller’s interview with Dr. Adrienne. Dr. Tiller publicly shared on his personal X (Twitter) account on February 1, that he was invited to appear on the program.
After the show aired on February 6, the Board was made aware of comments made by Dr. Tiller that raised concerns of possible litigation against the District as well as comments that could impact his ability to effectively and collaboratively lead the District. The Board of Education sought outside legal counsel regarding the matter. Dr. Tiller was notified on February 7 that there would be an investigation. The investigation process had begun prior to public comments at the February 12th Board meeting regarding the video content. Allegations that the public forum comments by Ed Dorff resulted in either the investigation or the Board’s acceptance of Dr. Tiller’s resignation are false.
Because Board members had heard concerns from individuals who had watched the video or had learned about the comments recorded in the video, it was decided that until the investigation was completed, Dr. Tiller would be placed on administrative leave. He was notified of this on February 13. On February 17, the Board of Education met in closed session to discuss Dr. Tiller’s resignation proposal, and then voted in open session to unanimously accept his resignation. A joint statement was released from the Board of Education and Dr. Tiller regarding his resignation.
Allegations have been made that Dr. Tiller did not receive due process. We want to assure the community that the Board ensured that all of Dr. Tiller’s rights as an employee were respected. He was represented by his own legal counsel throughout this period of time. Once Dr. Tiller voluntarily submitted his resignation, the Board gave it careful consideration in a closed session that lasted nearly three hours, before unanimously accepting the resignation proposal. This concluded the investigation.
We recognize that the Facebook video being released after the Board accepted Dr. Tiller’s resignation has raised concerns for some community members. Neither the Board of Education nor District leadership requested that the video be removed from social media. The District was unable to release the video until a set number of days had passed, in accordance with public records laws that require informing impacted employees. Requesters of the video received a detailed explanation of the timeline. Again, as stated in the joint statement, the Board of Education and Dr. Tiller mutually agreed that his resignation was the best course of action for both parties. The Board accepted Dr. Tiller’s resignation in good faith. Dr. Tiller had legal representation throughout this entire process.
We understand that this is not what some members of the community want to hear. That does not mean we have disregarded concerns regarding equity and equality and the need for greater understanding and inclusion among all stakeholders.
The Board supported and appreciated Dr. Tiller’s efforts to spend time each day in our schools and to be visible in the community. In addition, we are committed to the academic goals developed by Dr. Tiller and the leadership team, which accelerate learning for our students who are in need of the greatest support. As a Board, we are committed to doing the hard work that is needed to move our District forward.”
GBAPS Board of Education Statement
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