Former Green Bay Schools Superintendent Claude Tiller speaks out for the first time since his resignation
Danielle DuClosGREEN BAY — Former Green Bay School District superintendent Claude Tiller says he asked to speak with the Green Bay School Board about possibly rescinding his resignation two days before the deadline to do so passed. The board was not interested, he said.
In an interview with the Press-Gazette, Tiller said he has not spoken to the Green Bay School Board since he was placed on administrative leave Feb. 13. Tiller resigned Feb. 17, after less than a year as superintendent, amid an investigation into comments he made on an Atlanta radio show earlier in the month.
More:Radio show interview of former Green Bay School District Superintendent Claude Tiller released
Claude Tiller tried to talk with the School Board about returning. It wasn't interested.
The settlement agreement between Tiller and the board had a provision allowing Tiller to void his resignation by the end of the day Feb. 25.
On Feb. 23, Tiller's attorney emailed the board's attorney, Geoffrey Lacy, saying he wanted to discuss the possibility of rescinding his resignation.
"To be honest with you, it was expressed through my attorney, through their attorney that they were not interested," Tiller said.
Lacy did not respond to the Press-Gazette's emailed questions about whether he received the email and shared it with School Board members. Tiller said Lacy responded to the email, acknowledging its receipt.
All the conversations between the board and Tiller have been through their respective attorneys, according to Tiller. Board President Laura McCoy did not immediately respond to the Press-Gazette's phone call.
The Green Bay School Board released a statement Feb. 28, three days after the deadline for Tiller to void his resignation, saying the window to have a conversation about bringing back Tiller was closed.
"The window to have this conversation has closed and there are no further comments to make," the board's statement said. "We are now moving forward with discussing the process for identifying and selecting the district’s next superintendent."
Tiller resigned because his attorney advised him to, he said. Plus, there was a lot of uncertainty about what would happen if he didn't.
He said there was no security in rescinding his resignation without knowing where the board stood.
"It's about my family, as well. I didn't know, to be honest with you. It's just the uncertainty of it all because I had never talked to the board personally," he said.
Community support changed Claude Tiller's mind, making him want to stay in Green Bay.
In the weeks since Tiller was placed under investigation, residents have gathered at School Board meetings and community events calling for his reinstatement.
"I try not to tear up now. It's very emotional, very emotional for my family and I to see the love that was garnered in the short amount of time that I was there," he told the Press-Gazette. "It was just beautiful. And I want to thank everybody, just the love that was shown to me, while I was there, from the community was just wonderful."
The outpouring of community support made Tiller want to stay, he said.
"That really changed my heart and changed my mind. I mean, I want to stay with the community in Green Bay," he said.
Over 100 community members gathered Feb. 24 to support Tiller, and the Feb. 27 board meeting had another similar showing of community support.
Claude Tiller says he was caught off guard, and his radio show comments were taken out of context
Tiller said he was caught off guard by how everything happened. From when the board placed Tiller on administrative leave to when he resigned, it was four days.
When asked if he felt like he was given a fair chance, Tiller declined to answer. But he did say that it all happened very quickly.
He also said that some of his comments were taken out of context on the radio show, particularly by Ed Dorff. He's a former principal and former School Board member who spoke at a board meeting about Tiller's comments before the radio show interview was released to the public.
"I was always taught to own up to whatever you do — be it good, be it bad," Tiller said. "So I would have owned up to anything that the board would have asked me to own up to, if I thought that anything was in the wrong."
A copy of the radio show interview obtained by the Press-Gazette through an open records request is included in a Facebook Live video from the show's host. The video is separate from the radio station's officially recorded interview. The Facebook Live video includes both on-air comments and conversation between Tiller and the host, Adrienne Berry, during commercial breaks.
In the nearly two-hour-long radio interview, Tiller talked about student mental health, applying for the superintendent job, re-energizing clubs for students and staff of color, the need to hire more teachers of color and his vision to make the Green Bay School District known for its education.
During one of the commercial breaks captured on the Facebook Live video, Tiller referenced an employee who he said was being targeted by a district principal. In the video, Tiller said he has to move the employee just to protect him.
"This wicked witch ... she's leaving at the end of this year," he said, referring to the principal. "She's doing everything in her possible to get him."
Then Berry said that people don't want to have those kinds of conversations, to which Tiller agreed.
"The first thing they say, 'Who me?' Well, B-I-T-C-H, of course it's you," Tiller said in the video.
Tiller told the Press-Gazette that the host did tell him the Facebook Live video would pick up commercial break comments. But he got comfortable talking with her, he said.
"She initially told me they were going to be (picked up), but as we got into the conversation, for the most part, I just was so comfortable talking to her," he said.
What's next for Claude Tiller?
Tiller is back in Michigan, where he lived before coming to Green Bay. He said he hopes to find another superintendent position and continue the type of work he was doing in Green Bay.
"Whatever the community needs, I'm a big community builder," he said. "I love community and getting out and meeting with people."
He will continue being a steward of students and a champion of children, he said.
Tiller joined the Green Bay School District in July as its first leader of color in its over 150-year history. He came in with ambitious goals to raise attendance and graduation rates as well as standardized test scores in reading in math.
He has a doctorate in education and came to Green Bay from the Detroit Public Schools Community District, a district of 53,000 students and over 100 schools.
Danielle DuClos is a Report for America corps member who covers K-12 education for the Green Bay Press-Gazette. Contact her at dduclos@gannett.com. Follow on Twitter @danielle_duclos. You can directly support her work with a tax-deductible donation at GreenBayPressGazette.com/RFA or by check made out to The GroundTruth Project with subject line Report for America Green Bay Press Gazette Campaign. Address: The GroundTruth Project, Lockbox Services, 9450 SW Gemini Drive, PMB 46837, Beaverton, Oregon 97008-7105.