Green Bay Superintendent Claude Tiller under review for radio show comments

Danielle DuClos, Green Bay Press-Gazette
Updated ·3 min read
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Claude Tiller, the superintendent of the Green Bay School District, shakes hands with former school board member Jean Marsch of Allouez at a meet-and-greet July 18 at the Aging & Disability Resource Center of Brown County in Green Bay. He is under review for comments he made recently on an Atlanta-based talk radio show.
Claude Tiller, the superintendent of the Green Bay School District, shakes hands with former school board member Jean Marsch of Allouez at a meet-and-greet July 18 at the Aging & Disability Resource Center of Brown County in Green Bay. He is under review for comments he made recently on an Atlanta-based talk radio show.

This story has been updated to include the Green Bay School Board's statement and details from Monday night's board meeting.

GREEN BAY — Green Bay School District Superintendent Claude Tiller is under review for comments he made on an Atlanta-based talk radio show last week, according to the Green Bay School Board.

Tiller was in Atlanta on Feb. 6 to recruit teachers from Morehouse College, Clark Atlanta University and Spelman College, according to his X, formerly known as Twitter, account. While there, he was a guest on a WAOK 1380 radio talk show "REALationship Talk."

The Feb. 6 show, hosted by Adrienne Berry, focused on navigating educational leadership, according to the station's Facebook page. Berry did not immediately respond to the Press-Gazette's phone call or social media messages.

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The show segment is not available online, and the nature of Tiller's comments are unknown. The Press-Gazette has submitted a public records request to the school district for a recording of the show. Other groups have put in similar requests, including news organizations, community members and the teachers' union.

It is not known whether the district has a copy of the talk show recording.

"Board of Education members are aware of the Atlanta radio talk show interview with Superintendent, Dr. Claude Tiller, Jr.," the board's email statement said. "We are currently working through some of the issues raised that warrant further review and discussion. Because this is in part a personnel issue, we are not able to make any additional comments at this time."

Tiller was not at Monday's board meeting, and district director of communications, Lori Blakeslee, said she could not confirm whether Tiller is on administrative leave. She told media before the start of the meeting that the board would not be granting any interviews.

Former principal and board member calls for Green Bay School District to release talk show recording

Ed Dorff, a former district principal and board member, spoke at Monday's meeting, calling for the district to make a video of the talk show public. He was the only speaker.

Dorff said he watched the video online, but it has since been taken down.

"I strongly encourage the district to make this video publicly available so that people can view the entire piece before drawing any conclusion one way or another," Dorff said.

The board is working with attorney Geoffrey Lacy, according to the district's legal counsel, Melissa Thiel Collar. Lacy represented the Pulaski School District when it got a restraining order against the Wisconsin chapter leader of Gays Against Groomers.

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Lacy told the Press-Gazette in an email that there was no official request from the board to remove the video, and the board is unaware of the circumstances surrounding its removal.

Dorff also said how the Green Bay School Board handles Tiller's comments "will be a test of your character and your moral courage."

The board had a closed session meeting Friday evening "to discuss strategy for potential litigation," according to the agenda.

Tiller started as the district's superintendent in July, coming from Detroit Public Schools.

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.

Danielle 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.

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Green Bay Superintendent Claude Tiller reportedly under review