Green Bay Area Public School District’s Board of Education makes statement regarding Claude Tiller Jr.’s resignation

GREEN BAY, Wis. (WFRV) – In light of recent events that saw the former Green Bay Area Public School District Superintendent Dr. Claude Tiller Jr. resign, the district’s Board of Education released a statement on Monday to help “correct misinformation” within the community regarding specific details of the situation.

According to the statement made by the Board of Education, multiple questions have been raised starting with how the district first became aware of statements Dr. Tiller J. made during a radio interview.

Board members say Tiller Jr. first publicly posted on his personal X (Twitter) on February 1 that he was invited to appear on a program with Dr. Adrienne on WAOK in Atlanta.

After the show aired on February 6, the board became aware of statements made on the show by Dr. Tiller Jr. that they felt raised concerns over his ability to “effectively and collaboratively lead the District.”

The Board of Education says they then sought outside legal counsel and an investigation into the incident was started sometime before public comments regarding the online video were made at a meeting on February 12 meaning that comments made by Ed Dorff were not what started the investigation or the Board’s acceptance of Dr. Tiller Jr.’s resignation.

It was then decided by the Board that due to concerns from the public who had watched the video of Dr. Tiller Jr.’s comments, Dr. Tiller Jr. would be placed on administrative leave until the investigation was completed.

The Board of Education says Dr. Tiller Jr. was notified of his leave on February 13 and on February 17, the Board met in a closed session to discuss the resignation proposal made by Dr. Tiller Jr before voting to unanimously accept the resignation.

“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.”

GBAPSD’s Board of Education

The Board of Education adds that neither the Board nor District leadership asked for the video of Dr. Tiller Jr.’s comments to be removed from social media. In accordance with public records laws, the District was required to wait to release the video until after a set number of days had passed.

In a joint statement between the Board and Dr. Tiller Jr., the two sides agreed that resignation was the best option for both parties with the Board adding that they accepted Dr. Tiller Jr.’s resignation in good faith and that he did have legal representation throughout the process.

While the Board admits this was not what some people wanted to hear, the Board says it supported and appreciated Dr. Tiller Jr.’s day-to-day efforts inside the district’s schools and within the community.

“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.”

The full statement can be seen below:

“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.”

GBAPSD’s Board of Education