A Green Bay, Wisconsin school superintendent resigned on Tuesday after he was captured on a hot mic describing the district as “lily” white and expressing his displeasure at working in a “white district” during an appearance on WAOK-AM as he visited Atlanta to recruit educators.
Former Green Bay Area Public School District (GBAPS) Superintendent Claude Tiller Jr.’s hot mic comments were broadcast on YouTube while the radio station broadcast was on a commercial break.
During the commercial break, Tiller was asked by host Dr. Adrienne Berry how he planned to convince residents to relocate from the mild Atlanta climate to Wisconsin, noting its harsh winters.
In response, the former superintendent asserted that people are happy to move to Wisconsin, and educators only leave Green Bay “because there’s no sense of community there for them, and shame on us for not embracing them.”
He proceeded, in comments he later admitted he thought were not recorded, to disparage a white, female colleague as a “witch” and a “b***h,” and claim he had to relocate a Samoan faculty member because of disagreements this person generated.
This is former Green Bay Area Public Schools superintendent Dr. Claude Tiller Jr. (@DrTillerJr)
He was caught on a hot mic giving a racist rant about white people.
He wasn't fired. He resigned after the district agreed to pay him a lump sum of over $250,000. They also thanked… pic.twitter.com/hhIU1H3gyv
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) February 27, 2024
Tiller (pictured above) also described Wisconsin as racist toward Hispanics, who he claimed are given factory jobs that “keep them just enough happy [to] throw these parties and everything, and just enough dumbed down” to live in the state.
After Berry described Green Bay as “lily-white,” Tiller agreed by declaring the area the “lily on top of the lily.”
When the commercial break concluded, Tiller went on to explain the responsibility he feels as a black man in an authority position.
“Heavy is the head that wears the crown,” Tiller told Berry, explaining, “if I don’t make it, then that closes the doors for everybody.”
In a statement published after he resigned, Tiller thanked those who spoke in his defense at a GBAPS Board of Education meeting, and expressed his “willingness to engage in conversations regarding the possibility” of his return to the district.
He described Green Bay as “in the midst of an exciting time of transformation” and suggested that his comments should be forgiven.
“This kind of work is not easy, and it is essential to recognize that along our journey, we will stumble, and we will experience growing pains, and it is only through grace that we allow these moments to become critical components of our collective growth and understanding,” Tiller wrote.
Full statement from former #GBAPS Superintendent #ClaudeTiller #GreenBay pic.twitter.com/0hlQNVBGII
— Michele McCormack (@MicheleMcCorma5) February 27, 2024
Despite his letter, the district claimed that rehiring Tiller was not an option.
“Under the terms of the separation agreement, he was provided the opportunity to change his mind and rescind his resignation,” the GBAPS Board of Education said in a statement. “The window to have this conversation has closed and there are no further comments to make.”
The board confirmed that a search is underway for Tiller’s replacement.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Georgia Star News, The Virginia Star, and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Radio Interview” by WBAY TV-2 | Green Bay, WI.
