Chancellor supports Regent, says word choice was ‘unfortunate’
Chancellor Betty Rosa at a state Board of Regents meeting in Albany on May 8, 2017. Credit: Mike Groll
The chancellor of the state Board of Regents voiced support Tuesday for board member Roger Tilles, who represents Long Island on the policymaking panel and has been criticized by Hempstead school trustees for describing the district as “a zoo” in a recent news article.
Chancellor Betty Rosa said in a statement, “While we agree with Regent Tilles that his choice of words was unfortunate, Regent Tilles has a strong record as an advocate for the Hempstead school district and all districts that need additional supports to best serve their students.”
LaMont Johnson, one of the school board’s five members, held a news conference Monday to demand a public apology from Tilles, saying that quotes attributed to him in the Feb. 2 New York Times article were “very inflammatory, racist remarks.”
Johnson also said that Tilles should think about stepping down as Regent if that is the way he felt about the system.
The article quoted Tilles as saying of the district: “It’s a zoo,” and adding, “I’ve been following it for 13 years and it has not gotten any better.”
Separate from Johnson’s action, Hempstead trustee Randy Stith and board president Maribel Touré also had criticized Tilles’ words.
Tilles, in an interview with Newsday on Monday night, said he “used a word that I probably should not have used.”
He said he did not intend to step down from the 17-member Regents panel, on which he has served since 2005, and that he has been the “largest advocate that has been at the state level for improvements in Hempstead.”
“It was meant to show the dysfunction of the way the board has operated, and I could have used better words, that’s clear,” Tilles said on Monday. “My intent was to help the district and to point out some of the problems the district has, and I don’t apologize for trying to bring that out.”
Tilles and Johnson did not immediately respond Tuesday to calls for comment.
Rosa, in her statement, also said, “Our educational system teaches that we all learn from our mistakes and this is certainly a teachable moment. Regent Tilles, along with his colleagues on the Board of Regents, have made promoting equity in all New York schools our number one priority to ensure all children have opportunities to succeed in life.”
The Feb. 2 newspaper article described the low-performing district’s troubles, as well as actions at the state and local levels to bring about a turnaround.
Joie Tyrrell is a Long Island native and covers education for Newsday, where she has worked since 1998.
