NORWALK, Conn. — The chairman of the Norwalk school board has publicly apologized for using the word “shekels” during a heated budget discussion, after some teachers called the remark a jab at the city’s sizeable Jewish population.

The Hour of Norwalk reports that Chairman Jack Chiaramonte apologized during a public meeting Tuesday to anyone who may have interpreted his comment as insensitive or disrespectful.

Chiaramonte was quoted in the newspaper in March criticizing teachers for refusing to consider wage freezes. He accused the union of caring more “about a few extra shekels” than for students.