Monroe County Community School Corp. Board Member Moving On

By Nicole Kauffman, Herald-Times, Bloomington, Ind.

Jan. 9–Vickey Freeland once believed Monroe County Community School Corp.’s problems could be solved easily: “Well, throw a little more money at it and fix it,” she thought.

Then she became a school board member and realized there wasn’t money to throw around.

Freeland just finished serving 12 years on the board — an “unusual” length of time, notes interim Superintendent Jim Harvey. Freeland says the allocation of money within the corporation isn’t the problem, funding is.

“The way the state has set up the school district schedule works against Monroe County,” she said.

It’s one of many things she learned during three terms in office, which began in 1995. She decided last year she wouldn’t run for re-election, and her District 3 seat has been filled by Susan Daniels.

Freeland, 60, was asked Monday if she would be at tonight’s meeting to see incoming members sworn in. “No way” was her answer, accompanied by a hearty laugh.

Instead of facing a long night of discussion and CATS television cameras, Freeland will be at her 10-acre Monroe County home, close to the Greene County line.

Freeland, director of the Owen County Public Library, ran for MCCSC school board in 1994. The mother of three had been a longtime school volunteer, maintaining bulletin boards, grading work, making photocopies, helping in libraries. She especially enjoyed working with middle school students.

“I think they’re funnier than all get-out,” she said.

She was frustrated with the school system, though, specifically the lack of written curricula, bad facility conditions at Grandview Elementary and “too much autonomy” at individual schools.

“I didn’t think it seemed fair that all students weren’t getting everything,” she said.

Running for office was a new experience for the Idaho native, who has degrees in history and library science from Ricks College (now Brigham Young University-Idaho) and Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. She said it was eye-opening and challenged her natural shyness.

Another eye-opener awaited her — the amount of time the school board consumes.

“I was told (there’d be) a meeting every two weeks and a few other things, but we were right in the process of hiring a superintendent,” she said. “Just the amount of work was a surprise.”

Freeland learned quickly there was no money to be thrown at problems the way she had expected. That didn’t mean things had to be stagnant, though.

Among her proudest achievements are having a hand in the improvement of facilities — including equipping schools with air conditioning — encouraging a written curriculum and getting a home for adult education.

She also helped hire two superintendents, John Coomer and John Maloy.

Complaints about Maloy’s leadership style led the teachers’ union to ask him to resign, which he did in July.

Freeland said she learned much from that situation. For example, don’t believe everything you hear.

“Quite frankly, this whole thing with Maloy came as a big surprise,” she said.

Second, she realized it was time to leave office. She no longer had children in the system, many of her sources had retired and she wasn’t getting as much input about life at MCCSC as she once did.

“Early in my school board career, more people were coming to me and telling me (things),” she said. “– I was spending less time in schools. I wasn’t getting the information that earlier in my career I’d gotten routinely.”

Freeland’s advice to new board members is to listen to each other, and to the public.

“You can be diametrically opposed (on an issue) and you can still work with them, get along with them, enjoy their company and have some real interesting debates,” Freeland said.

She says board members should base decisions on facts, not on personal desires.

“What you want may not be what’s best for the school system,” she said.

Sue Wanzer, board president, said Freeland is adept at looking at “the overall big picture perspective” when it comes to issues, and that she hopes the former board member stays involved with MCCSC.

Right now, Freeland just is looking at what’s good for her own future.

“I’m 60; it’s time for me to start thinking about other things,” she said.

FREELAND SAYS FAREWELL

Newly elected Monroe County Community School Corp. board members Jeannine Butler, Susan Daniels and Valerie Merriam will take the oath of office at the start of today’s 7 p.m. meeting.

Outgoing member and assistant secretary Vickey Freeland — who served on the board from 1995 through December — will be at home on the 10 acres she owns with her husband, John, instead of facing CATS cameras in the MCCSC administration building.

“It was a real honor to be able to serve, and I hope that I was able to improve the system while I was there. I think I was, but I’m not far enough away from it to know for sure,” she said Monday.

Board secretary Cheryl Brown, who served eight years, also decided not to run for re-election, and board vice president Berit Brewer lost the seat she held for one term to Valerie Merriam.

Freeland offers the following advice to new board members:

–”Listen. Listen to each other and to the community.”

–”Base your decisions on facts.”

–”And, I guess, enjoy the experience. There’s a lot to enjoy. There’s gonna be enough unpleasant stuff that they need to enjoy the parts that they can.”

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Copyright (c) 2007, Herald-Times, Bloomington, Ind.

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