The Freedom school board met Monday night and called for a school election the first week of February 2017. The filing period will be at the Woods County Election board the first week in December 2016. Because of an unusual number of board member resignations this year, instead of having one seat to fill, three seats will be up for filing: seats 2, 4 and 5. Also, the board voted to ask the Harper County election board to close the precinct that has only one voter. It will be up to the election board to notify that one voter of alternative ways of voting. Otherwise, the district would have to pay the salary of three employees at that one precinct for one voter.

Superintendent Frieda Burgess told the board of current collections for the month of September. Gross production revenue currently collected has been $12,739.56, motor vehicle tax revenue current collections total $2,967.11, rural electric revenue is $14,783.57, school land earnings is $771.68, salary incentive aid is $697, certified health allowance is $10,727.56, shared super assistance is $3,125, comp high school vocational salaries is $1,580 and vocational assistance grant is $2,750, for a total of $50,144.51. The same period last year showed total collections of $75,259.13.

The estimate of needs report from Chas. W. Carroll, P. A., showed a $2.4 million budget last year will fall to a $2.1 million budget this year. This is the amount that will be presented to the Woods County Excise Board for approval. The district had an excellent carryover from last year of $887,000 that is included in this year's budget amount. Burgess said the district is not receiving any state aid this year, but there is a good chance of receiving some next year.

Most of the time at the meeting was spent discussing gym roof repairs. Shan Wilson wanted to repair all roofs because the agriculture building roof is leaking badly as in the roof over the main library and a couple of classrooms. Others wanted to go out for bids for the gym only and handle the other roofs a bit later. This is because basketball season starts in about a month.

The board voted to instruct the superintendent to approach Smith and Associates, a school finance firm, to seek out banks for a $1 million lease-purchase financing agreement. By choosing lease-purchase, the board doesn't have to go out for a vote of the people, although it could be submitted later. The payments on a lease-purchase roof would have to be paid from the existing revenue to the building fund.

In an unusual move, an agenda entry was amended, then voted upon. The original agenda entry called for the Smith firm to go out for bids on a lease-purchase for the “roof repairs.” The board voted to change that agenda item to include “or other repairs.” Both the amendment and the amended agenda question were unanimously approved.

Superintendent Burgess said she needed a figure to give to the financing firm to see if they could find interested banks and that the money would be available if bidders took the trouble to bid. Board President Shane Morris pulled out an old bid saying the repairs might run $500,000. Burgess thought the project could run from $1 million to $1.5 million. The board approved an amount of $1 million to submit to the lease-purchase participating banks and if the roof bids came in at the lower amount, then other repairs such as heating and air-conditioning units could be included.