School board welcomes new member, longtime superintendent bids farewell

Posted on June 16, 2022

*District 87 School Board member Valeda Harvey. (Photo courtesy District 87)*

BLOOMINGTON – District 87 School Board members on Wednesday appointed a local woman to join them on the board during a meeting which marks the retirement of the district’s longtime superintendent.

Valeda Harvey was sworn-in to replace Tammy Houtzel who resigned earlier this year because she moved out of the district.

The resume Harvey submitted to the board says she started working this year as a paralegal for a Bloomington law firm, having worked prior to that as an assistant in the McLean County Circuit Court and the county’s public defender’s office. She’s also worked as an agency specialist for State Farm Insurance.

Harvey will serve on the school board until the next school board election in 2023.

Wednesday’s board meeting was the last for retiring Superintendent Barry Reilly, who has spent the past three decades with District 87.

July 1, David Mouser takes over as superintendent. Mouser has been superintendent with Tri-Valley CUSD #3 in nearby Downs since 2014.

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