MOSES LAKE — In a recent video announcement, Carol Lewis, the superintendent of Moses Lake School District, acknowledged significant breaches of trust between the school district and the community.  

“I realize that an apology is necessary,” Lewis said in the video.  

She went on to address the failure to construct a promised comprehensive high school, the mismanagement of funds and the overstaffing of the district. 

“I know that in talking with Carol, the decision to apologize is: one, it's warranted and two, it's appropriate,” Director of Public Relations Ryan Shannon said. “It's a timely response based off of a superintendent who was newly appointed to the position of superintendent. She has heard from many community members that they wanted an apology, and this was the superintendent’s response to that call. Carol has taken it upon herself to apologize to the community on behalf of the district.” 

A bond measure was approved for a comprehensive high school in 2017 by voters; however, Vanguard Academy, a project-based learning high school was built instead. 

“(I’m aware of) many, many letters from concerned staff members and concerned community members about the devastation they felt after working so hard to pass a bond to build that comprehensive high school,” Lewis said in the statement. 

The financial state of the district has also raised concerns with the almost $20 million budget shortfall the district faced this year. 

Lewis reported an overspending issue that led to a drastic situation where the district's fund balance fell below zero last spring. 

“Staff members made significant accounting errors, and without proper oversight, those errors went unnoticed for a very long time,” she said in the video.  

Lewis said the lack of a robust system of checks and balances played a critical role in the financial challenges faced by the district.  

The district has since instituted measures to ensure all purchases are approved through proper channels and school board members have become more directly involved in the district’s finances to ensure those measures work. 

Lewis also addressed the impact of overstaffing in her video.  

“Many staff were hired when we didn’t have a clear picture of our financial situation, and we over-promised both positions and hours,” she said. 

As a result, the district was forced to eliminate positions, causing job losses among “many high-quality wonderful employees.” 

Lewis conveyed her intention to lead the district toward a resolution.  

“I have every intention of leading our school district community back to a place of trust,” she said, reiterating the importance of fiscal responsibility.  

According to Shannon, the district has begun to make changes to address these concerns including: posting financial documents, detailed budget status reports, board members reviewing transactions, proper approval enforcement for all spending, forming a financial oversight committee, creating a balanced budget, creating procedures to prevent accrual accounting errors and hosting community forums to clarify concerns and answer questions. 

Lewis said she would like the community to allow the district an opportunity to rebuild trust, asking for “open hearts and open minds.”  

For those interested in watching the video apology visit: https://youtu.be/X6hezNj7LqE. 

    The Moses Lake School District Superintendent Carol Lewis made a video apologizing to the community in regard to the bond, financial errors and over staffing.