Budget, CBTECH director hot topics at MLSD board meeting
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 year, 9 months AGO
Community members fill the Moses Lake School District boardroom to capacity Thursday. Many expressed support for CBTECH Director Christine Armstrong who has been absent from campus. Others were concerned about likely budget cuts after the MLSD Educational Programs & Operations levy election failed recently.
JOEL MARTIN/COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD
Joel Martin has been with the Columbia Basin Herald for more than 25 years in a variety of roles and is the most-tenured employee in the building. Martin is a married father of eight and enjoys spending time with his children and his wife, Christina. He is passionate about the paper’s mission of informing the people of the Columbia Basin because he knows it is important to record the history of the communities the publication serves. | May 9, 2024 10:17 PM
MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake School Board conference room was filled to capacity Thursday evening as community members came to hear about the district’s financial prospects and to speak about alleged disciplinary action taken against a school administrator.
The board declined to pass a resolution read by Superintendent Monty Sabin acknowledging that cuts and possible reductions in force would be necessary in the wake of the failure of the Educational Programs & Operations Levy. Sabin estimated the district will face a shortfall of about $20 million.
Board Member Kevin Fuhr moved that Sabin’s resolution be passed, as the certificated teachers’ union contract stipulated that teachers be notified of reductions in force by May 15, according to Moses Lake Education Association President Heather Whittall, and that process involves several steps.
The motion died for lack of a second.
Board Member Amy Breitenstein and Board Chair Kirryn Jensen said they wanted more specific information about what the decision would entail.
“I am not comfortable with just giving, basically, almost a blank check to just cut wherever,” Jensen said.
Several community members spoke in support of Columbia Basin Technical Skills Center Director Christine Armstrong, who was allegedly placed on administrative leave and escorted from the campus in April.
“Thirty-nine years in the Moses Lake School District. She builds from scratch an educational institution revered, apparently, all over the nation, where students attended at a 90% rate and teachers love teaching,” said James Getzinger, who identified himself as a girls basketball coach and farmer. “And because she had the audacity to stand up and say things you didn't want to hear. Her reward is – drumroll – administrative leave. And, as an added bonus, an attempted police escort for all the students to see.”
The Moses Lake School District declined to comment on Armstrong’s status, saying it does not discuss personnel matters.
The Columbia Basin Herald will have more information on both of these issues as we are able to speak with district officials and others involved.
ARTICLES BY JOEL MARTIN
Space Burger booth open March 13-15
MOSES LAKE — Those who can’t wait for the Grant County Fair can get their Space Burger fix next weekend, according to an announcement from the Lioness Club of Moses Lake. The iconic Grant County sandwiches will be available at the Grant County Fairgrounds March 13-15, according to the announcement. There is no admission fee to get into the fairgrounds that weekend.
SENIOR EVENTS: March 2026
COLUMBIA BASIN — Plays, art shows, auctions and more await seniors in the Columbia Basin this month. Here are some opportunities to get out and about in March.
Valentine’s Day cards flood Brookdale Hearthstone with love
MOSES LAKE — Residents at Brookdale Hearthstone Assisted Living in Moses Lake got Valentine’s Day greetings from across the country last month. “I believe that the only states we have not received (cards from) yet are Vermont and Maine,” Lifestyle Director Imelda Broyles said Feb. 24. “We keep receiving new cards every single day. They have not stopped. My residents are in awe with every single one of the cards that we’ve been receiving.” The Hearts Across America project started as a way for children in school classrooms to exchange Valentine’s Day cards with classes in other states or even countries, but the idea has expanded to senior living facilities, according to the project’s social media.