“There were a few areas of cost and a couple of areas of savings,” Musso said. “For the 2025-26 school year, we’re going to see a $2.3 million increase in district costs, which overall we have budgeted. Some of that will come out of our fund balance to make that happen. But overall, we are prepared for that.”  

District costs will increase slightly each year, Musso said, due to cost-of-living increases built into the contract. 

Money and time for continuing education for teachers were one of the points of contention. Musso said the total number of paid hours teachers were allotted for continuing education was reduced, but that teachers will get additional money they can spend on continuing education opportunities.  

“This year (teachers) will get $500, and the next years, they’ll get $1,000 each year,” Musso said. “If they choose to go to another training or another professional development, whatever travel (is needed), registration, books, anything like that, that will be reimbursable.” 

Previously teachers could apply for continuing education funds, which were distributed through a lottery. The lottery system has been discontinued.  

The district will continue to pay teachers for one day spent on teacher training, which in the MLSD is broken into two half-days.  

“We have to do three (training days). The state only provides enough money for two,” Musso said.  

Teachers will receive $300 to buy classroom supplies, which was increased from $150. The district also provides money to special education departments to help their students. That was increased to $45 per student, up from $35 per student. Musso estimated that it would raise the cost of that program by about $16,000 this school year. 

The contract also includes provisions on meetings outside of the workday. Under the previous contract teachers could be required to attend up to three meetings each week, in addition to a staff meeting. Now it has been cut to two meetings.  

“That would be things like (individual education plan) meetings, committee meetings, things like that,” Musso said. “If they last more than 30 minutes after the end of the day, or they (had) more than three meetings, they would get paid for those meetings. Now we’ve moved that from three to two.” 

She estimated the maximum potential cost to the district would be about $750,000. 

“That’s the budget capacity consideration, and not necessarily what will actually be spent, because not everybody is going to attend group meetings every week,” she said. 

    Moses Lake School Board members Paul Hill, left and Mike Nordsten, right, listen to details of the contract between the Moses Lake School District and the Moses Lake Education Association before approving the contract Wednesday.