MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Education Association invited Washington Education Association Finance and Compensation Analyst Courtney Ramirez to explain the Moses Lake School District budget. 

“Tonight, we're here to have an honest conversation about where we stand financially,” Ramirez said. “Our goal is to provide transparent, factual and comprehensive information." 

MLEA is in active negotiations with the school district for a 2025 contract. One of the requests the union has asked for is to reinstate the elementary start time to 9 a.m. instead of 9:30 a.m. The district reduced the elementary day by 30 minutes after a double levy failure and budget shortfall in the 2023-24 school year. MLSD Superintendent Carol Lewis said the district plans to reinstate the start time in the 2026-27 school year.  

There were two contracts proposed to the union by the district that would have reinstated the start time this year; one was rejected by the union and one is under review by MLEA.  

MLEA President Heather Whittall said she feels like neither of the contracts offered was fair because the teachers would be giving up benefits to cover the cost of the 9 a.m. start time.  

However, Lewis said the district does not have the funds to pay for the longer school day. She explained that the district is working on building its General Fund back up to the board standard of 12.5%.  

Ramirez compared Moses Lake School District’s financial status with that of other districts of similar size within Washington state.

“The school board has a policy stating that the minimum fund balance that they have to have is 12.5%,” Ramirez said. “This 12.5% fund balance is something that school boards create and adopt themselves. So, if they wanted to have a higher minimum percent fund balance, they could choose to do that; they would just have to pass a different policy, just like any other policy in the school district.” 

As the meeting progressed, questions arose concerning the district's financial viability and whether it could sustain the additional costs associated with reimplementing certain educational programs.  

The projected expenses for bringing back earlier elementary school start times is estimated by the district at $2.2 million to $3 million. 

Ramarez said, with the preliminary fund balance reported at $18.9 million, it would be possible to reinstate the elementary start time.

In addition to the expense, some parents have expressed concerns that changing the scheduling mid-year would disrupt household schedules, before and after-school care and other routines.

However, Lewis said, the numbers presented are still preliminary and as a result, the district has projected it will end the year with the required 12.5% fund balance. 

“Additionally, the District is unsure of final expenditure amounts for staffing, our largest expense, because the MLEA and MLPA contracts remain unsettled,” Lewis said. “Once contracts are settled and we see where our student enrollment trends are going, we will have a stronger picture of our anticipated expenditures this year.”  

Lewis said the district went to extensive lengths to make an accurate projection when building the budget for the 2025-26 school year.  

“Deviating from that plan would not be in the taxpayers' best interest,” Lewis said. “If projections had indicated enough money to lengthen the elementary day this school year while keeping all the levy promises, we would have planned for that last spring when these decisions needed to be made.” 

    Moses Lake School District staff attended the Moses Lake Educators Association's budget meeting Wednesday night. From left to right is Director of Public Relations Ryan Shannon, Executive Director of Employee Services Michelle Musso, Finance Director Ruby Perez and Superintendent Carol Lewis.
  

    Moses Lake Educators Association President Heather Whittall opened the budget meeting Wednesday, thanking people for attending the event.