[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",5966792,"mediaKeyId","5872780-b43098e3771dff9dbfa92be62f84f9cf","parentId",5872780,"title","Superintendent and finance staff describe fund balance, levy timing and plan to restore services next year","audioSeconds",431,"startMs",1408000,"endMs",1839000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5872780-b43098e3771dff9dbfa92be62f84f9cf&start=1408&end=1839","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5872780-b43098e3771dff9dbfa92be62f84f9cf/thumbnail_1408000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/5966792/Washington/Superintendent-and-finance-staff-describe-fund-balance-levy-timing-and-plan-to-restore-services-next-year","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/5966792-65283fe60b679747dd065fe702a59168/orig.mp4?Expires=1770966950&Signature=DxPPMb69wb4x-C~6pP3mEIxnSFwaWU4zBW8gi4Q3w2VhXy6O1elNnN11n-JcQnSiNop0yF9Yw8SbYmvdhRZWfCyHV-rrCRlDwNlZcJe0SskKlNCXttCOn7~3v4Fo~c69l4x~KG4um6imwJAFm4XTG63SRVipMCXf4li1QpqWPJknhDqpLFzUT4ao1MZh4yn5O5qdgNSQdf2khQarxmxHXVOZVEcY8tVoBxCjOAISpYB7A1G~7SENOPj-RJeUOz-od0w4FPakQQCSEK1su0wTKGeuDF00R1qtRg-7NMfACgYZSracvZEcx5KqMPGFmZwam9rgWmR~aDmobKBU3QvF6g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Moses Lake School District","date","2025-10-02T00:00:00Z","article","Superintendent Lewis and the district’s finance staff reported to the Moses Lake School District Board of Directors on Oct. 2 about the district’s August financial position, levy timing and steps toward restoring elementary programming.

Ruby, the district staff member presenting the financial report, said the August figures shown to the board are preliminary and do not include year-end accruals. She said the district’s current ending fund balance estimate for 2024–25 is about $19,000,000 and that the figure will change when year-end journal entries and grant claims are processed. “This is August,” Ruby said, explaining that FTE reporting and other year-end adjustments will be brought to a later meeting.

Superintendent Lewis reviewed why the district maintains a fund balance and how levy timing affects operations. Lewis said a reserve is intended to meet cash-flow needs, pay known one-time obligations and protect against unforeseen events such as aging-facility emergencies or audit-related liabilities. She noted that the district will not receive the first levy collection until April (arriving in May), which requires the district to rely on reserves to meet payroll and expenses through the school year.

On restoring elementary instructional time, Lewis said the district would like to add 30 minutes back to the elementary day but must avoid creating an ongoing deficit. She said the estimated cost to add the time is a moving target “anywhere from 2 to $3,000,000” and that a proposal the district previously modeled showed a price tag near $2.2 million. “If we say we're gonna do something, we need to make very certain that we have the means and ability to do that before we go promising it,” Lewis said.

Lewis said the district has already invested levy dollars across a range of priorities it previously advertised — additional paraeducators, added teaching staff, restored some secondary course offerings, compensation for coaches and advisors and additional custodial and maintenance hours. She said work is ongoing to restore music and library offerings and to provide consistent PE minutes across elementary schools.

Lewis and Ruby told the board the district is pursuing multiple approaches to address the library and schedule concerns: at least one option that would require additional funding and a “cost neutral” option that would shift start times to 9:00 a.m. in order to restore student minutes without increasing expenditures. Lewis said the district is bargaining with the Moses Lake Education Association and that proposals from bargaining will be posted to the district website as they become available.

Superintendent Lewis also thanked Jean Baxter and the technology staff and said Big Bend Community College helped the district restore Internet service after a severed fiber line. She credited the district’s tech team for working through the outage: “Jean Baxter and our entire tech department for saving our Internet access,” Lewis said, noting the district temporarily tapped Big Bend Community College with permission to get back online.

Ending: The superintendent and finance staff will bring FTE and finalized year-end accruals at a later meeting and will return with costed options for restoring elementary instructional minutes and library services.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","10-2-25 School Board Meeting","oneSentenceSummary","Superintendent Lewis and district finance staff presented August financials, explained how levy timing affects cash flow, and described a timeline and cost estimates to restore elementary instructional minutes and library services.","taxTitle","Moses Lake School District, School Districts, Washington","taxId",71173,"location","Washington","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},5966793,"Parents, grandparents urge district to restore full elementary day and librarians",539,229000,768000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5872780-b43098e3771dff9dbfa92be62f84f9cf&start=229&end=768","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5872780-b43098e3771dff9dbfa92be62f84f9cf/thumbnail_229000.jpg","/articles/5966793/Washington/Parents-grandparents-urge-district-to-restore-full-elementary-day-and-librarians","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/5966793-cece03ef396e930060a7bf18e093fad2/orig.mp4?Expires=1770966950&Signature=I1rOWIHcBmodlvzzB~aeoYVR2ehbGhO2EOWcJ96KRd2SzpYmNwphKy-akYyXVa6r0zLdPOKtAUa0Pv5l6ypTCqYMwW9WG9jvW4B9D9KfVE0JfkHSPElvU5zEEfqBAvNl1xOZmWNwG-iQulerAFWpjhHjzzY7qBZ1FFSfiHfbVvTCqFAat-WPyQdyGEm3yGkbrLMgfAionj8wkUM8WvAXIzQyyEw7dUdXsKU2tzx-NnF8bZR0afTbAEEdtoC4zuUV0T4W92Qgg8Rrf~Za1Yy9t3G4Dq8BeWzHKg5qBywsJZzXxPnpPQcf7p59BWe9FweNALDxjmM2W56PSDaXOFTIqg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Several parents and grandparents told the Moses Lake School District Board of Directors on Oct. 2 that recent cuts to elementary schedules and library services are harming students and should be restored.

Shannon Hyer, a parent of three who said her children attend district elementary schools, told the board, “These kids are more than a number on a spreadsheet or a or a statistic on a graph. They are our community's future doctors, lawyers, farmers, teachers, business owners.” Hyer said Groff students are “losing an additional hour every day of instruction time” because of altered arrival and dismissal logistics and asked the board to “restore the full elementary programs.”

Larry Liedebauer, a grandparent and former teacher who said he has volunteered in kindergarten and first-grade classrooms, urged reinstating music, physical education and a librarian at each school. “In the elementary grades, our students need music instruction, physical education, and a librarian at each school,” Liedebauer said, and asked the board to “take the necessary steps to reinstate the full instruction day for our elementary schools.”

Denise Herring, a grandparent and PTO vice president, told the board the district’s financial position following the recently passed levy means resources should be used to restore programming. “Because our community support has passed the levy, the district now has strong financial shape,” Herring said, adding that those resources “should be used to restore the full school schedule and programming that our kids deserve.”

Multiple public speakers said students currently cannot check books out to take home and described negative effects on literacy. Hyer said students “haven't been able to bring home books since the district made cuts over a year ago,” and said that lack of access to books risks students’ literacy progress.

Board members and Superintendent Lewis responded that the district hears the concerns and is working on options. Lewis said the district has proposed both a solution that would require additional funding and “a cost neutral solution that would bring kids back to school at 9:00.” She also told the board the district is trying to craft solutions that will not create financial instability.

The board did not adopt a change to elementary start times or restore library staffing in this meeting. Superintendent Lewis said the district plans to analyze options, continue bargaining discussions with the Moses Lake Education Association and bring proposals back to the board in a subsequent meeting.

Community members present asked for a public meeting with the superintendent and the union and asked the board to prioritize returning instructional time and library access.

Ending: The board heard repeated requests from parents and grandparents to restore elementary instructional minutes and library services; district leaders said they will continue to develop options and return with proposals for board consideration.","Multiple parents and grandparents told the Moses Lake School District board that cuts to elementary instruction and library services are harming students and asked the board and superintendent to restore full days, librarians and book checkout.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},5966784,"Votes at a glance: board approves minutes, consent agenda, policy and resolution",1302,75000,1377000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5872780-b43098e3771dff9dbfa92be62f84f9cf&start=75&end=1377","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5872780-b43098e3771dff9dbfa92be62f84f9cf/thumbnail_75000.jpg","/articles/5966784/Washington/Votes-at-a-glance-board-approves-minutes-consent-agenda-policy-and-resolution","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/5966784-53a170fe28aaeefa169ff8509a2f797a/orig.mp4?Expires=1770966950&Signature=BUfLlCht-aRQ-q~sY-QM9RkNyl89Y6QH6emrelgQwPBD0P266GUC0vRZLgQSC7ij9awjv114-CmC9z~R5qWQg~MLHnR43L17YZJFKTz-K-jedju~YTgJfw03NrWqwD55P-iL-CkH-Ql~08WaI7iyA1yxfPrN1S8rsDbDwDUMzI7niOqMdu5s-LbhcxMlSMVZ0lTA2fEBgbz92zlM6Iw9~ihlSzjaGEWZ9-BQ6KsHqXOSZi45zz8jOi56BZZ4hfLVwNSjKdjg9FWNcgnstxik-gOBRvSaXA-ooLbcncdMcxo-li3wkweQKbXI5eykC6O020APja9avEbuhpMtJ2rWbA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","At its Oct. 2 meeting the Moses Lake School District Board of Directors took the following formal actions.

• Approval of Sept. 18 regular meeting minutes — Motion passed unanimously.

• Adoption of tonight’s agenda — Motion passed unanimously.

• Approval of the consent agenda — Motion passed unanimously.

• Approval of policy 292190 (final action reported as approval) — Motion passed unanimously.

• Approval of Resolution 202602 on the board’s stance regarding opt-out rights (as presented) — Motion passed 4–1 (one board member recorded a no vote). The resolution proponent said the resolution reflects the board member’s view that parents should have the right to opt their children out of curriculum; during discussion a board member cited a June 2025 U.S. Supreme Court case mentioned in the meeting as “Mamode v. Taylor” when describing parental rights.

• Approved revised January meeting dates (move January board meetings to Jan. 8 and Jan. 22) — Motion passed unanimously.

• Adjournment — Motion passed.

Where vote tallies were recorded as unanimous in the meeting transcript, this summary reports unanimous outcomes; where a roll-call or named vote was not recorded in the transcript, tally counts are reported based on the five board members shown in the meeting roll call. The board did not vote on policy 3424 (first reading on an opioid overdose-reversal policy) at this meeting; staff said it will return for further consideration.

Ending: The board approved routine minutes and several items, adopted Resolution 202602 by recorded voice vote, and directed staff to return with additional information on policies and budget items for future meetings.","The Moses Lake School District Board of Directors approved routine items and adopted a resolution on parental opt-out language; the board also approved a policy reading and adjusted January meeting dates.","actionData","errors"]

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Superintendent and finance staff describe fund balance, levy timing and plan to restore services next year

Parents, grandparents urge district to restore full elementary day and librarians

Votes at a glance: board approves minutes, consent agenda, policy and resolution