Moses Lake School District levy passes after $20 million budget shortfall

Voters in Moses Lake approved a $51 million school levy Tuesday that will help the district recover from a budget shortfall that included an $11 million accounting error. The levy passed with about 59% voting in support.

“Even more than the money, for Moses Lake this represents renewed trust between the school district and the community,” Superintendent Carol Lewis said.

About 8,500 students are enrolled across the district’s 20 schools.

Moses Lake is one of only two districts in the state currently operating without a levy, according to a presentation Lewis gave before the election.

Voters rejected the levy in February and April last year. The accounting error, which resulted from double counting revenues, was discovered in May.

About 215 teachers and staff positions were laid off or not renewed that summer as a result. Former superintendent Monty Sabin resigned in June after the school board put him on administrative leave.

Lewis, who was assistant superintendent, took over as interim superintendent and was made the permanent superintendent in November. She issued a formal apology on behalf of the district in December.

Her apology also acknowledged that the district failed to build a new high school it had promised to with a 2017 bond.

As soon as the error was discovered, Lewis said the district took quick action to stop spending and correct its accounting practices.

“The shortfall led to severe cuts to a lot of areas, but we had to balance the budget and quickly,” Lewis said.

The district is following that budget strictly and is starting to rebuild its fund balance.

New accounting procedures have been added to guard against errors. The district is now balancing its budget status reports with the county treasurer’s statement every month – a practice that was not in place before. For transparency, financial documents are regularly posted on the district’s website. And a financial oversight committee made up of community members began meeting in January.

The district office cut about 25% of its expenditures from administrative positions and pay, according to levy information on the district’s website. Lewis is working for the same compensation she received as assistant superintendent, and without her own assistant superintendent.

Lewis also worked to rebuild trust through outreach by hosting numerous community forums, she said.

The levy will collect just over $51 million over four years beginning in 2026. The rate is $1.50 per $1,000 of assessed property value, the same rate as the previous levy that expired.

The levy will support teacher and staff positions, sports and activities, and school resource officers, among other items.

An additional $23.5 million is expected in local effort assistance funding that comes from the state for districts that approve levies. Those funds would be used to rebuild the fund balance and offset inflation.

The district will not begin to see levy dollars until next spring, however, so the tight budget will continue into next school year.

Lewis said the district will consider rehiring some positions that were cut, based on student need and only within its means.

“Student needs will drive all staffing levels,” Lewis said.

Running the school district with reduced staffing this year has been difficult, she said. Teachers and staff are exhausted and taking on more than what would normally be expected.

Amid this year’s budget cuts for sports and activities, the booster club, Community Athletics and Activities rallied to raise over $600,000 to support extracurriculars. Coaches also volunteered to coach without pay, saving the district another $1 million.

The nonprofit organization supported the levy, writing in a statement in January that its efforts were a temporary solution and not sustainable long term.