Boundaries, possible bond covered at Moses Lake School District meeting

MOSES LAKE - Neighborhood schools, plans for possible new schools, playground equipment and all-day kindergarten were among the topics covered at a recent community meeting for district patrons of the Moses Lake School District.

The meeting was the latest in a series hosted by district officials, where district patrons can ask any and all questions of Moses Lake School Board members and administrators. The next meeting is scheduled from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. on April 24 in the library at Peninsula Elementary School, 2406 West Texas St.

Board members approved a proposal from administrators at the Feb. 27 board meeting to move two neighborhoods to new elementary school service districts. Neighborhoods that had been the Park Orchard and Sage Point service districts were moved to Knolls Vista and Peninsula, respectively. The move was made to reduce overcrowding, district superintendent Michele Price said.

At the community meeting, Price said parents can apply for admission to schools outside their service area. Parents should get the applications into the district office as soon as possible, she said.

The 2013-14 school year started with overcrowding at Sage Point and Park Orchard, and extra room at Knolls Vista and Peninsula, Price said. District officials anticipated the same scenario in 2014-15, and didn't want start the new school year with small classes in some buildings and overcrowding in others, she said.

Board member Allan Burritt said elementary school accommodation was scrambled when district officials proposed, and the board approved, moving to all-day kindergarten. The change comes in an effort to give kids extra instruction, Burritt said, since the benchmarks for each grade level are more difficult than they were in the past.

District officials had some concerns about the kindergartners being ready for the long day, but so far the kids have handled it OK, Price said.

Elementary playground equipment, who buys it and who repairs it, also came up for discussion. Price said repairs are part of the district's responsibility. When it comes to buying new playground equipment, it's one of the options for parent-teacher organizations at the elementary buildings, she said.

Playground maintenance is governed by state standards, and is the responsibility of district maintenance crews, she said.

In answer to questions about a possible construction bond proposal, Price said district officials are looking for community volunteers for a bond committee, which will be formed sometime this summer. The tentative target date for a bond, if board members decided to offer a bond, would be November 2015 or February 2016.

Currently the high school houses about 2,300 and was built for about 1,700, Mark Johnson said. Johnson is the district's director of business and operations.

There are state funds for construction, but a district must pass a local bond to be eligible for that money, Price said.