ESD Board seeks member for October vote

MOSES LAKE — There’s an election in Moses Lake in October.

But don’t be disappointed if you don’t get a ballot in the mail. The only people who are voting in this election are the five members of the Moses Lake School Board.

And they are voting for a representative to sit on the North Central Education Service District’s (ESD) board of directors.

“It’s a wonderful experience,” said the MLSD’s current representative, Mary Kunkle, who has served on the regional ESD board for the last 20 years. “The ESD does a lot of really awesome things, but doesn’t ask for a lot of glory.”

Washington is split into nine ESDs, which help school districts with everything from teacher training to technology. The North Central District, which is based in Wenatchee, covers all of Douglas and Chelan counties and most of Grant and Okanogan counties. The North Central District has seven members, though only four of them are up for re-election this August.

Kunkle is one of those representatives. And she’s running for re-election.

“I love it, the whole emphasis is on children,” Kunkle said.

According to Rich McBride, the outgoing superintendent of the ESD, one of the things the ESD’s do best is provide personnel and services for districts that are too small to afford on their own, such as technology specialists, accountants, or even school nurses.

Kunkle said that before the advent of the Internet, the ESD’s major job used to be distribution of films to schools. However, recently the ESD helped several smaller districts with bookkeeping that could not afford to hire business managers.

The positions are unpaid, McBride said, and the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) is looking for volunteers to stand for election in October. Deadline for registration to stand for the board is Aug. 25.

“The terms are four years, and the board meets once a month, sometimes more often as the need arises,” he said.

Anyone interested should contact Kristin Murphy at the OSPI 360-725-6133 or Kristin.Murphy@k12.wa.us.

However, just remember, in Moses Lake, the only people voting for - or against - you will be the members of the Moses Lake School Board.

Charles H. Featherstone can be reached via email at countygvt@columbiabasinherald.com