Moses Lake school bond supporters file suit

MOSES LAKE — The dispute over the recent Moses Lake School District construction bond just got more interesting as a group of Moses Lake voters are filing a petition with the court in support of the bond results.

“I believe passionately in what the bond represents and what the supermajority wants,” said Katie Phipps, lead petitioner and a teacher at Frontier Middle School.

At the same time, the Moses Lake School Board has scheduled a special meeting for Wednesday to rescind a resolution scheduling another vote on the same school construction bond in late April.

The board approved the resolution in February when it was unclear whether the school bond would meet the 60 percent threshold for bond votes.

Phipps is one of seven petitioners — along with Michelle Kittrell, Krista Hamilton, Susan Moberg, Craig Harder, Dennis Kearns, and Barbara Kearns — asking to court for permission to intervene in another suit alleging misconduct on the part of elections officials and seeking to overturn the results of the Feb. 14 as “taxpayers, registered voters, property owners and citizens of Grant County who reside within the boundaries of the Moses Lake School District.”

On Feb. 14, voters in the Moses Lake School District narrowly approved a $135 million school construction bond by 60.03 percent – a mere three-vote victory sustained after a day-long hand recount of ballots last week.

“The whole idea is to have our voices heard,” Phipps said. “We’re hearing the other side loud and clear.”

Much of the 12-page petition argues that the seven “intervenors” have standing in the matter of the bond vote, and therefore a right to be heard in court when Judge John Antosz is scheduled to hear the case on at 3 p.m. Monday.

“We’re satisfied with the [County] Auditor, satisfied with the Board of Elections, satisfied that the will of the supermajority has spoken,” Phipps said.

Phipps said she is confident the court will uphold the election.

“In the end, this is about the kids,” she said.

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