Political newcomers run for Moses Lake School Board seat

MOSES LAKE — Two candidates are squaring off in the general election for the Moses Lake School District Position 4 seat currently occupied by outgoing board member Elliott Goodrich.

Moses Lake Police Chief Kevin Fuhr has lived in Moses Lake for the last five years. His daughter graduated from Moses Lake High School.

He said he’s running in large part because he wants to help bring stability and additional transparency to the school district after the removal of former superintendent Joshua Meek.

“I’m doing this to help the community heal,” he said.

Through his job, Fuhr has developed relationships throughout the school district.

“I’m in the schools now with my (school resource officers), talking to teachers and staff and kids,” he said.

He wants to deepen those connections as a member of the school board.

“If you have questions and I don’t have answers, I’ll find the answers,” he said. “Half the city has my cellphone number.”

Fuhr emphasized the importance of communication between the school board and the public.

From town hall meetings to social media, he said the district should take advantage of the many options to share information and gather feedback.

He pointed to the $7 million levy that failed in August as an example of poor communication.

“There wasn’t a whole lot of communication with the public as to what the levy would be used for,” he said. “You’ve got to get out there and address groups of people.”

The levy is on the ballot again in November. Should it fail a second time, the district would lose $7 million in local tax revenue to fund schools, as well as $7 million in state matching funds.

Regaining the community’s trust is a priority, Fuhr said. That’s why finding the right permanent superintendent is so important.

“We need to find somebody who can help with the challenges we have,” he said.

Fuhr said his ideal candidate would have experience with a growing school district like Moses Lake and a willingness to foster transparency.

Born and raised in Moses Lake, Rachel Roylance Gallacci returned to her hometown after earning an education from Big Bend Community College to work on her family’s dairy farm.

“I’m an advocate for parents,” she said. “I get it. I’m a mom and I understand.”

Her three kids, who are all younger than 3 years old, are a big part of why Gallacci decided to run for the school board.

“My kids are coming into the school system,” she said. “I had concerns about things I’ve seen in our state.”

Of particular concern to Gallacci is Referendum 90, a bill that requires public schools to provide comprehensive sexual health education by the 2022-23 school year.

Washington voters approved Referendum 90 with 58% of the vote.

Gallacci said she believes current sex education programs are sufficient and additional materials aren’t needed.

“I haven’t watched the videos because I don’t want to put those images in my head,” she said, referring to Amaze.org, a site that provides animated educational videos for preteens, as well as resources and discussion guides for parents.

She added Amaze.org content is not necessarily part of any curriculum.

For students in kindergarten through third grade, state law only requires instruction on social-emotional learning, which helps students learn how to manage feelings, set goals and get along with others.

In grades four and higher, the law requires education about topics including how to develop healthy relationships and avoid exploitative relationships, as well as information on abstinence and other ways to prevent unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.

No sexuality content or curriculum will be required.

Gallacci said she’s also concerned about the promotion of critical race theory in public schools.

“It seems like there’s this hyper focus on being inclusive and having diversity,” she said. “In Moses Lake, we’re not discriminating against anybody.”

Critical race theory (CRT) is an academic concept. The central idea is race is a social construct and race is not just a product of individual prejudice, but also embedded in legal systems and policies.

CRT is taught at the college level, particularly in law school.

Gallacci said CRT is not taught in Moses Lake Schools.

“I’ve been told by administrators that they are not teaching CRT and I would like to keep it that way,” she said.

When it comes time to find a permanent superintendent for the Moses Lake School District, Gallacci said she’d prefer a local candidate who’s familiar with the area.

“We have certain values that we’ve held for a long time in this community,” she said. “I would like to see us find someone who holds similar value.”