Two aim for seat on Moses Lake School Board

MOSES LAKE — Voters will choose between the current president of the Moses Lake School Board and a political newcomer for Position 2 in the November general election.

Incumbent Vickey Melcher said she’s seeking re-election to continue promoting success for all students in Moses Lake.

“My experiences and participation are making a positive difference in the lives of our children,” she said. “While it is comfortable to say that we need to do better, I have been actively involved in doing so.”

Melcher was elected to the school board in 2017 and has served as president since 2020.

She grew up in Odessa and worked as a teacher in the Moses Lake School District. She has grandchildren in the school district.

“All children deserve to have their educational needs met,” she said.

For Melcher, that means addressing the mental health needs of students throughout the district. She’s lobbied the state legislature to change the school funding formula to give districts the ability to hire more counselors.

“We can’t expect students to focus on academics when they have experienced a serious trauma such as neglect or abuse,” she said.

The effect of trauma on learning can’t be overstated, she said, and many students experience emotional health issues.

Melcher said staff should be offered professional development opportunities to learn how to support students who experience trauma.

“Our staff needs to learn the appropriate skills to help our students feel safe and accepted,” she said.

Graduation rates are also a priority for Melcher — and not just because higher numbers look good on paper.

“Increased graduation rates show our district is teaching the whole child,” she said.

Not all students learn the same way, Melcher noted.

Giving students options for learning based on their own learning style is an important part of keeping them engaged at school and helping them achieve their full potential.

Melcher said she wants the district’s next superintendent to be a team leader, as well as a team player, someone who’s willing to make tough decisions and support all staff.

“The new superintendent needs to be willing to commit to guiding the work to meet our strategic goals,” she said.

Challenger Paul Hill is a former Burien resident who retired to Moses Lake.

While helping his granddaughter with her homework during the COVID-19 lockdown last year, he realized she couldn’t read as well as he believed a middle school student should.

That was what spurred him to run for the school board.

For most of his life, Hill said, he shied away from politics, leaving it for others.

“I thought, ‘No, not me — somebody else will do it,’” he said. “Then I realized that somebody else isn’t going to do it.”

Hill said he wants to help the community heal after the removal of former Moses Lake superintendent Joshua Meek.

One part of that process is choosing the right candidate to permanently replace Meek.

“I believe we should look within the district first, for somebody local who’s been in our school system,” he said.

Promoting transparency and accountability are also priorities for Hill.

“As a school board, we work for the voters, and the voters should always know what we’re doing,” he said. “Unfortunately, right now, I don’t think that’s the case.”

To remedy that issue, Hill said he’d create a citizens advisory group that includes parents and teachers to help hold the school board accountable.

Addressing growth concerns is also a priority. Moses Lake’s population is projected to grow from about 25,146 to more than 35,000 by 2038.

“We don’t have the educational infrastructure in place for that,” Hill said. “Our little town isn’t so little anymore.”

Alleviating overcrowding in schools is crucial, he said, adding that another high school is likely needed.