MLSD board approves 2023-24 budget

MOSES LAKE — The general fund budget for the Moses Lake School District will be $152.47 million for the 2023-24 school year. Moses Lake School Board members passed the budget without discussion at their regular meeting Thursday.

The vote was 4-0. Board member Alana DeGooyer did not attend the meeting.

The general fund pays for most school operations, including staff salaries, supplies and some maintenance. State school funding is based on enrollment, and because school districts won’t know the enrollment until school actually starts, the budget is based on a projection. Director of Finance Stefanie Lowry said in a budget presentation July 27 that the enrollment projection for the coming school year is the equivalent of 8,299 full-time K-12 students.

State funding is allocated to districts based on the budget projection until January, then funding is adjusted to reflect actual enrollment. If enrollment projections are under the actual student count, the district gets more money beginning in January, but if enrollment is overestimated, the district gets less money.

For 2022-23, district officials had projected the equivalent of 8,030 students. Actual enrollment was the equivalent of 8,238 students.

The district also has students in the Running Start program, where qualifying high school juniors and seniors can attend college classes and receive high school credit at the same time. District officials project the equivalent of about 200 students will enroll in Running Start.

The budget projection includes an estimate of about 75 students in the Open Doors program, which helps students who have fallen behind or dropped out to graduate. The district’s digital program is projected to enroll the equivalent of about 260 students. Those programs are funded differently than the full-time K-12 program, so the students in them are counted separately.

The general fund accounts for most MLSD spending, but the budget also includes funds dedicated to specific programs and projects.

The district’s capital projects fund was budgeted at $37.93 million. That money will pay part of the costs associated with constructing the district’s 12th elementary school in Mae Valley. School board members approved a design for the new school, not yet named, in May. Matt Whitish of Design West, the lead architect on the project, said in May that it’s projected to go to bid before the end of 2023. The goal is to have the school finished by the opening of the 2025-26 school year.

Lowry said the capital projects fund also includes money to pay costs associated with the construction of Vanguard Academy, which opened last fall.

The debt service fund pays back construction bonds approved by voters and was budgeted at $8.02 million. Lowry said that’s higher than projected revenue, which is about $7.03 million. Lowry said the taxes that pay back the bonds are collected in a calendar year, and the budget is based on the fiscal year. The district has enough money to cover the difference, she said.

The Associated Student Body fund was projected at about $743,700, all generated by the students. The ASB fund is used to pay for student activities at elementary, middle and high schools.

The transportation vehicle fund pays for new school buses and other vehicles can only be used for that purpose. It doesn’t pay for bus maintenance, which is part of the general fund. For 2023-24 it was budgeted at about $765,700, which includes the purchase of five buses.

Cheryl Schweizer may be reached via email at cschweizer@columbiabasinherald.com.

MLSD 2023-24 budget basics

General Fund: $152.47 million

Capital Projects: $37.93 million

Debt Service: $8.01 million

Transportation Vehicle: $765,300

ASB: $743,700