MLSD levy ballots mailed this week

MOSES LAKE — Ballots will be mailed to Moses Lake School District voters later this week for a special election to decide the fate of a two-year educational programs and operations levy request. Ballots must be returned by or postmarked April 23.

The levy proposal is identical to one rejected by voters in February. If it’s approved property owners will pay $2 per $1,000 of assessed property value. That’s an increase of 50 cents per $1,000 from the levy approved by voters in 2021. 

If the levy is approved, it’s projected to generate $15.786 million in the first year and $18.94 million in the second year. 

Because it’s a school EP&O levy, the proposal requires a bare majority, 50% plus one vote, to pass. 

In earlier interviews district superintendent Monty Sabin said 50 cents is a big jump, but that it’s necessary both because costs are going up and revenue from the state is going down. According to a presentation given March 25, MLSD is projected to lose about $7.5 million in state funding in the 2024-25 school year. 

The funding cuts are happening at a time when costs are increasing, Sabin said. 

The MLSD has 11 elementary schools, three middle schools, Moses Lake High School and Vanguard Academy. The equivalent of 8,312 full-time students attend MLSD. The district’s total budget is about $199.9 million, with about $152.47 million of that in the general fund. General fund expenses include staff salaries, supplies and some maintenance. 

Every building needs - well, a lot of things, from a copier to floor and carpet cleaner. Director of Finance Stefanie Lowry said it’s getting more expensive to operate.

“Costs have gone up for everything,” she said.

Sixteen schools use a lot of copy paper, and the MLSD buys it by truckload, which works out to 21 pallets of copy paper per truck. The district buys two truckloads per year, and for 2023-24 it paid about $34,000 per truckload. That’s paper only. 

“On copiers and toner, we spend $386,000 per year,” she said. 

Keeping buildings clean also costs money. 

“We spend close to $500,000 on cleaning supplies, that includes cleaners, that includes garbage can liners, toilet paper — that’s just cleaning supplies,” Lowry said. 

The district uses both electricity and natural gas, and for 2023 MLSD paid about $2.065 million for those utilities. That’s separate from the cost of city services, water and sewer service and garbage pickup.

State education funding does include allocations for supplies and materials, not just supplies and services like copy paper and paying the electric bill, but things like curriculum and textbooks, insurance and security. That’s calculated on a per-student basis; MLSD received $1,483 per student, or about $12.33 million. The Washington Legislature provided additional funding, $21 extra per student, about $175,550 for Moses Lake, for the rest of the school year. However, most of that money is allocated for utilities and insurance.

The district’s insurance costs went up too.

“Our liability and property insurance costs $1,640,727 this year. Which is a 27% increase over last year,” Lowry said. 

Sabin estimated about 82% of the district’s budget is allocated to personnel costs, salaries and benefits. The remaining 18% pays for everything else. 

Some of the levy money is used to plug funding gaps between what the district receives in state funding and what its actual costs are, Sabin said. The state doesn’t fund extracurricular activities at all; athletics, school organizations like drama and music and field trips, among others, are all funded through the levy.

If the levy is approved, about $3.5 million of the total would go to extracurricular activities. 

Levy money also is used to supplement staffing, Sabin said. About $3.2 million of levy funding would go to pay for teaching and support staff. 

The district receives funding to pay the equivalent of about one full-time and one part-time security position, whether that’s Moses Lake Police Department school resource officers or private security. Moses Lake actually has the equivalent of nine full-time positions and one that’s almost full-time. The levy makes up the difference. 

The district employs 16 people to provide tech support and maintenance. The state allocates enough money for the district to pay for four full-time and another almost full-time. 

Sabin cited the example of school psychologists, whose work is mostly with special education students. State funding allocates enough for one psychologist district-wide, but the MLSD chooses to hire the equivalent of 12 full-time positions and one part-time position. 

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