MLSD passes facilities fees and considers forensic audit
The Moses Lake School Board passed an updated facility use fee schedule and began the discussion of a forensic audit. Amy Breitenstein, far left, asked that members of the community show up for the special MLSD meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 26 where the board will hear public comments regarding the potential audit. Written public comments are due at 12 p.m. on the meeting day.
NANCE BESTON/COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD
MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake School Board passed an updated facilities use fee schedule, lowering the rates for groups using the facilities for various activities and the board began the discussion of a forensic audit.
Facility Fees
“We want to extend our heartfelt gratitude for your recent decision to table and revisit the facility use fee schedule,” Jayson Melcher, a parent and coach said during public comment. “This topic has been haunting my family and friends since this last spring, when we all learned about the financial shortfalls the district was experiencing throughout the summer, I worked through every possible scenario, including possibly leaving the district.”
The fees are divided into three group types. Group A, the MLSD school curricular and extracurricular groups, local agencies entered a memorandum of understanding with MLSD, support groups such as the parent teacher alliance and State and local use by governing agencies that include MLSD staff or students will not be charged for facility usage. Group B, local nonprofits, state and local governing agencies not meeting directly with MLSD students or staff will be charged lower rates to use the facilities. Group C, groups without non-profit status will be charged the most for facilities, almost double or more than group B. For example, an hourly classroom rate is $0 for group A, $25 for group B and $50 for group C. More information on the fees for various facilities can be found on the MLSD website under board docs.
“The amounts listed there are the maximum that it could be depending on who the theater tech is, and also remembering if somebody's paid $24 an hour, and there's benefits added on to that,” Interim MLSD Superintendent Carol Lewis said. “So, it's more than that. The fees listed there are the maximum that it could be depending on who the person is, but the groups will just be billed back the actual so if it was the person that is paid at the lower rate, they just get billed back, literally for exactly what it cost us to pay that person.”
The facility use fee schedule passed unanimously.
“Much better than the original,” School Board Member Paul Hill said.
“Yeah, kick butt, it was a knockout of the park,” School Board Member Ryan Coulston added after.
Forensic Audit
There was then discussion about whether the MLSD should pay for an external forensic audit.
Kirryn Jenson explained that she and Hill sat down to discuss the potential for a forensic audit for the last three years. The two of them had a Zoom interview with a woman on the East Coast who does forensic audits professionally.
“I am a senior board member, so over the three years that I've been on the board, I've made a lot of relationships in the community and in the schools,” Hill said. “The one thing that I have heard over and over is, if we don't do something to figure out what happened, how it happened and hold them accountable – we will never pass a levy or a bond again.”
According to Jenson, the forensic audit specialist will be sending a proposal to the board to review. According to Hill this could cost anywhere between $100,000 to $150,000.
“I guess that the sense is that somebody, there are several people in the community, or hundreds of people in the community that want someone to be crucified,” Coulston said. “Like someone needs to pay for the sins of what's going on, but I don't know if there's even anything to do. I don't know if it'll be worth the money investment today because of the financial tightness that we are in right now. I'm not against it. I think that it's great, I mean, knowledge is power.”
The school district will be holding a special meeting at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 26 to hear public comments about the potential for a forensic audit. Public comments are due at noon on meeting days.
“The reason why we're bringing this forward is to hopefully get some community input on that,” Board Member Amy Breitenstein said. “So, this was the whole reason why we got this on the agenda tonight. So please, please come with your comments and your considerations. It's your money too and our kids are number one.”