A statement to the community from MLSD Superintendent Carol Lewis
LEWIS
I want to take a moment — one final time — to talk about something that’s been at the heart of nearly every conversation we’ve had since May of 2024: keeping our promises.
I may not have lived in Moses Lake my whole life, but it has quickly become my home. When people ask me where I’m from, I don’t talk about the place I grew up, I proudly say I’m from an amazing town in the middle of Washington called Moses Lake. A place I’m proud to call home. It’s a community I’m committed to, through thick and thin. A year ago, when I was asked if I would leave if the levy failed, my answer was no. When colleagues from around the state ask me why I don’t look for an easier job that pays more money, I give them two reasons:
First, over 8000 kids in Moses Lake seek and deserve a quality public school experience, now and for years to come.
And simply, Moses Lake is worth fighting for.
This is the last time I will use this platform to address our school district’s decisions about how to spend this year’s partial levy collection, or our commitment to maintain the board’s minimum required fund balance. Those who continue to publicly debate these topics will only erode the fragile trust that grew in our community over the last several months.
A year ago, our town was divided about whether or not to support Moses Lake School District. I spoke with countless staff and community members who made abundantly clear reasons for mistrust stemmed largely from what many viewed as a “bait and switch” after voters approved a bond to build a new high school in 2017. Ironically, many of those same people are now asking the District to take actions that would undoubtedly be seen as another bait and switch. How quickly some forget. I cannot, and will not, allow negative history to repeat itself under my leadership.
Levy promises were developed in collaboration with staff, community members, and representation from our labor unions. Every person who stood on a freezing street corner last winter waving signs in support of our kids, and every person who graciously voted yes did so knowing exactly what was going to happen this year and next year if the levy passed. Can any of us imagine the loss of trust those who voted yes would feel if we didn’t keep our promises:
• The promise to increase paraeducator support for student safety and learning
• The promise to give our kids access to Boys and Girls Clubs
• The promise to provide our students access to athletics and activities
• The promise to hire more elementary music teachers so our elementary students could have music all year
• The promise to hire more elementary PE teachers so we can increase PE time for all students
• The promise to increase our custodial and maintenance services so our students have access to cleaner, safer schools
• The promise to provide adequate funding for basic supplies and materials needed for teaching and learning
• The promise to begin offering our secondary students the courses needed to fulfill their personalized graduation pathways
• The promise to provide for safety by maintaining resource officers, security personnel, and health room staff
• The promise to begin restoring lost instructional technology
• And finally the promise to build a balanced, “Money In, Money Out” budget.
What would our students, staff, and community be saying right now if we hadn’t done those things?
Running a school district is complicated. Every day, we face conflicting pressures — people want us to hire this, replace that, spend here, or cut there. But our responsibility is to keep the longevity and stability of this district at the forefront. It is my job to carefully consider our financial situation and make decisions that secure the future — for our students, for our families, and for our staff. Even when some may not see it, we have each and every employee’s long-term best interest in mind.
Shortsighted thinking focused on immediate gratification is in direct conflict with a steady, long range plan that will continue to build the trust, resilience, and stability necessary to ensure the students of Moses Lake have access to a quality education, delivered by educators who have the support they need to be effective in their jobs five, ten, twenty, and fifty years into the future, long after most of us in this room are no longer part of the Moses Lake School District.
In recent years, we have seen many examples across our state of school districts developing shortsighted spending plans that sent them into devastating financial positions. Several of those districts have remained in financial crisis for many years, including entering into binding conditions with the state. Moses Lake’s conservative financial plan that began in the spring of 2024, and our willingness to remain committed to that plan, have turned us in the right direction, and rather than struggling for years, we plan to be in a healthy, stable financial position by the 2026-27 school year.
In the coming weeks, we can expect outside voices to come into Moses Lake and try to tell us our spending priorities are out of order and not focused on kids. Those voices are not part of our community, and they won’t care about what happens to Moses Lake and our kids in the long run.
In fact, their intent will be to create division and confusion. These are the same voices that have pressured school district leaders across our state to make quick decisions that resulted in overcommitted long-range spending plans.
I’m proud that Moses Lake is no longer on the list of districts in severe financial trouble, and I intend to keep it that way. Every time I mention money, it’s with the image of Moses Lake’s kids in my sights.
I am well aware that kids only get one shot at each grade level. It’s true that they’re only in kindergarten once, but that’s true for every grade level. The district’s priorities cannot be so shortsighted that we would jeopardize their future for short-term gains.
Right now, we need to be asking ourselves how we will protect opportunities for our current kindergartners when they start third grade in 2028, sixth grade in 2031, go to high school in 2034, and graduate in 2038.
The fact that we temporarily shortened our elementary day to get through a two-year financial crisis was never ideal, and was never intended to be a long-term plan. The intent is, and has always been, to restore elementary start times to 9 a.m. in the fall of 2026.
In spite of rumors you may be hearing, there was never a promise made to restore the elementary start time this school year. Beginning now, you will see and hear us focus on what truly matters: what students are learning, how we are keeping everyone safe, and how our staff continues to make learning possible every single day. We will show, through our actions, that we honor the promises made during the levy season, just eight short months ago.
Finally, I know some will pick phrases out of what I’ve just said, looking to invent ways to tell you I’m not being honest, or to take advantage by misrepresenting my statements. I will not respond to those kinds of accusations, not because I can’t, but because continued public conflict will only lead to division in our community. As an advocate for all students, and a careful steward of your taxpayer dollars, I stand behind my commitment to the students and staff of Moses Lake School District, and I intend to keep the district’s promises to the greater community.
I will always be open to dialogue with students, staff and community members, even when conversations are difficult.
Please reach out to me if you have questions, ideas, or constructive criticism.
There’s no game to be won, and there will be no glory in keeping score or having the last word. The youth of our community are counting on all of us to continue coming together, and they’re watching how we behave.
It’s time for Moses Lake to turn the page and that’s exactly what we’re going to do — starting tonight.
Moses Lake School District Superintendent
Carol Lewis