Joel Martinez appointed to Moses Lake School Board

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake School District Board of Directors selected Joel Martinez to fill the vacant District 2 seat Thursday night after interviewing four candidates seeking the position. 

Martinez was selected following public interviews with Ron Sawyer, Tyler McIntyre, J.D. Hoover and Martinez. Amanda Taylor, who also applied for the position, did not attend the interview session. 

The vacancy was created following the resignation of former board member Paul Hill. 

After interviewing candidates, directors met in executive session before returning to open session, where they discussed each applicant's qualifications and unanimously approved Martinez's appointment. 

Board President Kirryn Jensen said directors were impressed by Martinez's financial background, understanding of school board governance, focus on students and ability to connect with multiple segments of the community. 

"Joel has some financial experience, talks a lot about family and his kids within the school district, understood the role of a board member, and his priority for the superintendent was student learning," Jensen said. 

Martinez, who has lived in Moses Lake for nearly 14 years, told the board his professional experience in banking and finance would allow him to bring a valuable perspective to district finances. 

"My entire professional career since graduating college has mostly been in finance," Martinez said. "A lot of my experience and expertise comes from the financial side of banking." 

Martinez said he believed budgeting and financial oversight are among the board's most important responsibilities and that his experience reviewing budgets, cash flow and financial reports could help the district navigate future challenges. 

"I felt the board has a huge hand in dictating a lot of that stuff," he said. "Getting a perspective from a financial side, I think I have enough experience to be a fresh set of eyes when it comes to numbers and things like that." 

During his interview, Martinez described school board members as policymakers responsible for establishing the framework under which the district operates. 

"The responsibility of the board members really, from what I've understood, is setting the policy, setting the parameters for which the district will operate," he said. 

Martinez also talked about the importance of representing community interests while recognizing that elected directors serve as part of a larger team. 

"I see us as individual voices for the community," he said. "Hopefully the people who get elected are the ones they believe will carry out what they want to see." 

Asked what priorities he would like the district to focus on, Martinez pointed to improving academic achievement and supporting school employees. 

"I have, currently, four children going through the school district, with one more that'll be starting here in a couple years," he said. "The academics and what they will be going through, I want to make sure it's of the highest quality." 

Martinez said helping teachers and support staff succeed would ultimately benefit students. 

"The staff has been one of those things," he said. "Making sure they have the resources there to help the kids get that high-achieving education is something super important to me." 

He added that supporting educators creates a direct benefit for students. 

"Once they can do more, then they can do more for the children, which will help improve that education for them," Martinez said. 

Martinez also highlighted his connection to Moses Lake's Hispanic community, noting that he is fluent in Spanish and has spent much of his professional career assisting Spanish-speaking residents. 

"One of my biggest priorities has been helping the Hispanic community and being a resource for them," he said. "That way that segment of the community can also feel comfortable speaking out, asking questions and feel like they might have their voices heard just as much as everyone else." 

Board members noted Martinez's financial expertise, understanding of the board's role, focus on student learning and ability to serve bilingual families among the factors that led to his selection. 

Following the vote, Jensen thanked all four candidates for their willingness to serve. 

"You all were very wonderful candidates, and your hearts are in the right place," Jensen said. "You all have a lot to offer." 

Martinez will serve in the District 2 position until the seat is up for election in 2027. 

    Moses Lake School Board members cited the financial expertise of Joel Martinez and his understanding of the school board's role as factors in their decision to appoint him to a vacant board position.