Moses Lake School District to host town hall focused on finances

MOSES LAKE — Community members will have an opportunity to ask questions about school funding, enrollment and budgeting when the Moses Lake School District hosts a town hall focused on district finances Tuesday evening. 

The event is scheduled for 6 p.m. Sept. 22 at the Moses Lake School District Learning Services Center, 1620 S. Pioneer Way. District leaders will provide an overview of the district's financial position and answer questions from attendees during what officials describe as an open community conversation. 

According to MLSD Director of Public Relations Ryan Shannon, the meeting is the first in a series of topic-focused town halls planned throughout the 2026-27 school year. 

“This is the first town hall of the school year,” Shannon said. “The topic of choice to kick off the school year is district finances and where we are overall as a status report with our finances.” 

Shannon said discussions are expected to cover how school districts receive funding, the use of local levy dollars, teacher pay, and how student enrollment affects district spending. 

The event will be moderated by Shannon and will feature a panel that includes Finance Director Ruby Perez, Citizens Financial Oversight Committee co-chairs Audra Eckenberg and Karl Ferranti and Assistant Executive Director of Elementary Teaching and Learning Chris Kalmbach. 

Perez will provide information about the district’s budget and financial reports, while Eckenberg and Ferranti will offer a community perspective as leaders of the volunteer committee that reviews district finances each month, Shannon said. 

“They're there to give that community perspective,” Shannon said. “The community is aware that we have this committee that is looking at the books and looking at the numbers on a monthly basis.” 

Kalmbach is expected to address questions related to enrollment and how enrollment figures influence district budgeting decisions. 

Residents are encouraged to submit questions before the event by submitting questions to: bit.ly/MLSDFinanceMeeting 

Shannon said attendees also are expected to have opportunities to ask questions during the meeting itself, time permitting. 

The district has also collected questions community members have raised previously and plans to revisit some of those topics during the discussion. 

“I think the more opportunity that the community has to learn about how school districts are financed, and to understand how different programs are funded and why certain dollars can only be spent on certain things, I think that goes a long ways to educating our community,” Shannon said. 

Unlike school board meetings, the town hall is intended to emphasize dialogue between residents and district leaders. Shannon said the district is planning a brief presentation to provide context about district finances, but organizers want the event to focus primarily on conversation and questions from the public. 

“It’s not intended to be, ‘Hey, come and listen to a presentation,’” Shannon said. “Here's a couple of things that are going on, and then to have some engaging conversation about those things.” 

The meeting will be held in person only. Shannon said the district is not planning a livestream or virtual attendance option because officials believe face-to-face conversations lead to stronger engagement from community members. 

District officials plan to continue the town hall series throughout the year. The next event, scheduled for October, will focus on school safety, while a combined November-December town hall will address special education issues. 

Shannon said the goal of the series is to provide residents with information about issues affecting local schools and create opportunities for direct conversations between the community and district staff. 

“Every single event is tailor-made to answer questions that our community has had about things that are happening in our district,” Shannon said. “It’s an opportunity for them to come and listen and learn.”