(The Center Square) – The Moses Lake School District canceled classes on Monday for the foreseeable future as the local teachers’ union hit the picket line, having been without a contract for three months.
The Moses Lake Education Association issued a written notice to Superintendent Carol Lewis on Friday ahead of the work stoppage. Around 90% of MLEA’s members voted on Nov. 13 to authorize a strike if they reach an agreement with MLSD by the day after Thanksgiving, and now that has come and gone.
MLEA also notified the Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction that the union’s bargaining team is ready to return to the table and hash out an agreement. The district reached out to parents about the sudden closure on Sunday, noting that some services will continue in the meantime.
“This is a difficult moment for our community,” Lewis wrote in a Sunday news release. “Closing school will have a significant impact on every Moses Lake School District family, and we don’t take it lightly.”
MLSD says school will remain closed until it’s “safe to reopen.” The Moses Lake School Board passed a resolution on Nov. 20, calling the anticipated strike “illegal.” The board cited the dangers of operating without MLEA personnel and directed MLSD to withhold health care benefits for any staff participating.
According to the release, MLSD is also closing other facilities but will still offer pickup meal services at the elementary schools. Athletics will continue as long as coaches who teach don’t join the picket line.
The district’s proposal tracker shows several sticking points between the two parties, the biggest being reduced instructional time at the elementary schools, professional development courses and salaries.
MLSD cut the school day at the elementary level by 30 minutes to help mitigate a $20 million deficit last year, following back-to-back failed levies. Extracurriculars, cost-of-living adjustments and other expenses all took a hit, too, which MLEA wants to restore with increased protections for its members.
Voters passed a new levy last February, but MLSD won’t start collecting that revenue until next spring, so it’s trying to avoid dipping into roughly $21 million in reserves. District policy requires the board to maintain reserves equal to 12.5% of general fund spending, but some critics argue it should be lower.
MLSD’s most recent proposals reinstated some teacher planning time, 52 hours of annual professional development time and a salary increase equal to the state-set inflation rate of 2.57%. MLEA wants an inflationary raise, retroactive to the start of this school year, with protections for prep-time and limits on unpaid work, while maintaining control over when teachers can use professional development time.
The Center Square was unable to immediately reach MLEA President Heather Whittall for a statement.
“The members of [MLEA] will commence a work stoppage on Monday, December 1, 2025, at 7:00 am and will remain on strike until a satisfactory contract agreement is reached,” Whittal wrote to Lewis on Friday.
