(The Center Square) – The Moses Lake School District confirmed Wednesday that accusations from the local Future Farmers of America chapter of stolen funds were unfounded following a brief investigation.
A few Moses Lake FFA members testified at a school board meeting last week, accusing the district of sweeping $55,000 of student-raised funding into a financial crisis. MLSD faced a $20 million deficit last year following two failed levies and audits revealing massive accounting errors and questionable costs.
The district is still reeling from the impact. Voters approved a replacement levy in February, but MLSD can’t collect that revenue until next year. Hundreds of educators went months without a contract until the board approved a new agreement on Wednesday, following a week-long strike and school closure.
FFA Advisor Tony Kern claimed the district told him in October that the money had been absorbed into the general fund. Anticipating the public controversy, the board promised to investigate last Thursday.
“Staff met with FFA leadership, who identified a small number of entries were coded to the woodshop program instead of FFA, both vocational programs,” MLSD explained in a news release on Wednesday.
The review looked at FFA revenues and expenditures from 2015 to 2025. Last week, Moses Lake FFA posted on Facebook that the money had historically sat in a student account. That changed about 10 years ago, when MLSD told the chapter that certain rules required it to go to the general fund instead.
The post alleged that when the financial crisis hit last year, MLSD reclaimed unspent carryover funds, but the chapter didn’t realize the funds were gone until September. MLSD recongized the concerns this raised in its news release, noting steps to improve transparency as it attempts to restore public trust.
“The current balance for the FFA program is approximately $30,000,” according to MLSD’s statement. “Following this joint review, both the District and FFA leadership confirmed that the allegations against the District were false. No FFA student funds were taken, transferred, or withheld by the District.”
MLSD says the review highlights the importance of accurate accounting and communicating with the FFA chapter. Moses Lake FFA has since deleted its Facebook post from last week, which accused MLSD of taking funding and posted a formal retraction on Wednesday, emphasizing support for the district.
The district also posted all records reviewed as part of the FFA audit to its website for anyone to view.
According to Thursday’s retraction, the district will deposit the remaining funds into an FFA Associated Student Body, or ASB, account. All future fundraisers will also be deposited into there for safekeeping.
“We believe that the mix-up with the funds was done inadvertently and without intent,” the local FFA chapter posted on Facebook after Wednesday’s meeting. “We believe that all levels within the Moses Lake School District have a desire to support the students, club activities, and the Moses Lake FFA.”
