(The Center Square) – The Moses Lake School Board might remove language about “racial, ethnic and religious diversity” from a policy outlining its responsibilities before a new member joins in December.
Two board positions are up for grabs on Nov. 4, with one incumbent running unopposed and two community members vying to replace school board member Ryan Coulston. The winner will begin serving their term after taking the oath of office, following the certification of election results in Grant County on Nov. 25.
Policy 1005 outlines the functions of the board, which it adopted in 2011 and revised in 2016. It starts with a pledge to act on behalf of the community to fulfill a set of responsibilities. However, those could change almost entirely in the coming weeks under a proposal to emphasize research-based standards.
“I’m just bringing that to the board for consideration and review,” Superintendent Carol Lewis said on Thursday. “It’s important that we are reviewing all these policies about the roles and functions of the school board during this critical time because we are … bringing on a new member very shortly.”
Lewis said the main sections focus on responsible district governance, creating conditions for student and staff success as well as holding the district accountable for learning. The existing policy contains a short paragraph explaining the purpose of each section, which the proposal replaces with bullet points.
Instead of beginning with a commitment to fulfill the current responsibilities, the amendment focuses on following the research-based standards set by the Washington State School Directors’ Association.
The most notable language changes are around responsible governance. The proposal eliminates the pledge to govern “within the context of racial, ethnic and religious diversity.” If approved, it will focus on transparency, fairness, adopting “well-researched” policies, seeking diverse perspectives and more.
Other sections emphasize setting higher standards for students, staff and the superintendent as well.
The Moses Lake School District placed Lewis’ predecessor on administrative leave in 2024 after staff uncovered a $20 million budget shortfall. She gave a speech on Thursday, committing to overcoming the ongoing fallout as MSLD won’t start collecting a levy that voters recently passed until next year.
“Any way we can earmark this so it’s given to the board member when they arrive?” school board member Amy Breitenstein asked. “This is something that would’ve been really nice to have when we first started.”
Lewis said the district will share any changes with the new member and noted that the proposal will return for the board’s consideration at their next meeting on Nov. 6. The board also considered amending the title of another recent measure on Thursday, pushing back on state-sponsored ideology.
The officials passed a resolution on Oct. 2, criticizing the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction.
The contention was around sexual health education and policies that the board thinks “extend beyond biological and scientific instruction and enter into areas of ideology. The measure states that OSPI is promoting political views the board believes are inappropriate for the classroom, explicitly calling for biology-based programming. Several rural districts have taken issue with the state’s stance on gender.
The shift follows orders from President Donald Trump to root out diversity, equity and inclusion policies or face the loss of federal funding. More rural school districts have found themselves pitted between a rock and a hard place, hoping to fulfill the directive while also worrying about losing state resources.
“The [MSLD] Board of Directors recognizes its duty to ensure that all instructional materials reflect the educational priorities, values, and expectations of the local community,” according to the resolution.
