Latest news with #CarolLewis
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
MLSD restructuring admin office, saving district money
May 27—MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake School District has hired people for two new administrative positions, including Yvonne Walker as the executive director of teaching and learning, and Scott West as the executive director of safety and wellbeing. "I know that people are critical anytime we hire someone at the district level and they say, 'we should be hiring people that directly impact kids.' But what we need to remember is that all of the programs that are facilitated by those directors do directly impact kids and our principals and our schools and our departments," MLSD Superintendent Carol Lewis said. "They need support administratively from the district level in order to make things happen and stay compliant with laws." Why? The restructured positions will replace two old roles, including the executive director of secondary education and the executive director of elementary education. Both of the staff members, Triscia Hochstatter and Roberta Mason, who held these roles previously, are leaving the district. Lewis said they began the process of restructuring in January of this year. Lewis said she worked with faculty across the district to see what needs each department had. After various conversations, she said they decided it would be best to shape the roles around the four pillars the district has been focusing on — teaching and learning, collaborating, investing in people and managing the whole. "Well, the director of teaching and learning will obviously be focused on the teaching and learning category, which is using data to ensure standards are being met for students' learning," Lewis said. "I, the superintendent, will focus on collaborating and building relationships with the community. Then we will have the human resources director step into the role of executive director of employee services because that next pillar is investing in people. Finally, the director of safety and wellbeing will be in charge of managing the whole. They will use resources and make sure our schools are safe for learning and work." Responsibilities The new executive director of teaching and learning, Walker, is responsible for the curriculum, resource adoptions and supporting students in their learning. Lewis said Walker's main goal will be to focus on what the district wants the students to learn and what resources are available to make that possible. She will also oversee analyzing data around students' success and making action plans, depending on what the information shows. "Our staff are always asking the four questions of: what do we want students to learn? How are we going to know that they've learned it? What would we do if they didn't learn? And what would we do if they did learn?" Lewis said. "Those are part of the process that we've been really working hard on to get refocused in Moses Lake over the last few years, and so that'll be a big part of her position as well." Walker will also have two assistants to help her with this role. West, the new executive director of safety and wellbeing, will be in charge of making sure all schools have procedures in place for safety, conducting threat assessments and overseeing intimidation and bullying procedures. "He will also be overseeing our systems for student discipline, so making sure that we are stated and current on our laws and policies and procedures when it comes to student discipline. Those change often," Lewis said. "Scott will be overseeing that aspect of our school district. He'll also be overseeing some of our classified departments, such as maintenance and we're still working out exactly which ones, but likely maintenance, because that has so much to do with the safety of our facilities." West will have one additional assistant to help him with his role. Funding Lewis explained that these roles are going to be funded via general apportionment from the state and federal categorical money. Last year the district received around $3 million from the state and $2 million from the federal government for all of the administration including secretarial support. The roles, according to Lewis, are also being paid less than previous positions. Hochstatter and Mason received an annual wage of $193,989 in 2024. However, new staff for Walker and West will be receiving a wage of $185,000 for the upcoming school year. "The district will be saving money with this transition," Lewis said. "We spent around $5 million last year, and we anticipate spending around $4 million this year." Lewis also wants to clarify that no funds from the levy are being used to fund these positions. "I want to be very clear that we are making plans to fulfill every promise we made to the community with the levy funds that they have approved," Lewis said. "We are not funding any of these positions out of levy dollars, and we are planning to do exactly what we said we would do with those levy dollars." Compared to other districts According to Lewis, MLSD has less administrative staffing than other districts in Washington around their size. Wenatchee School District, as of 2024, has 7,200 students in 15 schools and had ten district administrators. Sunnyside School District, also as of 2024, had 6,200 students in eight schools and ten district administrators as well. MLSD has around 8,400 students in 20 schools and eight school administrators. "We have less," Lewis said. "When you compare us to almost everybody else, we have less." Lewis said despite having less administrative staff than an average school district of this size, she is not concerned about it. "I think that the concern is that everybody's going to have to work really, really hard," Lewis said. "I think we've proven that in Moses Lake — we can do that. I think that we have had an opportunity throughout this time to restructure in a way that makes sense for the current situation in Moses Lake. I think that we have restructured in a way that's going to be efficient. While we may have a few less staff than some other places, we've staffed for efficiency." Looking forward Lewis said she is feeling very optimistic about the upcoming school year with the new administrative team. "We thought a little bit outside the box, and didn't just do what everybody does, but we looked at what Moses Lake needs, and then planned around that," Lewis said. "I feel confident. I feel excited and optimistic that we're going to have a wonderful team that will have balanced support across our school district." Lewis said she is also happy that every role is defined with clear expectations and roles. "It's not just a title that somebody has. I think that's really key, because to have a role that just says: assistant superintendent, or just as director, without a lot of clear definition about what that person is supposed to be doing — that's where you can get into maybe over staffing or not being as efficient as possible," Lewis said. "I think that we have set ourselves up to be really efficient with the resources that we do have."
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Groff litigation, improving finances addressed in MLSD board meeting
Apr. 4—MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake School Board met for a regular meeting April 3 and discussed litigation regarding Groff Elementary, adding public health information to the district website, protection of student information and heard a financial report from MLSD superintendent Carol Lewis. Groff Elementary The board unanimously approved resolution 2025-06 for MLSD to pursue legal action regarding the Groff Elementary school project against Fowler General Construction Inc. The resolution says the construction of Groff was not completed in accordance with the agreed project schedule including defects to the school's mechanical and electrical system, roofing system and stairs. MLSD Public Information Director Ryan Shannon said there will be further developments discussed during the press conference today in regard to the litigation. Public Health The board passed a resolution unanimously to update policy 4001 about community relations. The update will include public health information from the Department of Health regarding substance use trends, overdose symptoms and response, secure storage or prescriptions drugs and firearms. The district will keep the community informed on these topics and any other pressing public health topics. The district will post this information at least twice a year. Finances As of February 2025, the district had spent 46.16% of the budgeted expenditures, according to Lewis. In 2023 and 2024 it was 50.52% and 51.36%, respectively. "This is an awesome thing that expenditures are going down 5%, that is a big deal," Board Member Ryan Coulston said. By February in the past three years around $75,411,000, $78,310,000 and $62,610,000 had been spent, respectively. Revenues have remained pretty consistent throughout the past three years. Lewis also highlighted that travel costs are significantly less this year in comparison to previous years. This year as of February, the district has spent around $21,200. Last year, in the same time frame, the district spent around $237,900 and the year prior it had spent around $115,000. This is also the first year in the past three years where revenues have been over expenditures. In February 2025, the revenue is around $6.68 million over expenditures. In 2024, the expenditures were about $11.14 over revenue. In the year prior the expenses were around $9.53 million over the revenues. As of March, the actual fund balance is greater than the anticipated fund balance, according to Lewis's presentation. "We are very pleased that our fund balance is over $15 million right now," Lewis said. "The prediction was $5 million so we have done an amazing job, and we are getting closer to where we need to be." Student info The board unanimously adopted policy 3235, which ensures all negotiated contracts and online "terms of use" agreements align with the Student User Privacy in Education Rights Act.
Wall Street Journal
03-04-2025
- General
- Wall Street Journal
Everyone Wants to Raise Chickens, but Egg-Layers Can Be Bad Neighbors
Carol Lewis has no regrets about how she voted on the chicken issue. As a longtime member of the St. Cloud, Minn., city council, she'd heard all the arguments. At a December meeting, locals argued backyard chickens would offer a cheaper source of eggs. One resident said chickens would simply be 'awesome.' Lewis, who left the council this year, was unmoved. 'We can't even seem to get people to mow their lawns these days. I don't know how we're going to keep chicken coops clean,' she told the crowd before voting 'nay' on the measure, which would have allowed backyard chickens at some homes. Her grandmother, who raised chickens, always told her they were 'dirty birds,' she said in an interview. Lewis had other concerns, including bird flu. 'I hate to be a Debbie Downer,' the 68-year old said. 'But until we get that under control, it's just not even worth talking about.' The measure failed, 5-1. 'We put the kibosh on it,' she said. A decade ago, backyard chickens were more a niche for part-time farmers and urban hipsters. But the Covid-19 pandemic—and more recently, a spike in egg prices—has sent Americans flocking for their own poultry. There were 11 million households with backyard chickens in 2024, up from 5.8 million in 2018, according to the American Pet Products Association. Even U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins recently jumped in, saying she wants to help Americans save money by making it easier to raise their own egg-layers. Aspiring chicken-fanciers face plenty of hurdles. Local regulations often throw up red tape, or neighbors squawk. The birds can have steep startup costs and require diligent care. And good luck finding a pet sitter. In Dallas, personal trainer Betina Gozo Shimonek said raising chickens on her half-acre of land is addicting. She started with four chickens last year to feed her family of five and will soon have over three dozen birds. She said her rooster crows at 6 a.m. but the neighbors don't mind, perhaps because she gives them eggs. On a recent February day, her local farm store was scheduled to receive its first shipment of chicks this year between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Shimonek called at 12 p.m., but by then, they'd sold out. 'They were like, 'It's like Black Friday in here whenever the chicks come,'' she said. On review site Yelp, searches for 'live chickens for sale' and 'chicken coops' were up 559% and 700% in the year between February 2024 and 2025. Kelly Null, a customer service representative at Cackle Hatchery said people start lining up at 6 a.m. outside their Lebanon, Mo., storefront to buy chicks, three hours before opening. 'Yesterday a woman had a lawn chair and a throw,' she said. 'Everyone wants baby chicks.' But when it comes to saving money, chickens aren't all they're cracked up to be. Setting up a coop and chicken run, then raising chicks until they're old enough to start laying is expensive. 'Your first egg costs you about $1,500,' said Ryan Korbar, who runs a farm and teaches poultry-maintenance classes in Rostraver, Pa. Nervous new chicken parents could shell out up to $2,495 for a 'Smart Coop,' a poultry condo equipped with automatic doors and cameras that alert owners via an app when predators like raccoons are nearby. They can activate alarms to scare predators. In Suffield, Conn., Kathy Shea Mormino—who successfully lobbied her town to change its rules to permit backyard chickens over a decade ago—said she's glad to see the hobby taking flight, but advises caution. Unlike pet owners with cats or dogs, finding veterinarians versed in chicken care is hard, she said. Many new poultry enthusiasts also tend to underestimate how much care their birds will require. 'Chickens are not a vending machine that you park in your backyard,' said Mormino, who has written guides to raising chickens. The lure of a more pastoral life, including a brood of hens, encouraged Jillian Willsey to move with her husband and three daughters to central Michigan from a Phoenix suburb three years ago. There were no chickens allowed at her former home, but the family added six birds to their 2-acre Midwest plot. In February, though, the local government ordered her to remove them, saying they weren't permitted on plots smaller than 5 acres, something she hadn't known. She sent the birds to stay with friends and is petitioning for a rule change. 'I honestly did not think it would take such an emotional toll on me,' said Willsey, who said she values knowing where her food comes from. More states have adopted regulations to make it easier to raise backyard chickens, including Arizona and Missouri. Others are considering the matter. 'Feeding yourself is a basic human right,' said Jim DeSana, a Republican state representative in Michigan who has a farm and recently introduced legislation to allow more people to raise backyard chickens. 'There are probably 50-60 ways to eat eggs—in a dish, quiche, scrambled, over easy,' said DeSana, a self-described 'scrambled guy.' Debate over such regulations can get heated: in Tigard, Ore., a recent effort to update urban livestock regulations prompted an outpouring of comments on backyard birds. Many residents said they were delighted by the presence of such flocks, while others said they created rat problems and cited public health concerns. One resident alleged chicken owners were bribing their neighbors with eggs to curry favor. Another circulated photos of dead rats on their property they said had been attracted by chicken feed. Mayor Heidi Lueb said that the city's regulations, which don't limit the number of chickens locals can raise, also allow people to bring complaints over code violations that would cause noise, odor or pest issues. She said the town tries to strike a balance between unnecessarily restricting residents' freedoms and ensuring that they don't have 'full-on farms.' 'And no roosters,' she said. 'That's self-explanatory.' Write to Te-Ping Chen at and Roshan Fernandez at
Yahoo
10-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
MLSD recognizes Lewis, receives finance update
Mar. 10—MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake School District had a regular board meeting Thursday to acknowledge Superintendent Carol Lewis, update on finances, pass several policies and finalize a letter to the superintendent of public instruction and the governor. The district streams its meeting, which can be found at: All document information is located at MLSD board docs account, which can be found at: Lewis At the meeting, the board recognized Lewis for the work she has put into the district after a tumultuous year. Lewis took over the acting superintendent May 14, 2024, after the former superintendent was placed on administrative leave. Then, she was placed into the interim superintendent role June 27 after former Superintendent Monty Sabin resigned. Then, at the Nov. 7 meeting, she was appointed into the permanent superintendent role by the board. "The board would like to recognize our lovely superintendent, Carol and so we thought that we would take the opportunity to thank her for all of her hard work, her reaching out to the community and really just putting herself out there and gathering community support," MSLD Board Chair Kirryn Jensen said. "It really shows what your heart and soul is about." Board member Paul Hill said the district would not be in the improved position it is in without Lewis and all her hard work. He thanked her as both a community member and board member. "I see all the hard work that you're putting in. I think that everything is this may be downplaying it, but it's also true, but it's completely satisfactory," Board Member Ryan Coulston said. "And I say that for a reason, but I just see the hard work you're putting in, and it's paying off. There's always going to be opposing opinions, and I think that that's healthy, and you deal with them well, and you work through it, and you're building community together. You're not a perfect human, and I think that's one of your best traits, is that you work through it." Finances Mitch Thompson, the district's finance director, gave a monthly update to the board about the finances going up to Jan. 2025. In Jan. 2025, $53.9 million or 39.75% of the revenues budgeted have been collected. In 2024, 36.32% had been collected and in 2023 it was 35.25%. Then for expenditures, the district has spent around $52 million or around 38.34% of expenditures budgeted. In 2024, the district had spent 42.65% and in 2023 it had spent 42.7%. Thompson also said this is the first year in the past three years where revenues are over expenditures. This year, the district has around $1.9 million in revenues over its expenditures. In 2024, the district had spent around $9.65 million over its revenues. In 2023, MLSD had spent $11.2 million over its revenues. Policies The board passed three policies at the meeting. The first was setting a policy to allow building staff at the schools to decide on indoor recess based on weather variables. The updated policy will also have notifications sent via District communication platforms, including the website and social media, instead of local radio stations. The board passed the update unanimously. Then, the board passed a policy updating the guidelines for board representatives. The updates included making the legislative representative serve two consecutive years and allowing the board chair or other board designee to handle legislative responsibilities. The board passed the update unanimously during its first reading. The final policy change had to do with budget implementation. The change was on line item F, removing "No involuntary deduction may be made from the wages of a staff member except for federal income tax, social security, medical aid, and state retirement, or in compliance with a court order such as garnishment; and" from the policy. The board passed the update unanimously. Letter The board passed a resolution to send a letter to state Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal and Governor Bob Ferguson. The letter said the district will prevent transgender athletes from participating in girls' sports and it will be updating guidelines around locker rooms and restrooms to align with federal mandates. The letter was written by a concerned citizen and backed by all five members of the board. When asked, district staff were unaware of any transgender students in the district in general or participating in athletics in the district.
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Groff Elem. to be closed remainder of school year
Mar. 7—MOSES LAKE — Groff Elementary will be closed for the remainder of the school year, according to Moses Lake School District Superintendent Carol Lewis at the March 6 regular school board meeting. "What has been done is lots of testing, lots of repairs," Lewis said. "We first have to figure out exactly what the problem is and then make the proper repairs to the building." Groff students have been attending classes from home all week after an electrical problem caused an unidentified person to be shocked on campus. The school was originally planned to be closed March 3 through March 7. "The staff at Groff was amazing. Robbie (Mason, executive director of secondary education) has been supporting them a ton, along with a lot of other people who are not in this room and in this room, and our kids at Groff have been learning from home," Lewis said. "The teachers have gotten materials for them, and that's going as well as could be expected." Students will continue to work from home until a plan is finalized to shift them into other MLSD campuses. Students will be kept in the same grade level and class as that plan is developed, according to Lewis. "Currently, the teachers are working to do remote learning with the kids," Lewis said. "Then plans are being made to relocate classrooms of teachers and students, intact, to other locations around the buildings." The district released a statement saying the details are being finalized with an eye toward transportation, staffing, classroom placements, support services and overall student well-being in mind. The district will have more details in coming days, staff said. Last April, a similar situation happened. MLSD Communications Director Ryan Shannon said the electrical problems are related to contractual issues the district has been working on with the Groff general contractor, Richland-based Fowler General Construction. The nearly $27 million school was paid for by a voter approved bond in 2017. The school opened in September 2021. "We have had some challenges at Groff elementary with an electrical issue, and people probably recall that we had a similar challenge last year, and some fixes were put in place, and it was believed that those were enough to prevent the issues from reoccurring," Lewis said during the meeting. "Well, recently, we had some electrical issues reoccur, and we needed to, for the safety of staff and students, close the building to try to do some more tests to try to figure out what's going on," Lewis said the announcement may be sudden and jarring; however, she thinks it's the most stable option for the students. "It's what we need to do in order to not go through a chaotic cycle that where we would say we'll open it and then we'll need to close it again, and potentially, if issues come about, we're just not certain enough about the safety of that building to have kids in there," Lewis said. "We need to get the construction folks in there to figure out what's going on and to be able to fix it adequately so that we can use the building as intended."
