This page presents specific financial details from the official Moses Lake School District bargaining documents. All numbers are sourced directly from district documents available on the MLSD website.
Three-Year Contract Cost: $8,084,458.65
Year 1 Increase (2024-25): $3,882,709.24
Percentage Increase: Approximately 48% in Year 1
| Item | Status | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Elementary Schedule Restoration (9:30 to 8:30 start) | Discontinued at MLEA request | $2,241,500 |
| Salary Increases | Ratified | $1,534,927.79 |
| TRI/Professional Development | Ratified | $959,983.03 |
| Additional Compensation Items | Ratified | $1,387,798.42 |
Key Context: The district proposed restoring the elementary school schedule to its previous 8:30 AM start time, which would have returned approximately 50 instructional minutes per day to elementary students. This proposal was valued at $2.24 million annually and would have been the single largest expenditure in the contract. The Moses Lake Education Association (MLEA) requested that this proposal be discontinued during negotiations.
According to district documents, the average certificated (teacher) hourly rate is $77.31/hour. To understand what this means:
Teacher Schedule:
Annual Salary Calculation:
$77.31/hour Γ 1,350 hours = $104,368.50 per year
Comparison to Year-Round Work:
A person working year-round (2,080 hours) at the same hourly rate would earn: $160,804.80 per year
Elementary School Schedule: Remains at 9:30 AM start time (no change from previous year)
Instructional Time: Elementary students continue to receive approximately 50 fewer instructional minutes per day compared to the schedule prior to the shortened day implementation
Specialist Programs: Status of PE, music, and library specialist time varies by building and continues under current constraints
Teachers received significant increases in several categories:
These increases address concerns teachers raised about reduced hours and compensation following the implementation of the shortened elementary school day.
District Financial Challenges: Moses Lake School District faced a $20 million budget deficit, which included an $11 million accounting error. These constraints limited what was financially possible.
Teacher Financial Pressures: Teachers experienced real financial pressures when the shortened school day reduced their contracted hours and pay. Many had to adjust their budgets or seek additional work.
Both Sides Operated Under Constraints: These facts don't resolve questions about priorities, but they help explain the difficult choices everyone faced.
The Central Question: The community is discussing whether prioritizing compensation increases over restoring instructional time served students' best interests, and whether alternative approaches were available that could have addressed both teacher compensation concerns and student instructional needs.
All information on this page is drawn from official Moses Lake School District bargaining documents available on the district website. We encourage community members to review these documents directly: