Public Information

Moses Lake School District Finances & Fiscal Challenges

Independent Community Resource | Not Affiliated with MLSD No. 161

Understanding School Finance

2025 Moses Lake School District Budget

Understanding a 165-page school district budget can be overwhelming. We've created tools to help you understand how your tax dollars are allocated and what restrictions apply to different funding sources.

📥 Download Full Budget PDF 🔍 View Interactive Budget Guide

What you'll learn from the Interactive Budget Guide:

  • 🟢 Green: Flexible funds - School board and district have discretion
  • 🟡 Yellow: Partially restricted - Some flexibility within guidelines
  • 🔴 Red: Restricted funds - Must be used for specific mandated purposes
  • 📊 Clear totals and percentages for each funding category
  • 📝 Plain English explanations of complex budget terms

About This Resource

This website provides community members with clear, factual information about Moses Lake School District finances and the fiscal challenges facing public education in Washington State. Our goal is to promote transparency and help citizens understand how public education is funded and the constraints districts face in managing their budgets.

School districts operate under complex state and federal regulations. Different funding sources come with different restrictions on how money can be spent. Understanding these restrictions helps explain why districts make certain budget decisions and why simple solutions like "just move the money around" aren't always possible.

Fiscal Challenges: Like many Washington school districts, Moses Lake faces ongoing challenges including special education costs that exceed state funding, facility maintenance needs, enrollment fluctuations, and balancing competitive staff compensation with limited flexible revenue sources.

Important Disclaimer

This is NOT an official Moses Lake School District website. This site is created and maintained by private citizens as a community service to provide accessible, factual information about school district finances and operations.

This website is not authorized, endorsed, or affiliated with Moses Lake School District No. 161. All information is compiled from publicly available documents and official sources. For official district communications, please visit the district's official website.

Our Purpose: To help community members understand complex school finance information and to replace rumors and hearsay with facts and data.

Our Values: We believe in civil, respectful dialogue. Our schools serve all our children, and we all share responsibility for their success. Regardless of different viewpoints, we must work together as a community to support our students, teachers, and administrators. Let's keep conversations constructive and focused on facts, not personal attacks.