The new budget has come in at $43,202,318, which is an increase of $2,683,982 — or 6.6% — over last year's $40,518,336. Of the $43 million budget, taxpayers' share of the cost has risen only 3.57%; the proposed tax levy this year is $19,565,712, $674,891 more than last year's levy of $18,890,821. Essentially, this makes taxpayers responsible for 45% of the total school budget, with the remaining 55% of the revenue coming from state and federal aid, tax abatement, and other revenues and tax items.

According to Lisa Wiles, Ellenville Central School District's Superintendant, there are 4,970 taxpaying properties in the town of Wawarsing, with 39 in Rochester, and 980 in Mamakating, for a combined total of 5,989 taxpaying entities, which include residences and businesses alike. The average tax bill under the proposed budget for one property is $3,267. Please note that this figure does not take average property value into account — since a homeowner's property value determines how much the owner pays in school taxes, many taxpayers may pay less than the aforementioned average.

A newsletter mailed out by Ellenville Central School District discusses the tax rate increase, and how the tax rate works: "The tax rate increase this year is due to escalating costs and fewer revenue sources." The newsletter goes on to explain that "a home located in the town of Wawarsing with a market value of $100,000 is estimated to be taxed at 1,1004.54 per thousand or $1,757.63 — an increase of $60.64 over last year." It offers figures for both Rochester and Mamakating that show an increase of $60.63 over last year.

So where does taxpayer money go? How are tax funds broken down and distributed throughout the district? Of the proposed budget, the three items with the highest dollar values over the rest seem to have a significant impact on the overall total: salaries and benefits, BOCES, and transportation, which have increased by 5.4%, 19.6%, and 22.1%, respectively, and account for about 66% of the total amount paid for by taxpayers.

Salaries rose from $13,844,780 to $14,434,201, while benefits climbed from $8,130,024 to $8,726,921. The combined salary and benefits total is $23,161,122, of which taxpayers will pay $10,422,504. This total accounts for 53% of the total school tax levy, and the salary and benefits increases can be attributed to the school's contract obligations to the teachers union.

BOCES went from $2,734,039 last year to $3,270,952, and transportation rose from $2,069,624 to $2,527,223, an increase likely resulting from the skyrocketing costs of fuel. Taxpayers will wind up paying $1,471,928 for BOCES and $1,137,250 for transportation; each item accounts for 7% and 5.8% of the budget, respectively. Should the budget not receive enough votes to pass, the contingency budget will be adopted, which comes in at $42,875,466 and is $326,852 — 0.7% — less than the proposed budget. Superintendant Lisa Wiles says that the last time a budget was not passed was eleven years ago in 1997, when New York State changed the laws on how school boards must present the proposed budget. Prior to 1997, budgets weren't compiled into one comprehensive document, and each portion of the budget would have to be passed individually, says Wiles.

As for why the contingency budget is so close in number to the one proposed, Wiles says that it speaks to the conservative eye the school board took to this year's budget.

"It reflects the board's commitment to keeping it as low as possible," says Wiles of the budget and its small increase in tax levy percentage.

Wiles also credits the school board's conservative spending practices with why every budget in the past decade has been passed.

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