There are nine members of the Ellenville Board of Education — nine men and women elected by the voters of the school district — who are charged with overseeing the affairs of the Ellenville Schools. It is the school board that hires a superintendant, and they also sign off on all other hires for the district. It is the school board that must examine the budget for the school district. As noted in previous articles, the school budget is the largest expense that taxpayers in the district face. So, for everyone who pays local taxes in Ellenville and the Town of Wawarsing, the views of the members of the school board are of considerable importance.

In light of the report by the Center for Research, Regional Education and Outreach (CRREO) at SUNY New Paltz that was published last fall, many of the board members offered their opinions and views concerning the current tax situation in the district, as well as the possibilities for tax increases to make up the deficit left by Governor David Patterson's proposed cuts to school aid.

The CRREO report established that residents of the Village of Ellenville were paying twice as much property tax as others in Ulster County.

School Board President Carolyn Kuhlmann has been on the board for 12 years, is in her fourth term, has been president of the board for ten of those years, and is up for re-election in 2010. Before her time on the board, she was a teacher in the Ellenville Schools for many years.

Asked if she had read the CRREO report, she said. "Yes, I have. Those figures are a snapshot of two years ago when we had a lot of senior teachers who had served here a long time and were at maximum salary levels. Many of them have since retired, so I'm not sure that we still have the highest-paid teachers."

Kuhlmann noted that taxpayer frustration is directed at school taxes because the school budget is the only one that taxpayers get to vote on. "If people were allowed to vote on town and country property taxes, then you might see an entirely different situation. People have a tendency to express their anger about taxation in the one place they can vent, the school budget vote.

"The school board is very conservative in fiscal terms. In recent years we have passed budgets with zero increases in taxes and in 2007-8 we actually cut 1% from the tax levy. We spend a considerable amount of time going over the school budget. Starting in February, we will be meeting for workshops on the budget as well as the regular board meetings. Those meetings are all open to the public."

Chan Rivera has been on the board for four years and is up for reelection in 2011. He was a fire commissioner in Napanoch for fifteen years. "I enjoy the school board work. It is a challenge. We have to keep the educational level for the students as high as we possibly can."

Asked about the possibility of raising taxes due to the problems arising from the cuts in state aid, he said, "We have to look at what's available…have to examine all our options. We can't promise people everything, but I know very well that I have to see what's good for the taxpayers. Look what's out there, the economy is shot. Taxpayers are getting strangled. In the end, it's going to be difficult, but we have to do the right thing."

Ernest Bollin has been on the board for almost 15 years. Currently, he is not contemplating running again. "I'm not sixteen anymore," he said. "It's not an easy job, sitting on the school board. You try to do your best for the students, of course, but you have to remember the taxpayers. The students represent the future of our country and we have to keep that in mind. [Superintendant Lisa] Wiles does a fine job, and so does this school board."

As for possible tax increases, he said, "At this point I don't really know. But everyone can be assured that we will do the best we can. We have in the past, and we will again."

If there was one thing he would like to see, it would be more public participation. "People should be more informed as to what is taking place, both at the local level and the national level."

Ray Mathews has been on the board for 10 years now and is up for reelection on 2010. He said, "We have a dynamite district, the great majority of our personnel truly care about the students."

As to the cost of that district, he said, "If there are high-paid educators in our district, there are just as many underpaid educators. We also have students with tremendous needs."

Mathews said that the Ellenville School Board is a "very responsible board that has always looked to the future and has always tried to hire the highest-quality educators, while at the same time trying to protect taxpayers. For example, the board has never let the physical structure get so out of condition that it needed major work and money to repair."

Regarding the tax situation in Ellenville, he was blunt. "We have to have a [property tax] revaluation. What I feel is going to happen is that there will eventually be a mandated revaluation for the town and at the same time the state funding for it will dry up.

"I have a friend who has had a house here for 40 years. It's the same value as mine, but he pays 25 percent of the taxes that I pay. I think a revaluation would go a long way to get everyone's budget in line, because everyone would be assessed fairly."

Bob Oehme has been on the board for four years and is up for reelection in 2011. Regarding taxes, he said, "My goal is twofold. First of all, to make sure our kids continue to get the best education they can; the second goal is to keep tax increases as low as possible."

Oehme wishes that politicians at the state and federal level would stop passing unfunded mandates down to the local level. "Who do they think is going to end up paying for them?" he said, "the local taxpayers, of course."

Tony Percoco has been on the board for 20 years, and was a teacher in Ellenville before that since 1951, when he started out teaching fifth grade. He will be leaving the board in 2009. "I've given it my best shot and I'm leaving at a time when, in spite of the difficult economy, I feel the school itself is in very good shape."

He noted that "the board spends many hours reviewing the budget. [Superintendant] Lisa Wiles is outstanding, in my estimation. I've seen quite a few superintendants and I think she's a lady of integrity and honesty. She's on top of the budget."

As far as the taxes are concerned, he said, "Dissolve the village and that will deal with 50% of the problem. Then you have to have a revaluation."

Iris Friedman is in her ninth year on the board and is up for reelection in 2009. Discussing the upcoming negotiations with the teachers over a new contract she said, "I haven't polled the teachers about what they expect. We're working now in extremely unusual circumstances, different from anything that anyone has experienced before. To have an $880,000 cut in school aid is something no one has dealt with before. But really, I'm more concerned about the budget right now than about the teachers. That's the more pressing issue for us."

And taxes? "I can't really tell you about that until we work out the budget. One thing I would like would be more public participation. People have always been welcome to the workshop meetings, and if they came, they could see for themselves where the money's going in the school budget and how it's spent."

COMMENTS about this article (49)