A lot of folks like to complain about their taxes and the job performance of their elected officials. For proof of this, look no further than the Journal's own online forum, as it's rife with kvetching and crying about how difficult it is to manage the enormous tax burden heaped upon residents by the village, town, county, and school.

Well, on May 19, residents within the Ellenville Central School District will have the opportunity to vote on the new budget, with a 2 percent raise in the tax levy, and to vote for three seats on the school board. They will finally have their chance to make their voices heard, and to have an influence on how much they'll be paying in taxes.

Or will they?

The sad truth is that, yet again, there are only four candidates running for three seats. In a school district this large, which costs its residents so much in taxes, it's pathetic to see how few people are willing to throw their hats into the ring to participate in the school board process. For all the people who say that the area's children are the most important aspect of the community, and for all the people who say that the school's taxes are too high, there are very few of those same people who actually want to do something about it.

Worse still, no one seems to even care about the candidates who did manage to muster the energy to run for the board. Tuesday's NAACP-hosted Meet the Candidates night at the Trudy Resnick Farber Building couldn't even be called 'poorly attended' — it was not attended. Three members of the NAACP appeared, with one current school board member making his way to the meeting as it drew to a close. Where was everybody else? Was everyone working late on Tuesday? Was there something really good on television? Is American Idol really that much more interesting than the future of your school district, and your tax bills?

And, not to beat a dead horse, but why is it that a public hearing on a proposed Walmart (also held on a Tuesday) can draw upwards of a hundred people each month? These meetings may be public hearings, but no matter what they say, the public can't actually affect any kind of policy change, and can only speak their minds. Is the burden of responsibility too great to bear? Is ensuring a nearby location for purchasing socks and groceries really that much more important than the school board?

It's a perennial problem. You have a situation that everyone seems to believe cries out for change — a bloated budget and over-taxation — yet the one chance where the public has an opportunity to make a difference, there's complete and total apathy.

We say that the community cares about its kids, but when it comes time to prove that care, the residents of the Ellenville Central School District fail the test. Let's hope this is a civics lesson we don't teach to those kids we say we care about so much.

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