Frequently Asked Questions and Answers!

School Taxes

Q:  Who pays school taxes?

A:  All property owners in the school district pay the tax.  This includes both commercial and residential property.

Q:  Do renters or people who lease a property pay school tax?

A:  No.  The property owner pays the tax.

Q:  I live in Chester, why do I pay Monroe-Woodbury school taxes?

A:  The school district boundary does not follow the same boundaries as our town and village boundaries.  It is our understanding that school district boundaries are drawn up by the state.  This is an area which we will be looking into further.

Q:  What does all the information on my tax bill mean?

A:  See an anatomy of a tax bill for more information.

Q:  How many bonds are we currently paying on?

A:  12 as of today, January 3, 2004; with one more due this year because of the almost $6M deficit.

Q:  What are the current bonds?

A:  Listed below with amounts and term (if known...please give us feedback if you know the answers)

• New High School; bonded in 1997 for 30 years.  Amount:  $47,500,000
• Sapphire Elementary School; $6,210,000; in 1994 for 20 years
• Middle School Addition; $8,391,200; in 2001 for 20 years
• Energy Project #1; $931,848; in 1997 for 10 years
• Energy Project #2; $2,789,043; in 2002 for 15 years
• High School - Finish 4th floor; $8,000,000¹; in 2002 for 20 years
• High School - New Gym and Cafeteria; $8,000,000¹; in 2002 for 20 years
• Bus Bond 98-99; $906,000; for 5 years
• Bus Bond 99-00; $962,000; for 5 years
• Bus Bond 00-01; $1,049,000; for 5 years
• Bus Bond 01-02; $1,106,000; for 5 years
• Bus Bond 02-03; $1,235,000; for 5 years
• Bail Out Bond²; $5,777,764; in 2004 for 10 years

    ¹.  Both HS Projects were combined into one $16,000,000 bond even though they were presented to the voters as two issues.
    ².  The district prefers the title of Deficit Reduction.

Q:  Who is on the Board of Education (BOE)?

A:  The BOE members are:
Claire Perez -President
Theresa Budich -Vice-President
Paul Belnick
Catherine Cevoli
Bob Curtis
Elizabeth Levine
Jon Huberth
Susan A. Lofstedt
Camille Mulkeen

Q: How can I contact a BOE member?

A:  You can contact the BOE by emailing evarian@mw.k12.ny.us and stating in the subject line and body that it is for which board member you want to write to. Ask them to reply so you know they got it.  You may call 460-6200 and select the Superintendent's office to talk with Mrs. Varian.  Tell her you would like a board member to contact you.

Fax your letters to (845) 928-9337.  Make sure your subject reads:  Communication to the Board of Education.

School Finances

Q:  Someone contacted us and told us that they believed that the school district pays the employee portion of Social Security and Medicaid Taxes.  So we checked it out so you don't have to!

A:  According to John Staiger, Assistant Superintendent for Business and Management Services, the district does not pay the employee portion for any single employee or group of employees in the district.  The district does pay the employer portion as required by law.  NOTE:  Social Security tax is 15.3% of the first $87,900 of wages.  Half of this is paid by the employee and half by the employer.  The proposed budget for SY 04-05 shows the district will pay $3,891,752 in it's half of the Social Security tax (up about 4.5% from this year) and $891,695 in Medicaid tax (also up about 4.5% from this year.)  Find out more about Social Security at their website.

Monroe-Woodbury in the News

Q:  Where can I find articles about this district?

A:  Right here at CTMW!  See our M-W in the news page.

Send mail to webmaster@ctmw.org with questions or comments about this web site.
Last modified: 10/21/07