SUPERINTENDENT’S

Levy and mill rate

The Ellsworth Community School District Board of Education recently set the tax levy for the 2021-2022 school year. Residents will see a decrease in both the overall school tax levy and mill rate this year. This year’s levy decreased by 2.33% to $9,313,932. The mill rate decreases by 9.34% to $8.06.

A number of factors play into the decrease in the overall levy. A large factor is the current State of Wisconsin education funding passed this past summer. The plan focused heavily on using the federal COVID relief funds to fund schools for the next two years while also providing for property tax relief. Due to this, schools did not see increases in revenue limits and other elements that are primary drivers of school funds at the local level while local property taxes decreased in many cases._ As noted, the local mill rate is also once again dropping. The mill rate is the rate in which residential property is taxed per $1,000 of value. With the local levy decreasing and property values increasing at a rate higher than the state average, the local mill rate continues to drop._This year’s levy and mill rate decrease is largely representative of the recent trend for the district. Below is information that shows a recent history of the levy and mill rate levels for the district. _

Year Local Levy Mill Rate

2021-2022 $9,313,932 $8.06 2020-2021 _ _ $9,535,774 $8.89 2019-2020 $9,629,882 $9.49 2018-2019 $9,611,716 $10.09 2017-2018 $9,716,975 $10.73

BY ELLSWORTH SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT BARRY CAIN