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Councilman Greg Stanton's
Arcadia News Column
November 2000
Too often we hear about our public schools being forced to eliminate after-school activities and extracurricular programs due to budget constraints. If you are as concerned about public education as I am, you will be interested in learning more about the Education Tax Credit program and how you can give back to your local schools.
Through the Education Tax Credit program, individuals and married couples can donate up to $200 to a public school to support an extracurricular activity. This donation is a tax credit, not simply a tax deduction. Accordingly, you get a dollar-for-dollar credit on your state income tax.
Schools can use the funds for extracurricular activities such as reading programs, band instruments, field trips or sports. The program started in 1998, and more than 74,000 donors contributed nearly $9 million. Last year, 107,000 donors gave more than $14 million.
According to Principal Margaret Serna, Arcadia's Tavan Elementary School is using tax credit funds to help pay for the after-school reading and math club, tutoring programs, the Chess Club, an intervention reading program, the Soccer Club, and a new program called Odyssey of the Mind, where kids will conduct hands-on science experiments and other projects.
Arcadia's Ingleside Junior High School also has benefited from the Education Tax Credit and supports field trips, extracurricular activities and the band program with funds raised.
Statistics confirm that the hours from the end of the school day to early evening are the hours that kids tend to get into trouble. Providing meaningful after-school activities help keep kids headed in the right direction. The Education Tax Credit is a terrific way to show your support for our public schools.
For more information about the program, call any local school or my office at (602) 262-7491 or e-mail me at gstanton@ci.phoenix.az.us.
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