Arizona Corporate Income Tax Credit Provides Student Tuition Scholarships
For Forms and Information Please Visit www.csnaz.org : Children's Scholarship Network of Arizona, Inc.
Dear Business Leader,
As a business leader myself, an involved Arizona citizen and a member of a local Education Sub-Committee I know the important role that education has in our communities, state, country and social development. You also know, through various articles and personal experiences that education in the United States faces many issues such as: illiteracy, high drop out rates, and woefully inadequate resources and support. The future of our kids, our communities and our nation depends on the commitment that we all make toward the education and development of our children.
Confident that you share in that conviction, I am encouraging your corporation's participation in the Arizona Corporate Income Tax Credit program. Because of this and other programs Arizona has become the nation's leader in school choice opportunities. Arizona's Corporate Income Tax Credit allows C corporations to direct a contribution to a qualified School Tuition Organization (STO) and, at the same time, receive a dollar-for-dollar credit on their Arizona state tax liability. There is no maximum amount that a corporation can contribute, but the program is capped at $12 million for this fiscal year 2008. Currently there still remains an opportunity to fund over $5 million of tuition scholarships for deserving children.
The Corporate Income Tax Credit requires the School Tuition Organization (STO) to distribute no less than 90% of the corporate contributions to provide educational tuition scholarships to low income families, whose students must be switching from a public school to a private school, or entering into a Kindergarten program. Proponents of the 2006 Arizona law wanted to give tax credits to encourage private school tuition grants to reduce overcrowded public schools, burdened public school budgets and unacceptable student/teacher ratios in the public school system, and equally importantly to give low income families access to private schools.
I urge you to become part of the school choice movement in Arizona by redirecting your corporations state income tax liability for the benefit of students attending Sahuarita Christian Academy.
Background of SCA: SCA was founded as an Arizona Non-Profit 501c(3) Corporation in 2005 by David & Lupita Lyon for the purpose of providing a private education to children and young people between the ages of 4-through-18. SCA is a very unique private school that is located in Sahuarita, Arizona just 15 minutes South of Tucson, Arizona on I-19 just a few minutes North of Green Valley, Arizona. From the very beginning SCA was established as an independent private Christian urban school whose goal was to serve children and families on a non-discriminatory basis regardless of income, race, origin, gender or religion in its admission and education policies. Since opening its new campus last year SCA has seen its enrollment double every semester. SCA currently has 140 students attending grades K-12 with an additional 110 students currently on its wait list. The demographics of SCA’s student enrollment consist of Hispanic, Native American, Asian, African American, Russian, Anglo, etc. Approximately 85% of SCA’s students have transferred in from public school districts located in Sahuarita, Green Valley, Amado, Corona de Tucson, Vail and Tucson. In addition, up to 90% of these student families are classified as low-income families per the Arizona Corporate Income Tax Tuition Credit Law guidelines. SCA has opened its doors to these children and their families in anticipation of receiving a donation from an Arizona corporate donor who had transferred a portion of their 2007 Arizona corporate income tax. However, to date this has not happened largely due to the current turmoil in the world stock markets and the rapidly changing business environment as some companies have seen their profits turn into losses. SCA currently has 100+ students attending its K-12 campus that are in need of a tuition tax credit scholarship. The Arizona Corporate Income Tax Tuition Credit program currently has an opening for as much as $6.6 million and SCA has tuition outstanding for this school year of 2008-09 in excess of $600 thousand. SCA's goal is to offer its students a multi-year scholarship if the necessary funding is made available.
Please carefully consider providing a quality private education to children and their families who want access to a private education which provides a highly accredited academic curriculum, safe environment and character development. Without your help they simply do not have a choice! Thank you for giving these children and their families a choice that will positively impact their future.
Respectfully,
David Lyon
Executive Director, Sahuarita Christian Academy
(520) 481-6905 Direct, dlyon@sahuarita-sca.org