Civera Announces Plans to Expand Educational Improvement Program during Capitol Rally
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Measure would provide $109 million to support the educational needs of Pennsylvania students
Continuing his longstanding commitment toward supporting the educational needs of Pennsylvania students, Rep. Mario J. Civera, Jr. (R-Delaware) today unveiled a new legislative proposal to increase the state’s commitment to its Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) program to $109 million. The announcement came during a rally at the state Capitol recognizing the sixth anniversary of the program’s creation.
“Supporting our students and their educational needs will always remain a priority for us here in Pennsylvania,” Civera said. “By expanding the existing EITC program, we not only build upon its past success, but move toward creating new opportunities for more of our children.”
Today’s rally was sponsored by the REACH Foundation – an educational-support organization that promotes school choice for young students. More than 2,000 people were in attendance for the event, in addition to several state lawmakers. Civera was among those who spoke.
The EITC program is designed to help support scholarship and educational-improvement organizations by offering tax credits to businesses that choose to contribute to these worthy entities.
Currently, more than 33,000 children benefit from Pennsylvania’s EITC program thanks to the support of 2,300-plus contributing businesses. While many more have expressed interest in participating in recent years, they have been unable to do so because the program’s credit line was already reached.
Under existing law, the EITC program provides $59 million in tax credits to businesses who contribute. Civera’s legislation would nearly double the current EITC program’s threshold – increasing the maximum credit line to $109 Million – and will specifically address scholarship and educational improvement organizations.
In recent years, the EITC program has benefited several local schools and their students. The most notable instance of this program’s impact on the community came in early 2006 when funds donated by local businesses and scholarship monies on behalf of the Bravo Group played an integral role in preventing St. Cyril of Alexandria Elementary School in East Lansdowne from closing.
This story gained national attention after Tommy Geromichalos, a St. Cyril’s student living with Cystic Fibrosis, wrote a letter to the Make-A-Wish Foundation requesting it help save his school from closing. While this daunting task proved to be even more than the Make-A-Wish Foundation’s resources could handle, business donations and contributions via the EITC program helped keep the school open.
“This program has been a great help to everyone here at St. Cyril,” said Sister Barbara Montague, principal at St. Cyril of Alexandria Elementary School. “What better way to support our community than to give back to our children?
“We are very grateful for Representative Civera’s continued support and thankful for all those who have contributed to the EITC program.”
Civera’s legislation to expand the EITC program currently has more than 80 cosponsors and has garnered a great deal of bipartisan support in the state House.
“By expanding the EITC program, we are creating more opportunities for businesses to participate,” Civera said. “This effort will not only benefit our children’s educational needs, but it will help create a greater sense of community among our businesses and local schools.
“I applaud all those who have already contributed through the EITC program and encourage more to offer their support in the future.”