Donate On-line to Phoenix Union Schools by December 31 and Receive a Tax Credit

For the first time, Phoenix Union High School District is accepting Arizona Education Tax Credit donations electronically through the district website via PayPal.

Thousands of students and hundreds of student clubs, sports and other extracurricular activities benefit from donations through the Arizona Education Tax Credit. Donors have until December 31 to donate and receive a dollar-for-dollar tax credit on their 2010 tax returns.

Single taxpayers or a head of household can receive a dollar-for-dollar credit of up to $200 donated, and married couples filing jointly will get a credit of up to $400. The tax credit is available to all taxpayers, not just those with children in public schools.

Visit http://www.phoenixunion.org/taxcredit for more information, including eligible programs per school, and click the “Donate” button to be directed to the PayPal form.

Activities such as sports, band, speech and debate, as well as overnight field trips are not fully funded by school districts, and rely on fees from students. These donations help pay for those fees. Contributions are donated directly to schools, not the state, or school district. The contributions can go to a specific program or to the school’s general account that funds different types of extracurricular activities.

“These are the activities that expand student experiences and learning, whether it is in the arts, athletics, service clubs or academic competitions. At Phoenix Union, there is great need for contributions, since our students and parents don’t have the resources for booster clubs, field trips, sports camps, equipment and other expenses, such as college entrance exams,” district spokesperson Craig Pletenik said. “The untapped resource is that grandparents, aunts and uncles, friends, co-workers and neighbors can also help students they know, or the children who attend a school right in their neighborhood.”

Phoenix Union’s 16 schools collected $314,000 last year, but the amount pales in comparison with more affluent districts. That amount divided among 25,000 students is less than $12 per student.

Contributions can also be mailed to each individual school’s book store, and will be eligible for this year’s tax credit if they are postmarked on or before December 31.

Source: Phoenix Union High School District