Programs help kids leave poorly ranked schools to go elsewhere

There’s an initiative through the commonwealth that gives businesses a tax break for helping fund school tuition for students.

Through the Education Improvement Tax Credit and Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit programs managed by the state Department of Economic Development, the School Choice program allows businesses to obtain tax credits in exchange for donating money to students who leave low-achieving schools in the commonwealth to get educated elsewhere.

Those scholarship funds are given to qualified students to attend a school of their choice outside of the school district where they reside.

It’s different than a term many educators call “school of choice,” which allows eligible students at a public school district to attend a different school within the district than the school originally assigned to them in their geographical area.

A low-achieving school is defined by the commonwealth as a public elementary or secondary school ranked in the bottom 15 percent of its designation based on combined math and reading scores on the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment.

There’s only one school in the area that serves students who live in Centre County considered “low-achieving.”

Bucktail Area Middle and High School is a secondary school in the Keystone Central School District in Clinton County, which also serves students who live in Curtin and Liberty townships.

It’s been on the low-achieving list since at least the 2013-14 school year, according to documents from the state.

A call was not returned after attempting to reach school administrators.

However, there are six schools in Centre County eligible to take in students.

Those schools are Faith Christian Academy, Nittany Christian School, Our Lady of Victory Catholic School, St. John the Evangelist School, St. Joseph’s Catholic Academy and State College Friends School.

This school year, St. Joe’s has 33 students who were qualified for the EITC program, and one student eligible through the OSTC program.

The EITC program provides tax credits to eligible businesses contributing to a scholarship organization, an educational improvement organization and/or a prekindergarten scholarship organization, according to the state.

The OSTC program provides tax credits to eligible businesses contributing to an opportunity scholarship organization that provides tuition assistance to eligible students residing within the boundaries of a low-achieving school to attend another public school outside of their district or nonpublic school.

“We work with local businesses as much as we can and have material that promotes this and shows how it helps families afford our education,” Principal Chris Chirieleison said.

St. Joe’s offers college preparatory education with a focus on faith, scholarship, leadership and service.

“They’re (the students) coming into a school with a positive climate, where we can help them develop and cultivate skills as a leader, and get more personalized attention,” Chirieleison said.

The Boalsburg-based private school has 145 students, with average class sizes of about 12.

This year’s tuition costs $6,950 with an additional $250 technology and activity fee that helps fund the school’s one-to-one iPad program.

“The cost of education is higher than our tuition so these help close the gap,” Chirieleison said. “We charge just about half of what it costs (to educate) a student. … Simply, there are programs that help with affordability so families have a choice where they send their child to school and make it possible.”

The School Choice program is in its 15th year, with a mission, according to a report from the state, to improve the commonwealth’s education system.

“By creating a marketplace for education, we’re providing the means for students to receive an education on a level playing field and all schools the chance to improve,” said Rep. Jim Christiana, R-Beaver County. “I believe you shouldn’t have to win the ZIP code lottery to have access to a quality education.”

Christiana, according to his office, authored and secured passage for the OSTC program geared specifically for low-income families living in school districts that rank in the bottom 15 percent.

To date, more than 500,000 scholarships have been awarded to students statewide, offering an alternative solution to improving education.

The program was expanded by about $25 million in July though Christiana’s 2016 Act 86 house bill.

This story was originally published September 17, 2016 at 11:35 PM with the headline "Programs help kids leave poorly ranked schools to go elsewhere."