CHARTER SCHOOL RELIES ON TAX CREDIT
Think of Mountain Oak School as the little
school that can. Over its short 7-year history, Mountain Oak School
has continued to excel while earning a state Department of Education
rating as a fine performing public school. This year MOS received
the highest MAP (Measured Annual Progress) progress scores in
Prescott. It’s a record to be proud of, but one that doesn’t
come easily. The reason: The school relies heavily on donations
and volunteerism to make up a sizable gap in state funding.
As with district schools, Mountain Oak School relies on the Arizona
Public School Tax Credit program to enhance its educational offerings,
especially with handcrafts, music and art programs. Now is the
time you can help the school to continue to make a difference
in the community and it won’t cost donors a dime to give
through this program.
Under the tax credit program, every dollar you give to the school
–up to $300 for couples, $200 for single filers and $150
for married couples filing separate returns-will come back to
you in a dollar-for-dollar credit on your Arizona state income
tax. This means your state income tax liability will be reduced
by the full amount of your contribution. Any money you donate
by December 31 will either be credited toward your state tax bill
for 2005 or carried forward for five years against any future
state tax obligations. To make the financial incentive even more
attractive, you can claim the donation as a deduction on your
federal income tax if you itemize deductions.
Sound too good to be true? A lot of people think so, but Mountain
Oak School really does rely on the money to supplement its educational
offerings. Unlike district schools, charter schools like Mountain
Oak don’t receive funding through property tax, and the
typical charter school receives 20 percent to 25 percent less
in state funds than the district schools. So, as one can see,
the tax credit goes a long way toward helping. Despite Mountain
Oak’s success over the last seven years, as a charter school
we can be dogged by misconceptions. Here’s the real scoop:
*MOS is not a private school. Most of its funding comes from
the state.
*The school is not “exclusive.” It is open to all,
as long as there is space.
*There is no tuition. That means it’s just as free to attend
as the district schools.
*It is not part of the school district. It must nevertheless follow
the same state and federal laws and mandates the district schools
do.
For these reasons, the more people who know the benefits of the
tax credit, the easier it is for the charter school to ask for-and
receive-donations. Once again, I want to thank everyone who has
contributed thus far, and encourage those who have not had an
opportunity yet to make that donation by December 31.
- Merrill Badger, Principal
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Happenings:
Wednesday, November 16th is the sixth grade
parent meeting from 6:00 to 7:30 pm.
November 18th is our morning tea garden,
see you there.
Friday, November 18th after school, 7th
& 8th grade Craft & Popcorn Sale.
Friday, November 18th is our All School
Assembly at 6 pm at Mile High Middle School.
Next week, Wednesday, November 23rd through
Sunday the 27th is our Thanksgiving Break! Enjoy.
TAX CREDIT HELP!
Please take part in this worthy program to help
your school financially this year!
Online Credit Form (277Kb PDF)
You
need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader to view this document.
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Plan Ahead for ½ Days in December!
Aftercare is available the week of December 5th through the 9th
only until 3:00 p.m. This is the week of half-days for Parent/Teacher
conferences and we are not staffed enough to handle the extra
amount of children. To make up for this shortfall, our 7/8 grade
class is offering to baby-sit, and it’s less expensive!
You may contact them directly to arrange times (refer to the ad
in this Tuesday for names and phone numbers). Please forgive any
inconvenience this may cause. If you have any questions, please
contact Dianne at 541-7700.
Lunch Ideas This Week
- Peanut butter on Wasa crackers.
- Organic carrots and Ranch
- Blueberry & Cream Cheese on whole grain bagel
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Happy Chicken's Eggs for Sale
Buy fresh eggs to help the 7th/8th grade raise funds for the
class trip.
The eggs are from cage free, happy and plump hens.
The eggs are $2.00 a dozen
or $1.00 half a dozen.
Contact Silver at 928-649-1028
or River at 776-1502.
Tea Garden is Back!
Fridays, 7:45am-8:30am
(Students must purchase before 8:07am so they can be ready for
class )
See You There
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