EISTC Program benefits donors, students

Chukwulozia and Vera Okobi’s four daughters have been educated at Christ the King School, Norfolk, and Catholic High School, Virginia Beach, thanks to scholarships from Virginia’s Education Improvement Scholarships Education Program (EISTC). Back row: Chukwulozia, Buka, Som and Vera. Front row: Kaosi and Onyinye. (Family photo)

Has helped provide Catholic education for more than 3,000 children since 2012

 

Virginia’s Education Improvement Scholarships Tax Credit (EISTC) Program has opened the doors to Catholic education in the diocese for more than 3,000 students in low-income families since its establishment in 2012.

The program is beneficial to donors as well. Individuals who donate between $500 and $125,000 to the EISTC Program will receive a state tax credit for 65% of their donation in addition to federal or state tax deductions if they itemize. There is no cap for business donations, said Joyce Schreiber, director of the McMahon Parater Scholarship Foundation, which oversees the program for the diocese.

“It’s a way to make a difference in a big way with very little out-of-pocket cost because the donor gets so much money back in tax benefits,” she said.

A tax credit is like a coupon, Schreiber explained. The amount of the tax credit is subtracted from the amount you owe in taxes. For example, if one has a $100 tax credit, it lowers one’s total tax by $100.

$28 million for Catholic education

About 3,200 students have received scholarships through EISTC over the past 10 years, and most have received it more than once. To be eligible, the student must be a Virginia resident. His or her family’s annual household income may not be more than 300% of the poverty guideline; 400% if the child is disabled. They must be entering kindergarten or first grade unless they attended a Virginia public school for at least half of the current or prior school year, were not Virginia residents during the preceding school year or previously received an EISTC scholarship.

Children in pre-K may also receive the scholarship if they are Virginia residents and financially eligible. They must be 4 years old by Sept. 30, unable to enter Head Start or the Virginia Preschool Initiative and be enrolled in an approved pre-K program like Catholic schools in the diocese.

EISTC will celebrate its 10th anniversary in the coming year and will continue until 2028. Since the state’s General Assembly enacted the program, more than 1,000 individuals have collectively donated funds amounting to almost $28 million for Catholic education in the diocese, Schreiber said, adding that donors can make monetary gifts or transfer stocks without paying the capital gains tax.

The average annual tuition for schools in the diocese is $7,491 for a child in kindergarten through fifth grade, $7,715 for a student in sixth to eighth grade and $12,763 for a high school student, according to Natasha Feher, Office of Catholic Schools data coordinator for the diocese.

Schreiber said EISTC has made a “tremendous difference” in Catholic education in the diocese because families who couldn’t afford it can now send their children to Catholic schools.

‘One of the greatest decisions’

That was true for Chukwulozia and Vera Okobi, whose four children attend diocesan Catholic schools.

Chukwulozia said initially he was daunted by the cost, so he applied for tuition assistance.

“Ever since I did that, that’s one of the greatest decisions I’ve ever made. I have no regrets,” he said.

The total number and amount of each EISTC scholarship per year depends solely on how much money is donated, and foundations are required to distribute donations as scholarships by the end of the following school year. There were 1,206 scholarships averaging $2,690 apiece awarded last school year, Schreiber said. Presently, each of the 30 Catholic schools in the diocese has at least one student receiving the EISTC scholarship.

Patrick Patterson, principal and head of school at Roanoke Catholic School, said EISTC has brought in “hundreds of kids” over the last 10 years. The scholarship also enables previous students to return and helps retain current students. The tax credit program frees other tuition assistance opportunities for families who don’t qualify for it.

He added that enrolling new students from different areas and different ethnicities “brings a wealth of knowledge and information” that the school community wouldn’t have had otherwise.

A Catholic education attracts families because of its strong academics, but the faith component that is interwoven throughout the curriculum is the primary draw, Patterson said. Schreiber said, “Catholic education has proven to be a foundation for success in life.”

“By receiving a Catholic education, the student gets a leg up, if you will, or a chance to exceed, but probably more than anything else, a Catholic school education is in an environment that is supportive and nurturing and faith-based, so it instills values in children that they carry with them their whole lives,” she said.

‘Tremendous gift’

The faith component was integral to Chukwulozia and Vera. Chukwulozia said they transferred their children from public school to Christ the King School, Norfolk, when his oldest daughter, Onyinye, currently a senior at Catholic High School (CHS), Virginia Beach, was in fifth grade because they wanted them to be educated in both academics and religion.

“We wanted them to be a complete person both spiritually and physically,” Chukwulozia said.

Their daughter Kaosi, a fifth grader, said learning “more about Jesus” at Christ the King School prompted her to become an altar server at church. Buka, eighth grader at Christ the King, said she likes the faith component and that “everyone is close to each other and understanding.”

Similarly, Vera said the school communities are “family,” and her daughter Som, a sophomore, described CHS as a “nice community” where “everyone is open” and “respects each other” even if they have “different beliefs.”

Likewise, Onyinye said the CHS community is like a family where everyone knows each other and can “lean on” each other. She said she has “really close, tight-knit friends,” and students in her senior class motivate each other to excel.

“The scholarship has meant a lot to me because it’s really helped me push myself academically and spiritually,” Onyinye said.

Patterson said, the EISTC Program “is a tremendous gift for assisting our families with their tuition investments.”

Editor’s Note: The donation process for the EISTC Program starts with a preauthorization form donors can get from the school or the McMahon Parater Scholarship Foundation. Anyone who would like to donate before the end of the year should email [email protected] to start the process.

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