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TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Catholic Education Foundation has raised more than half a million dollars under a new state program to help children from low-income families attend private schools in northeast Kansas.
The foundation's Adrienne Runnebaum said 65 to 70 children will receive needs-based scholarships to switch to schools in the Archdiocese of Kansas City this year. Most of the children are elementary or middle-school-aged in Wyandotte County, Topeka, Ottawa and Leavenworth, and include 23 to 25 children who otherwise would have attended Topeka Unified School District 501, The Topeka Capital-Journal reported (http://bit.ly/1PgkAo3 ).
"We're excited to make this a reality for the families," said Runnebaum, whose foundation is based in a Kansas City, Kansas.
The tax credit program for corporations took effect this year, allowing some businesses to donate money for low-income children to attend private schools. The donations have to go to approved nonprofit organizations, which put it toward scholarships. The state later gives the donors tax credits worth 70 percent of their gifts, with a statewide annual cap of $10 million in tax credits.
Three anonymous donors who contributed $521,000 to the Catholic Education Foundation for scholarships will be able to subtract $364,700 from their corporate income tax, privilege tax or premium tax bills as a result.
Patrick Woods, president of the Topeka Board of Education, disapproves of the program, saying there's little difference between that and the states that dole out private school vouchers directly — and now face legal challenges as a result.
Woods said Kansas should give public schools more resources to help struggling children, much like a doctor would administer medicine to an ailing patient.
"Instead, we're going to empty out the medicine cabinet," he said.
Michael Morrisey, executive director of the Catholic Education Foundation, says the tax credit program serves low-income families who can't afford an alternative to public school.
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Information from: The Topeka (Kan.) Capital-Journal, http://www.cjonline.com
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