Mrs. Whalen K-34

Mrs. Kilbride has asked that we post this information on our websites. Many
of you have already contacted your local legislators over the past several
months regarding your appreciation of the EITC Program. We truly deserve all
that you have done to voice your concern over proposed cuts. Unfortunately
it is time to take it one step further.

The Bridge Educational Foundation is issuing the statement below and we need
your help. Today please ask everyone you know to contact your local state
legislators with phone calls to both their district and Harrisburg offices,
emails and hand-written, hand-delivered letters to their district offices.

I have pasted the link to the website where you can get their contact
information. Just plug in you zip code in the top right and you will see who
your local legislators are.

http://www.legis.state.pa.us/index.cfm

Bridge Educational Foundation - Oppose the EITC Cuts in HB 1531

Last evening, the Democratic Members of the House Rules Committee, along
party lines, adopted an amendment to HB 1531 that proposes an enormous cut to
Pennsylvania's Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) Program, including a
specific cut to the vital scholarship portion of the Program of $17.38
million.

It is essential for the House of Representatives, which may consider the
legislation as early as today, to understand the impact of this legislation
on more than 15,000 of Pennsylvania's poorest families and children attending
non-public schools, and to overwhelmingly reject this unconscionable piece of
legislation.

House Bill 1531, as amended, will cut the entire EITC Program by $24.75
million (or 33 percent) and will reduce scholarships for children enrolled in
grades K-12 by $14.74 million, as well as, scholarships for children
attending Pre-K schools by an additional $2.64 million. In total, this
proposed $17.38 million cut in EITC scholarships, if adopted, could devastate
the lives of thousands of low-income families and children throughout
Pennsylvania.

In contrast, the amendment only reduces the public school portion of the EITC
Program by less than half of the proposed cut to the non-public scholarship
portion of the Program. In light of the enormous increase agreed to between
budget negotiators for public school subsidy, this proposed allocation of
pain is made even worse.

House Bill 1531 will likely force parents to terminate the current school
year for more than 15,000 of Pennsylvania poorest children. If these children
are forced to enroll in public school, this will come at a significantly
greater cost to Pennsylvania taxpayers in light of the dramatic difference
between the costs to educate a public school children compared to most non-
public schools.

The families of these children make enormous sacrifices to enroll their
children in a non-public school. In some instances, the decision to enroll
their children in a non-public school is based upon a safer educational
environment. In other instances, the decision is based upon a better academic
environment. In all cases, the family decision is based upon what is in the
best interest of the child.

But for the EITC scholarships, these families simply could not continue to
keep their children enrolled in their current school. The pain proposed to be
inflicted by House Bill 1531 is simply unconscionable and, on behalf of the
Bridge Educational Foundation, we urge all House members to oppose this
terrible piece of legislation.

Contact Kelly Gerdes or Natalie Nutt at the Bridge Educational Foundation,
www.bridgeedu.org . 717-214-6792



Kelly Gerdes

Director of Scholarship Programs

Bridge Educational Foundation

P.O. Box 222

Harrisburg, PA 17108-0222

PH: 717-214-6792

FX: 717-214-6797

kelly.gerdes@bridgeedu.org