Jamie Frederick, Investment Advisor for PNC Wealth Management, recently presented a $2,000 check to John Lasher of the Warren Forest Higher Education Council. The funds, comprising Educational Improvement Tax Credits, will be used to support programs of the School to Work Partnership.
Since 2008, Pennsylvania companies have provided over $150 million in support of education across the Commonwealth, using the Educational Improvement Tax Credit. As an approved Educational Improvement Organization, Warren Forest Higher Education Council is eligible to receive these funds.
"A number of our business partners throughout Warren County have taken advantage of this opportunity to keep their tax dollars here instead of sending them to Harrisburg," noted Joan Stitzinger, executive director of the Higher Education Council. "This program enables companies to support us directly with tax dollars. That is especially important since state budgets continue to reduce the level of funding we receive."
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School to Work support
Jamie Frederick of PNC Bank, left, presented a check, comprising Educational Improvement Tax Credits, to John Lasher, School to Work Coordinator of the Warren Forest Higher Education Council. The funds will be used to support School to Work Partnership Programs.
According to Frederick, who currently serves as the Chair of the School to Work Partnership's Steering Committee, PNC Bank takes advantage of this tax credit to provide support to organizations wherever it has a presence. "We view this as good citizenship and we are happy to support organizations such as the Hi-Ed Council in Warren and organizations like it in other communities we serve."
The School to Work Partnership provides innovative programs that educate students from Kindergarten through high school about the workplace, and helps them make plans for post-secondary education, training and employment. Programs are administered by John Lasher, School to Work Coordinator who works closely with business partners and the Warren County School District to achieve the Partnership's goals - helping young people realize their potential and find meaningful and satisfying careers.
Pennsylvania made history by becoming the first state to pass an education tax credit for corporations. The Educational Improvement Tax Credit provides companies with a 75-percent tax credit for donations to a non-profit Scholarship or Educational Improvement Organization. The tax credit increases to 90-percent if the company commits to making the same donations for two consecutive years. A business paying taxes in Pennsylvania can receive up to $300,000 in tax credits annually. The legislature recently increased the amount of EITC credits available to companies annually.
For more information on the EITC, go to www.newpa.com. For more information about the programs of the Hi-Ed Council and the School to Work Partnership, go to www.hi-ed.org.