Rhode Island bill would give tax breaks for scholarship donations

Published: 2004-01-30

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (CNS) -- A scholarship tax credit bill that is being considered this year in Rhode Island would save the state and its cities and towns money, according to Bruce Daigle, director of the Rhode Island Catholic School Parents Federation. Under the proposed legislation, individuals and businesses could contribute money to a nonprofit scholarship assistance organization and receive a state tax credit for their donations. The scholarship organizations would disburse the funds to low- and middle-income students to enable them to enroll in nonpublic schools. For every child who attends a nonpublic school instead of a public school, local municipalities save up to $10,000 per pupil, depending on the school district, and subsequently this saves the state education aid, Daigle told The Providence Visitor, newspaper of the Providence Diocese. "These tuition assistance grants are going to save enormous amounts of money, especially for urban communities," he said, where public schools are already overcrowded. He also said that the grants would "take some pressure off the state for aid to education across the board."

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