News

Welcome to ASTOA

Welcome to the premiere edition of the quarterly newsletter of the Arizona School Tuition Organization Association. We represent almost sixty school tuition organizations that handle the education tax credit dollars for over 60,000 donors statewide.

Since the inception of the program, it seems those who are opposed to the education tax credits have been the loudest voices crying out that the sky is falling. We’ve heard the most appalling “facts” born out of thin air by those whose names are looked to as “authorities” in the news, the political arena and in the education establishment here in Arizona. Only occasionally do the Powers That Be get authentic research and feedback from those whose lives are actually being affected by the Private Scholarships Tax Credit. …and that’s about to change!

This newsletter is now OUR voice… those of us in the day to day trenches… telling our story of how the tax credit is assisting families throughout Arizona. In this newsletter we’ll give you an overview of our victories and the challenges we face as we attempt to provide financial
assistance to Arizona’s families seeking educational options.

We’ve come a long way in half a dozen years and have much to be proud of. Donors throughout Arizona gave almost $30 Million dollars last year and STO’s scholarshipped over 20,000 children to the school of their parents’ choosing. That’s the good news! We’re looking forward to sharing that story.

But there’s another story we’ll be sharing. It’s the heart-wrenching stories of the thousands of children still on our waiting lists that we are forced to turn away for lack of funding. These are families desperate for educational options. These are families pleading for assistance rather than return their children to schools plagued by falling academic standards, crime, drugs, a lack of discipline and occasionally even a disregard for the values taught in the home.

This newsletter will highlight the real statistics that we as STO leaders see and deal with on a daily basis. It will give you an up-close view of the tax credits and the good that’s being accomplished and where we’re lacking. It will also, hopefully, put a child’s face on a volatile issue.

I look forward to your feedback. Together we’ll make a difference – one child at a time.