Arizona law (A.R.S. 43-1089.01) allows taxpayers to receive a tax credit of up $200 for an individual or a head of household or $400 for a married couple filing a joint return for donations to public school districts. All Arizona taxpayers are eligible: you do not have to have children within the school district to benefit from this law nor do you have to live in the school district where you make your donation. Most important, it is not just a deduction, it’s a tax credit – it reduces what you owe in state taxes, dollar-for-dollar.
For small rural districts such as Patagonia and other public school districts in Santa Cruz County, these donations are crucial to extra-curricular activities such as sports, music and the arts as well as specialty programs.
At the Patagonia Schools, donations can be designated for high school or middle school athletics, the band, the swimming pool, the FFA program, or student CPR Training. Donors can also stipulate that the school applies their donations to the area of greatest need. Donations can also be designated for a specific child’s participation in an extracurricular activity. Undesignated funds are disbursed by the school’s Site Council, a committee comprised of community residents, school employees and parents.
The Extracurricular Tax Credit form can be downloaded from the school’s website at http://www.patagonia. k12.az.us/. Checks should be written payable to Patagonia Public Schools. For questions or further information about the Extracurricular Tax Credit, call the school at (520) 394-3000.