Athletics, Extracurricular Activities, Fees, and Tax Credits

In the December 9, 2016 edition of the Falcon Focus, I shared information about the Arizona Public School Tax Credit and the importance of these contributions to the District's operations and financial well-being.  I'll be repeating some of that information today while addressing the issue of athletic fees and extracurricular activities.

Our goal is to fund ALL extracurricular activities, from athletics to  Academic Decathlon to robotics to Homework Club, from non-Maintenance and Operations (M&O) sources. M&O constitutes the bulk of our operating budget and is formula-driven by school finance legislation. Almost 90% of that allocation goes to support salaries and benefits for our employees. We have adjusted our salary schedule to be more competitive with surrounding districts in terms of attracting and retaining great teachers and we want to maintain that competitive position moving forward. To do that, we need to not tap into our M&O budget to fund athletics and other extracurricular activities but rather grow our non-M&O revenue, which comes primarily from gifts, donations, and tax credit contributions.

Earlier this year, at my request, athletic director Mike Briguglio met with site councils and other groups to gather input and share information about our athletic fee structure. He provided a preliminary report to the governing board in November and we continued to have conversations with groups and individuals about the possibility of raising those fees, which have been unchanged for 10 years.  To say the prospect of raising athletic fees went over like the proverbial lead balloon would be kind.  Based on feedback we received, I will NOT be recommending an increase in those fees for next year.

That said, the need to raise additional dollars in order to fund athletics and other extracurricular activities separate from our M&O budget remains.  The easiest and most timely way to do that is to better leverage and take advantage of the Public School Tax Credit, which is available to  all individuals who pay taxes in the state of Arizona.   There is no requirement that a contributor has a child in one of our schools, so this tax credit is available to all taxpayers.  Here's a link to more information about the Public School Tax Credit:  AZ Public School Tax Credit Info   On the right side of that webpage, there is a link to a tax credit form as well as a link to donate online.

A couple of years ago, the legislature made a change in the law related to this tax credit.  While the intentions were good, the change somewhat complicated the matter. In short, if you or someone you know has not yet filed their taxes for 2016, a tax credit donation can still be made up until April 15th for the 2016 tax year.  If you or someone you know has filed their 2016 taxes, a contribution can be made anytime during this year to count as a 2017 tax credit.  

If you haven't done so already, please consider making your Public School Tax Credit donation for either 2016 or 2017 to FHUSD or any one of our schools. Please encourage friends, neighbors, and family to do so as well. All such contributions are deeply appreciated and will go directly to supporting excellence in our schools by continuing to fund world-class extracurricular activities and athletics.

Kind Regards,

Patrick Sweeney, Ed.D.

Superintendent