This is the way it used to be!   This is the way it still is!   Jon Garrido Chairman of the Board and CEO Act Arizona, Political Action Committee Jon@JonGarrido.com 602.244.1000

Olmsted Devastating Public Schools where Hispanics Attend

PHOENIX (By Jon Garrido, The Jon Garrido News Network) January 20, 2010 — Since 1998, Arizona tax credits have diverted $379 million in tax revenue from private schools to private schools.

For the past 40 years, white Republican Arizona State Legislators being the majority party have categorically and systematically devastated Arizona's programs and services for all low and moderate income Arizonans; however, it is well known by Republicans these budget cuts are primarily directed toward Hispanic students who white Republican Arizona state legislators resent any public dollar being spent for education or health going to benefit a Hispanic student much less their Hispanic parents.

The white Republican mantra is all Hispanic students must go back to Mexico to be educated and should not be the responsibility of the State of Arizona.

To bypass public funding where Hispanic students attend, the white Arizona Republican majority party of the Arizona Legislature devised a scheme to divert public school funds to private schools by use of Arizona tax credits that penalizes public schools where low and moderate income students attend.

The most brazen blatant use of the Republican white legislators' scheme to educate white students at the expense of Hispanic students is the Catholic Diocese of Phoenix.

For the Arizona 2007-2008 public school year, there were 1,064,023 students of which 442,273 (41.57%) were Hispanic.
 
In the Catholic Diocese of Phoenix schools in the current school year, there are 14,167 students of which 29% of K-8 and 19% of 9-12 are Hispanic totaling 6,779 Hispanic students.

These numbers reveal 98.49% of Arizona's Hispanic students attend public schools.

According to the Alliance for Catholic Education of the University of Notre Dame, nearly 70% of practicing Catholics in the USA are Hispanic. If the Notre Dame 70% for the entire USA is accurate, a safe assumption with Arizona being a border state, Arizona should have substantially more than 70%.

According to Jim Dyer, the Public Information Officer for the Diocese of Phoenix, the parishes refuse to provide ethic demographics to Olmsted. Since the bishop is the prime ruler of the Diocese of Phoenix and all priests vow obedience, one can conclude if Olmsted asked for the percentage of Hispanics in each parish, the parish priest would provide the breakdown.

Dyer stated the parish priests do not keep this information because, "All are children of God."

If all are children of God, it would be true Hispanic students attending public schools would be included as children of God but they must not be ― since Olmsted sees no wrong in taking away quality education from 98.49% of the Hispanic students in Arizona. 

Hispanic News believes Olmsted does not ask for a break down of Hispanics in each parish because he does not want the Diocese of Phoenix to be identified as a Hispanic Diocese.

Hispanic News estimates the Catholic Diocese of Phoenix is 81.35% Hispanic (if this number is not accurate then the Diocese of Phoenix should publically refute it and provide their own percentage but of course, they will not), yet the Bishop of the Diocese of Phoenix's use of tax credits is a visible slap in the face of Hispanic Catholics by diverting public education funds to promote white private schools thereby devastating public schools where Hispanics attend.

Another example of the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Phoenix turning his back on the Hispanic Catholic community!

This is hypocrisy at its worst but comes as no surprise for Olmsted is a good old farm boy from Kansas and is no different than any other farm boy from Kansas living in Sun City, home to the "Arpaio Boosters Club of Maricopa County."

Not only the Hispanic community but....

Not only the Hispanic community but all low and moderate income Arizona families suffer from the white Republican majority's actions.

The impact of budget cuts on K-12 Education by the white Republican majority in the Arizona Legislature is severe cutting $133 million from K-12 schools in 2009 — the single largest cut to education in the history of Arizona.

This adverse trend cutting $150 million more from the K-12 system in 2010 will cause Arizona to not be eligible for federal funding.

Some of the impacts of these cuts include:

◦ Eliminating funding for equipment at all schools
◦ Cutting 700 jobs at the Peoria Unified School District
◦ Cutting 221 teacher positions at Scottsdale Unified School District
◦ Cutting 184 teacher positions at Paradise Valley School District, and
◦ Cutting 310 teacher positions and 130 other positions at the Mesa School District

The racist use of Arizona Tuition Tax Credits to subsidize private schools not only diminishes learning for Hispanic students in Arizona public schools but the use by the Diocese of Phoenix to maximize tax credits for Catholic Schools is an endorsement of racist policies of white Republican legislators who what to provide quality education for non-Minority students at the expense of Hispanic students.

Arizona Tuition Credit Practices may Break Federal Tax Laws

Last month, as the tax year ended, thousands of Arizonans donated money to private-school tuition groups and claimed a tax credit that reduces what they owe the state.

Many taxpayers recommended their money go to specific students as scholarships; many tuition groups will honor those wishes.

But these taxpayers, and the school tuition organizations that give out the scholarships, may be running afoul of federal tax law.

The legal do's and don'ts are not entirely clear because the IRS has not ruled specifically on tax-credit donations targeted to particular students. But disputes run deep among private-school and tuition-group operators and tax experts over the legality of recommending specific students get the scholarships.

What the law does say

There are few absolutes in the federal tax code that guide tax-exempt charities. Tax specialists, however, agree on one thing: Federal law makes swapping donations a violation if a taxpayer claims the donated gift as a charitable deduction — the gift is being made to benefit oneself.

Phoenix tax attorney Chuck Whetstine believes the practice violates tax law.

"There is no way under the federal law you can make a deductible contribution to a 501(c)(3) charity and designate or tell the charity where the money should be spent, whether it's on your own child or another child," Whetstine said. That applies whether it's called a recommendation or a designation. Donations must be made with what attorneys call "a disinterested motive."

Lack of inquiries

Some tax experts say they are surprised the IRS has not taken a closer look at the tax-credit issues through audits or investigations.

In August, Arizona State Rep. David Lujan, D-Phoenix, wrote to the IRS asking for a review of tuition organizations, citing the earmarking of donations for specific students. The IRS told him it could not comment on actions it may or may not be taking.

Act Arizona

A high priority for Arizona Democrats is to restore public education as a state priority. Act Arizona is committed to the education of all Arizona students and as such, Act Arizona will only support candidates running for a seat on the Arizona legislature who are committed to the elimination of Arizona tax credits used to diminish Arizona public education by subsidizing private schools at the expense of public schools.