Dear Parents, Staff and Community Members,

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1 8416 Belair Road ~ Baltimore, MD ~ ~ Dear Parents, Staff and Community Members, The Maryland Catholic conference is the voice of Catholic Schools for legislative issues in the State of Maryland. Archbishop Lori has asked for our support in passing their legislation known as the Maryland Education Credit. This bill offers tax incentive to businesses that donate to schools both public and nonpublic. I ask that you read the Archbishop s letter and then follow the steps on the flyer to pledge your support. Finally Advocacy Day is Wednesday, March 4 th. Schools in our area are closed that day for a Regional Professional Day. This is an opportunity for you to take your child on a filed trip to Annapolis for the Rally. With others, they will experience first handed, our state government in action. I deeply appreciate all you do for SJS and for all Catholic Schools. Your pledge of support will go a long way in keeping our issues in the forefront of our legislators. Peace, Mrs. Phyllis A. Karko, Principal St. Joseph School, Fullerton 8416 Belair Rd. Baltimore, MD

2 Dear Catholic School Parents, Families, Teachers and Administrators, Maryland s bishops are asking all parents, teachers and other Catholic school community members to pledge their participation in urging their state legislators to enact the Maryland Education Credit. This pledge does not ask for money, but only a few minutes of your time during the legislative session, between now and March. The Maryland Education Credit would provide millions of dollars in tuition assistance for Catholic school families by allowing for state tax credits to businesses who donate to scholarship organizations. The bill has widespread bipartisan support and a contingent of business owners calling for its passage. It s time for our state legislators to hear from you, the voting parents, teachers and staff of our Catholic schools. Pope Francis has called all Catholics not only to pray for our elected officials, but to participate in the political process, calling such participation one of the highest forms of charity. We are committed to seeking every avenue possible to sustain the historic contributions that our Catholic schools have made to generations of families in Maryland, but we sincerely need your help. With the support of the tens of thousands of parents who send their children to our schools, we can demonstrate to our state legislators how very important this initiative is to our schools. I sincerely hope that you ll promise your support. Pledging just these few minutes of your time could make a world of difference for our Catholic schools. You may pledge your assistance at: Please see the accompanying flyer to find out the simple and easy commitment that the pledge entails. Thank you, and may God bless you, our schoolchildren, and our Catholic school community throughout the school year. Faithfully in Christ, Archbishop William E. Lori

3 Nonpublic Schools Advocacy Day March 4, :30 am to 1 pm Experience your state government in action! The nonpublic school community needs you! Please bring groups of students, teachers and parents from your school to Annapolis on Wednesday, March 4, 2015, to meet with legislators, see our State Capitol, attend a rally and ask our legislators to Give Kids the Credit! Agenda 8:30 9:15 am Registration, refreshments & instructions 9:15 9:30 am Organize at Lawyers Mall 9:30 10:00 am Rally on Lawyers Mall at the Statehouse 10:00 11:30 am Students observe Senate and House Floor Sessions, visit with their legislators 11:30 am 12:30 pm Lunch reception 1:00 pm Buses depart Questions? Contact Garrett J. O Day, Esq. Maryland CAPE Steering Commitee Chair garrett@mdcape.org Or call Please RSVP ahead of time to assist with proper planning: facebook.com/mdeducationcredit twitter.com/educatemaryland

4 Catholic School Families, Teachers, Administrators and School Community Members: Maryland s Bishops have asked that you pledge to participate in asking your state legislators to pass the Maryland Education Credit. Unlike most pledges, you re not being asked for money, but merely a few brief moments of your time. By pledging, we re merely asking you to complete the quick and easy steps below during the January- April legislative session of the Maryland General Assembly: Take the pledge at giving your name, address and contact information. Please note that your information will not be used for any purpose other than this pledge. At the commencement of the Maryland General Assembly legislative session in mid-january, the Catholic Conference will send you information for you to share with your legislators, asking them to CO-SPONSOR (give their support to) the bill. You may also receive a limited amount of useful information about advocacy events or our campaign. Around the time that a committee hearing is held in each of Maryland s legislative chambers, the Senate and the House of Delegates, you ll receive additional information to share with legislators, asking them to support a FAVORABLE COMMITTEE VOTE on the bill. When the bill is passed through its respective committees and onto the Senate or House floor, you ll receive one more piece of information urging legislators to vote YES in order to GIVE KIDS THE CREDIT! [OPTIONAL] Get others in your family, workplace and community to take the Pledge. You are also encouraged to make additional calls and/or letters requesting the support of your legislators. * For those of you who would like to sign up to take action on other important Catholic legislative issues, visit for the Catholic Advocacy Network. Maryland Catholic Conference 10 Francis Street Annapolis, MD

5 2015 Legislative Session Please support the Maryland Education Credit! It will help our kids, businesses, schools and State. Here s why: Give kids the credit! Business donations will help all of Maryland s children, whether they attend a public or nonpublic school. The donations will provide financial assistance for academic tutoring, books, supplies, technology, tuition assistance and special needs services, affording students the ability to continue to attend the schools which best suit their needs. Low-income children receive first priority for financial assistance. Helps promote pre-kindergarten enrollment! Spurs businesses investment in education and helps businesses thrive! A business may receive a tax credit of up to $200,000 equal to 60% of their total donation to a registered nonprofit Student Assistance Organization. Maryland businesses may receive up to $15 million dollars per year in tax credits, helping to stimulate the economy. Businesses eligible for the credit include business corporations, S corporations, sole proprietorships, partnerships, limited liability corporations, and business trusts. Helps schools! Business donations for public school students help families and schools give children the extra support they need to meet core academic goals, including the ability to afford a pre-kindergarten program. Business donations will help nonpublic schools and students continue to save the State and its taxpayers billions of dollars annually. An influx of business investment will lower costs across the board for parents and schools. Increased business support stabilizes nonpublic enrollments, thus improving the financial viability of our nonpublic schools. A higher nonpublic student enrollment, in turn, decreases the burden on public schools, which improves educational quality for all students. Promotes nonprofit organizations to help kids succeed! Student Assistance Organizations (SAOs) are tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organizations that provide at least 90% of contributions received from businesses toward tuition assistance, academic tutoring, books, supplies, technology, special needs services and transportation. Separate SAOs serve both public and nonpublic school students. However, any nonpublic school students assisted must attend a lower-tuition school (tuition lower than the State per-pupil cost for public schools). SAOs must provide assistance to low-income students on a priority basis and give amongst several schools. Accountability and transparency is provided through application, registration and reporting to the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development. LET S GIVE OUR KIDS THE CREDIT! For questions on the Maryland Education Credit or to learn how to get involved, please contact Garrett J. O Day, Esq., Associate Director for Education & Family Life at the Maryland Catholic Conference via at garrett@mdcathcon.org or by phone at or facebook.com/mdeducationcredit twitter.com/educatemaryland