PA's “successful EITC program” is successful at circumventing the Pennsylvania Constitution

Pennsylvania’s “successful EITC program” is successful at circumventing the Pennsylvania Constitution.

PA Constitution Article III, Section 15: Public School Money Not Available to Sectarian Schools
No money raised for the support of the public schools of the Commonwealth shall be appropriated to or used for the support of any sectarian school.

Pennsylvania’s EITC and OSTC programs were carefully crafted to circumvent Article III Section 15 of the PA constitution and divert public tax dollars to private and religious schools with no fiscal or performance accountability.

Every tax dollar diverted to private and religious school under the EITC program is a dollar that is not available to the general fund.  For FY 14-15 there were 1096 recipients of EITC funds totaling over $108.3 million.

Furthermore, the scholarship organizations that distribute the funds get to keep 20% of the money.  Comparable programs in Florida only direct 3% of the funds to those intermediary organizations.”

Here are the top 100 dollar recipients (receiving $67.6 million).  In addition to numerous large amounts funding religious schools you will also see several of the Philadelphia Main Line’s most prestigious private schools on this list.

FY 14/15 EITC Contributions Received
EITC Organization	$$  Rec'd
Business Leadership Organized for Catholic Schools (BLOCS) - SO	$         3,575,850
Pittsburgh Jewish Educational Improvement Foundation	$         3,015,165
Scholastic Opportunity Scholarship Fund (SOS) - SO	$         2,845,547
Faith Builders Educational Programs, Inc. - SO	$         2,801,039
Henkels Foundation - SO	$         2,449,355
Neumann Scholarship Foundation - SO	$         2,425,577
Foundation for Jewish Day Schools of Greater Philadelphia - SO	$         2,373,591
STAR Foundation - SO	$         2,240,606
Children's Scholarship Fund Philadelphia	$         2,116,194
Mennonite Foundation, Inc., The - SO	$         2,110,660
Eastern Pennsylvania Scholarship Foundation - Diocese of Allentown - SO	$         1,943,129
Bridge Educational Foundation - SO	$         1,731,338
ACSI Children's Tuition Fund - SO	$         1,670,650
The Haverford School - SO	$         1,524,667
Second Century Scholarship Fund - SO	$         1,490,486
Pittsburgh Jewish Pre-Kindergarten Educational Improvement Foundation	$         1,252,610
Bravo Foundation, Inc. - SO	$         1,010,388
Central Pennsylvania Scholarship Fund - SO	$            985,744
Penngift Foundation, Inc. - SO	$            956,650
Children's Scholarship Fund of Pennsylvania - SO	$            812,886
The Shipley School	$            767,440
Logos Academy Scholarship Organization	$            734,350
Community Foundation of the Endless Mountains - SO	$            709,050
PJHS Scholarship Organization  (St. Joe's Prep & Scranton Prep)	$            701,467
Erie Catholic Preparatory School d/b/a Cathedral Prep and Villa Maria Academy Scholarship Fund	$            609,200
The Episcopal Academy	$            588,175
Diocese of Scranton Scholarship Foundation - SO	$            555,825
The Delphi Project Foundation	$            550,000
Crossroads Foundation	$            517,900
Community Education Alliance of West Philadelphia - EIO	$            500,000
Community Foundation Serving the Heart of Western Pennsylvania - SO	$            497,733
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southeastern Pennsylvania	$            497,044
Junior Achievement of Western PA - EIO	$            485,500
Foundation for Jewish Day Schools of Greater Philadelphia - PKSO	$            484,472
Agnes Irwin School	$            463,926
Congreso de Latinos Unidos, Inc.	$            456,000
Winchester Thurston School - SO	$            450,225
Harrisburg University of Science & Technology	$            430,000
Shady Side Academy - SO	$            428,545
Philadelphia Freedom Valley YMCA - EIO	$            419,000
William Penn Charter School	$            417,900
Mercersburg Academy	$            410,055
Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia	$            399,000
City Year, Inc.	$            391,000
Harrisburg Public School Foundation	$            386,583
Project H.O.M.E.	$            386,500
United Way of Lackawanna and Wayne Counties - PKSO	$            379,125
Early Connections, Inc.	$            373,143
Foundation for Catholic Education	$            367,300
Philadelphia Academies, Inc.	$            367,000
Pennsylvania Free Enterprise Week / Foundation for Free Enterprise Education	$            351,322
The Baldwin School	$            347,311
Bravo Foundation, Inc. - PKSO	$            342,112
Bryn Athyn Church of the New Jerusalem	$            335,833
The Challenge Program, Inc.	$            335,700
Greater Wilkes-Barre Family YMCA - PKSO	$            333,250
Bridge Educational Foundation - PKSO	$            333,222
American National Red Cross	$            326,600
LOGAN Hope - SO	$            311,350
Pennsylvania State University Philanthropic Fund (The)	$            309,000
The Pittsburgh Promise	$            305,618
York College of Pennsylvania	$            304,150
Choice Academics	$            303,000
Need in Deed	$            295,000
Rosemont School of the Holy Child - SO	$            292,500
Philadelphia Education Fund	$            290,000
Buckingham Friends School	$            284,300
Scholarship Partners Foundation - SO	$            279,500
United Way of Wyoming Valley - SO	$            279,367
Warren-Forest Counties Economic Opportunity Council	$            278,611
Business Leadership Organized for Catholic Schools (BLOCS) - PKSO	$            277,611
EconomicsPennsylvania	$            276,300
Lancaster County Christian School	$            276,030
Junior Achievement of South Central PA	$            274,500
The Neighborhood Academy - SO	$            268,507
United Disabilities Services	$            267,983
Falk Laboratory School of the University of Pittsburgh	$            260,922
Community Foundation of Western PA and Eastern OH - SO	$            257,667
Archbishop Carroll Fund for Catholic Education	$            250,000
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Pittsburgh, Inc.	$            246,239
La Salle Academy	$            240,750
KIPP Administrative Services Corporation	$            240,005
Cristo Rey Philadelphia High School	$            239,000
First Community Foundation Partnership of Pennsylvania	$            238,611
Fund for the Advancement of Minorities through Education, Inc., The	$            237,500
The Janus School	$            237,500
Mercyhurst Preparatory School	$            233,000
Jewish Federation of Greater Harrisburg - SO	$            232,250
The Consortium for Public Education	$            231,500
MMI Preparatory School	$            225,555
Westtown School	$            225,370
Central Pennsylvania Community Foundation - EIO	$            222,500
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts	$            221,500
Central Pennsylvania Community Foundation - SO	$            221,357
Devereux Foundation	$            213,556
Kiskiminetas Springs School	$            213,100
The Woodlynde School Corporation	$            213,040
Imani Christian Academy - SO	$            212,900
Joey F. Casey Memorial Foundation	$            210,000
Kimmel Center, Inc.	$            204,000
Philadelphia Zoo  (The Zoological Society of Philadelphia)	$            204,000
Top 100 Recipients Total Amount Received	$  67,666,089
There were a total of 1096 EITC recipients
All EITC Recipients Total Amount Received	$108,394,103