Did you know there’s an easy way to help Maricopa Unified School District students and it won’t cost you anything?

Arizona tax law allows taxpayers to receive a tax credit of up to $400 for donating to certain public school programs. The Legislature approved the law in 1997; it allows you to donate to the program of your choice and then receive a dollar-for-dollar tax credit.

This is a tax credit and is not a deduction from income. The tax credit is a transfer of funds from the Arizona Department of Revenue to local schools.

This contribution will reduce the amount of money you owe for state income tax or increase your refund. This deduction is a win-win situation for taxpayers, and I encourage each community member to consider helping our students in this way.

All Arizona individual taxpayers are eligible to participate, regardless of whether they have children in school or not. An individual can contribute any amount up to $200, and a couple filing jointly may contribute up to $400.

You can choose which MUSD school to donate to and which activities you would like to support.

Contributions are donated directly to schools, not to the state or the school district. Your donation must go toward an extracurricular activity at a school, which includes any school- sponsored activity requiring enrolled students to pay fees to participate.

Examples include:

• Academic field trips
• Arts (band, drama, choir, visual arts, school plays)
• Athletic general support
• Athletic “Pay to Play” fee (you can designate a specific student or team)
• Athletic specific sport

All MUSD schools qualify including: Butterfield Elementary School, Maricopa Elementary School, Pima Butte Elementary School, Saddleback Elementary School, Santa Cruz Elementary School, Santa Rosa Elementary School, Desert Wind Middle School, Maricopa Wells Middle School, Maricopa Online and Maricopa High School.

Please make checks payable to any of our schools listed above and send the check to our district office:

Maricopa Unified School 
44150 West Maricopa-Casa Grande Highway
Maricopa, AZ 85138

You can also pay online by going to our website at www.Maricopausd.org and clicking on the Parent Information link. For additional information, contact Lisa Baker at 520-568-5100, ext. 1027, or by email at LBaker@musd20.org.