In October 2017, The State of Illinois passed the “Invest in Kids Act” to help provide families with scholarships to attend the school of their choice in the state of Illinois. This program offers a 75 percent income tax credit to individuals and businesses that contribute to qualified Scholarship Granting Organizations (SGOs).

The SGOs then provide scholarships for students whose families meet the income requirements to attend qualified, non-public schools in Illinois. Empower Illinois, as an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit SGO, is serving a majority of the private schools in Illinois, and this includes Zion Lutheran School Belleville.

We have taken the time to prayerfully consider Zion’s participation in this program during its inaugural year. There are currently some unknowns for us as a participating school, but the potential financial benefit to our school families was our motivating factor. We pray that God uses this avenue to abundantly bless Zion’s students, families, and school.

You can apply for these scholarships to help pay for your tuition at Zion Lutheran School for the 2018-2019 school year. These scholarships are granted based on income, family size, and availability. To learn more about eligibility for these scholarships, visit https://empowerillinois.org/students/do-i-qualify/. Please note—applying for this scholarship is a separate process from applying for tuition assistance through LESA Building Blocks and the ZLS Tuition Assistance Fund. I strongly encourage you to also apply for financial assistance through your TADS account (“Financial Aid” tab) as scholarships through Empower Illinois are not guaranteed.

This is a very exciting time as more focus, time and resources are being given to families in Illinois who are seeking a private education. It is important to remember also that any money our school families receive through this program allows us to utilize our tuition assistance funds for other families who may not qualify for this program.

The Empower Illinois scholarship application process opens this Tuesday, Feb. 27 at 7 p.m. All applications will be done online through the website empowerillinois.org. They intend to award scholarships on a first come, first served basis.

The Empower Illinois website is the best resource to explain all the details about this program. I encourage you, if you are interested in this, to visit that site to learn more.

In His Service,
Mrs. Ananda Baron, principal