Beverly Stewart, M.Ed. founder of Back to Basics Learning Dynamics, Inc. recently lobbied the U.S. Senate and Congress in Washington, D.C. in support of S.744, The Affordable Tutoring of Our Children Act.Senators Olympia Snowe (R-ME) and Bill Nelson (D-FL) introduced S.744 on March 31, 2009 in order to give middle class families the financial means to pay for educational assistance through their Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA). In the simplest terms, the bill will amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to exclude from an employee’s gross income any supplemental instructional services assistance. Parents would be able to put away up to $5,000 each, annually, in a Flexible Spending Account for dependent care and tutoring using pre-tax dollars.
“At a time when families are struggling, this is one way we can help parents make sure their child won’t fall behind in school,” says Senator Nelson.
Specifically, the bill defines supplemental instructional services to include instructional or other academic enrichment services that are provided in addition to instruction during the school day and are specifically designed to increase academic achievement. The bill also includes the core academic studies of English, reading or language arts, mathematics, science, foreign languages, civics and government, economics, arts, social studies, and geography. Instruction in these areas must be provided by a state certified instructor or accredited organization.
“The specifics of this bill speak directly to the American family and the serious struggles many face today. In order to provide the highest quality education for our children, bills like S.744 are crucial,” explains Beverly Stewart. “I was honored to take part in this effort and make the Senate and Congress aware of the issue’s importance and its potential for long-term effects.”
For more information, please access these links:
S.755 Sponsor, Senator Olympia Snowe, http://snowe.senate.gov/public/
S.744 Sponsor, Senator Bill Nelson, http://billnelson.senate.gov/
For more information, please visit Back to Basics website at http://www.BacktoBasicsLearning.com
For 25 years, Back to Basics has been recognized as the area’s undisputed leader in one-on-one tutoring. In addition, the firm offers a unique Nationwide private school for grades K-12 and a Private Business and Trade School for adults. Back to Basics is the 2010 Better Business Bureau Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics.
