STARS program qualifies for tax deductible donations

The carpentry class of the Southeastern Technical Academy for Rural Students (STARS) program recently finished a second bus stop shelter at Sugar Valley Lakes. The shelter, for students who attended Jayhawk USD 346 classes, is a necessity at the lake developments because it is difficult for busses to negotiate roads there. The first shelter STARS students built was at Hidden Valley Lakes last year. (Submitted photo)

PLEASANTON – The director of the technical academy in Pleasanton reported earlier this month that the Southeastern Technical Academy for Rural Students (STARS) foundation has qualified as a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization with the Internal Revenue Service. That will allow donors to the school to deduct donations from their taxes.

Director Jay Allen called the designation a big step forward for the school and said the tax rating should help the school raise more money.

Allen also clarified the source of funding for tuition for students. After approving paying more than $4,000, or about $150 for each participating student in the STARS program, a member of the Prairie View USD 362 school board said that the district should review a policy where high school students taking dual credit courses from Fort Scott pay their own tuition.

Allen said that for high school students who haven’t yet graduated, the tuition is paid through Kansas Senate Bill 155. He said the $150 covered the expenses of the building including utilities.

In the Linn County Commission on Monday, Commissioner Jim Johnson complained that the county was investing too much in the STARS program and charged that Fort Scott Community College was experiencing financial difficulties.

Allen declined to speak on behalf of FSCC but said that he planned to meet with the commission in the next couple of weeks.