Schools in White Oak and McKeesport were among the recipients of the donations.
For the MVI
Bridge Educational Foundation and its donor, U.S. Steel, donated $542,000 in scholarships to help families residing near U.S. Steel’s Mon Valley operations.
School officials, scholarship families, U.S. Steel executives and state lawmakers gathered at Trinity Christian School in Pittsburgh on Thursday to commemorate the scholarships.
Students attending the following schools will receive scholarships from the $542,000 award: Central Catholic High School, Cornerstone Prep Wilson Campus, Divine Mercy Academy, Forest Hills Nursery School, Holy Family Catholic School, Imani Christian Academy, Mary of Nazareth Catholic School in White Oak, Oakland Catholic High School, Pittsburgh Urban Christian School, Redeemer Lutheran School, Sacred Heart Elementary School, Serra Catholic High School in McKeesport, St. Therese of Lisieux School, Sr. Thea Bowman Catholic Academy, St. Bede School, St. Benedict the Moor School, St. Edmunds Academy, The Campus Laboratory School of Carlow University, Trinity Christian School, Waldorf School of Pittsburgh and Walnut Grove Christian School.
Among those in attendance at the scholarship presentation were U.S. Steel Edgar Thomson Plant Manager Jon Olszewski, Heidi Chappell, senior director of community and stakeholder engagement at U.S. Steel, state Sen. Jay Costa, D-Forest Hills, and Bridge Educational Foundation Executive Director Natalie Nutt.
“For over 20 years, Pennsylvania’s Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) Program has united businesses like U.S. Steel with their future workforce, and Bridge Educational Foundation takes pride in celebrating the success of this public-private partnership alongside its stakeholders,” Nutt said. “Today’s economy is challenging for many Pennsylvania families, but support from community- focused businesses like U.S. Steel offers financial resources for families to choose the best educational options for their children.”
“As someone who was born and raised in the Mon Valley, I am pleased that U.S. Steel remains committed to the region by providing for the educational needs of students and their families,” said Scott Buckiso, U.S. Steel executive vice president & chief manufacturing officer. “Scholarships awarded through the Bridge Foundation and Pennsylvania’s Educational Improvement Tax Credit Program make it possible for Mon Valley families to choose the education option that is right for their child. This is another way that U.S. Steel supports our neighbors in the communities where we work and live.”
Each year, Pennsylvania’s EITC Program is providing scholarships to thousands of income-qualified children. The EITC has enjoyed broad support from families, schools, businesses and the Pennsylvania Legislature.
Over the last two decades, the Pennsylvania Legislature expanded the EITC to include scholarships for pre-kindergartners and targeted scholarships to students in the lowest-performing public-schools with the addition of the Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit (OSTC) Program.
The educational tax credits currently total $610 million annually.
