text: House Bill 1216-Partnership for Student Education & Community Investment Tax Credit
  Saint Ignatius Loyola Academy is a tuition-free Jesuit middle school for Baltimore City boys from low-income families. 87% of our students qualify for the federal free or reduced lunch program; only 6% of our students are Catholic. Saint Ignatius Loyola Academy is a private institution with a very public mission.
  We prepare students for admission and success at public and private competitive college preparatory high schools. Over our 18 year history, 98% of Academy graduates have gone on to receive a high school diploma compared to less than 60% of males in Baltimore City. 88% of our graduates matriculate at college or other post-secondary education. Our graduates are working in a variety of professions including management, non-profit organizations, and the Maryland public university system, along with other public service professions. Others have gone on to attend professional schools and graduate schools, including doctorate programs, at institutions such as the University of Baltimore, Howard University School of Law, Johns Hopkins University, Stanford University, and the University of Michigan.
  We currently enroll 70 students in grades 6-8 in our eleven month school year and extended school day (7:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.) comprehensive program. Our students reside throughout Baltimore City and go on to attend public and private college preparatory high schools throughout the Baltimore area including Baltimore City College, Loyola Blakefield, Baltimore School of the Arts, Gilman, Mt. St. Joseph, Calvert Hall, and Baltimore Polytechnic Institute.
  In order to provide this tuition-free education, the Academy raises its operating budget every year nearly all of it through charitable donations. We receive no archdiocesan or direct government funding. 85% of our operating budget is annually fundraised and nearly all is raised from charitable giving. Our impact benefits the entire community. The passage of this bill would significantly support our ability to continue to provide Baltimore City students with this valuable educational service. The Academy and other schools that share our mission will benefit from the passage of the Partnership for Student Education & Community Investment Tax Credit which in turn will benefit the entire State of Maryland.