Program gives educational tax credit

      Sen. Harry Reid recently joined officials from Community College of Southern Nevada to highlight the new Hope Scholarship program, which will make the first two years of community college universal for Nevadans heading back to school in 1998.
      "Under this innovative program, 28,000 Nevadans are eligible to receive up to $1,500 in tax credits a year to pay for higher education and job training," Reid said.
      Reid made his comments in front of a large poster showing the White House, which read: "A two-year college scholarship on the house."
      The scholarships will provide students with a 100 percent tax credit for the first $1,000 of tuition and required fees, and 50 percent credit for the second $1,000. Nevada students enrolled at least half the time in 1998, in either post-secondary education or a program leading to a degree or certificate, are eligible as long as they are drug-free.
      CCSN student Tiffany Drake said she will be taking advantage of the new program, designed to assist middle-income households.
      "I thought it was too good to be true," said Drake, 20, who plans on pursuing a career in dental hygiene or special education. "My parents make just enough to prevent financial aid. They're in the middle. This program fills that void.
      "This scholarship couldn't have been given a better name."
      The Hope Scholarship program was one of the key provisions in last year's balance-budget package. As a member of the Senate leadership, Reid said he fought hard during negotiations to include tax relief for higher education and secured close to $25 million worth of Hope Scholarships for Nevada.
      "As we approach the next century, a high school education is simply not enough," he said. "What I like best about the Hope Scholarships is that they are not just for the students heading off to Ivy League schools. In order to succeed as a society we need both well-trained doctors and well-trained health aides.
      "Hope Scholarships are flexible and will help all kinds of Nevadans have access to increased educational opportunity."
      The community college has been working hard to spread the word about the new scholarship program, which is especially attractive to Nevada's low-tuition, higher-education climate. Information booths have been set up at both the Cheyenne Avenue and Charleston Boulevard campuses.
      Under the Hope Scholarship program, students and parents in 1999 may receive $1,500 in tax credit for 1998 tuition and fees.
      Information about the program is available in the financial aid offices at UNLV and CCSN. Also, the Internal Revenue Service and U.S. Department of Education have Hope Scholarship information posted on their World Wide Web sites.
      Those ineligible for the credit are joint tax filers who make more than $100,000 a year in adjusted gross income and single fliers who earn more than $50,000 of adjusted gross income. Taxpayers may claim a credit for their own tuition expenses or for the expenses of their spouses or dependent children.
      Judy Belanger, director of student financial services at UNLV, said students should speak to their financial aid advisor for specifics.
      "Thousands of students will qualify for the program but not all," she said. "It's important for them to know that it's here."
      Reid credited CCSN President Richard Moore for recognizing the potential of this program and for encouraging him to support an amendment making the program available for part-time students.
      "When I first began discussing this program two years ago, Dr. Moore was an enthusiastic supporter," Reid said. "He made a powerful case showing how Hope Scholarships could change the face of education in Nevada.
      " ... One phone call could save you the first two years of college tuition."
      More information is available from the Internet at the IRS Web site -- (http://www.irs.ustreas. gov/plain/hot/not97-601.html) -- and from the U.S. Department of Education Web site -- (http://www.ed.gov/inits/hope).
      Hope Scholarship information is also available by calling the IRS at (800) 829-1040.