BY MOLLIE GRAY
Verona-Cedar Grove Times
MANAGING EDITOR
U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-8) used the Sylvan Learning Center in Verona as his backdrop to promote a bill that would make it more affordable for parents to have their children tutored after school.
The Affordable Tutoring for Our Children Act would allow employers to amend their Flexible Spending Accounts to include after-school tutoring services. Pascrell made the pitch Monday afternoon during a press conference held in the center's conference room in the Pilgrim Shopping Plaza on Pompton Avenue.
"By allowing employers to amend their dependent-care benefits to include after-school tutoring, I hope my legislation can be another tool parents can use to ensure young people are more successful in school and life," said Pascrell, a former educator and a member of the House Ways and Means Committee.
A Flexible Spending Account allows an employee to set aside a portion of earnings to pay for medical, dependent care or other expenses. Money deducted is not subject to payroll taxes.
Under current law, Flexible Spending Accounts cannot pay educational expenses unless the primary purpose is day care or an after-school athletic camp.
Andrew and Geri D'Addio of Verona, who have two school-age children enrolled at Sylvan, attended the press conference to support Pascrell and the bill. Geri D'Addio's Flexible Spending Account has paid for pre-school and day care for her children, Jordan and A.J.
She hopes to use it for their tutoring.
Jordan, 11, and A.J., 9, have been coming to the center for help in subjects like math and reading since they were each in first grade, their mom said.
While the extra help has been beneficial, it's also costly. Geri D'Addio said they spend at least $3,000 of their own income annually on tutoring for just one child.
"This type of enrichment is good news to us," Geri D'Addio said.
The legislation Pacrell described would pay for supplement instructional services for children between the ages of 5 and 19 who have not obtained a high school diploma.
The incentive would be available to employees earning under $110,000 a year.
Supplemental instructional expenses, combined with dependent-care expenses, would be subject to a cap of $5,000. It would also be free from payroll or income taxes.
In order to qualify for the bill's benefits, the tutoring services must be provided after school and in core academic subjects like civics and government, economics, arts, social studies, sciences, math, English, reading, language and geography. The bill also includes costs of preparing for college entrance exams. To prevent abuse of the benefit, the supplemental tutoring must be provided by a state-certified instructor or by a state-recognized or privately accredited organization.
Joyce Carusi, co-owner and director of the local Sylvan Learning Center, said the facility serves 200-300 families each year. Students in kindergarten through grade 12, who are in both public and private schools, come for remedial support to improve their grades. More than half come for enrichment services, meaning they are already high-achieving but want to continue performing at that level, Carusi said.
Carusi said in speaking with families, she's learned that many use their Flexible Spending Accounts to cover health needs, such as the cost of braces.
"We hope for the success of this bill," she said. "I really feel in my heart that it deserves bi-partisan support. It's not a Republican issue. It's not a Democratic issue. It's an issue for families."
Pascrell said at some point almost every child needs help in academics, but not every family can afford tutoring.
Pascrell said he eventually wants to expand the bill to make it available to people who are self-employed.
The legislation has been referred to the Ways and Means Committee for consideration.
