By GINNY COOPER / Staff Writer

COLUMBIANA—Cornerstone Christina School of Columbiana announced a new partnership with Scholarships for Kids, which will create new opportunities for students who might not otherwise be able to fund an education at CCS.

“We’re very excited about this opportunity to extend our community footprint,” Director Jay Adams said in a news release. “Our Tuition Assistance Program has enabled us to offer discounted tuition for the past four years—this is the logical next step from that program.”

Between 40 and 60 families have enrolled through the school’s tuition assistance program each year and partnering with Scholarships for Kids will allow that number to increase, Adams said.

The program complies with the Alabama Accountability Act, which allows individuals to allocate 50 percent of their Alabama tax burden to a scholarship granting organization such as Scholarships for Kids. The state-approved SGO then disburses tuition for families with income below 200 percent of the federally defined poverty levels, which allows their children to transfer to private schools that might otherwise not have been a feasible alternative for the students.

“Scholarships for Kids is proud to partner with Cornerstone Christian School to create opportunities for more students to receive and excellent education. We look forward to working with Cornerstone in the coming months and years,” President and Director Jenny McCain said in a statement about the program.

For more information on the program, email financialaid@cornerstonechargers.com.