At Osborne High School in Marietta, students and teachers are very familiar with the EITC (Earned Income Tax Credit).
For over 20 years, Michael Devault, teacher and Department Chair of Career, Technical, and Agricultural Education (CTAE) at Osborne, has helped hundreds of students become certified tax preparers with the purpose of utilizing their skills for the VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) program also hosted at the school.
Co-hosted by United Way of Greater Atlanta, the EITC Awareness Day (January 26) event at Osborne is set to be an informative session, with Devault and current and former students having a panel discussion about their experiences.
While they may be high schoolers, after taking Devault’s class — in which students follow a work-based learning training plan and have a job description — they know more about filing taxes than your average citizen. Students will not only volunteer to file taxes for others through Osborne’s VITA program, but they also end up filing taxes for their parents.
“Some of the parents are still kind of leery,” Devault says with a chuckle.
He originally started the program because he realized that a lot of his students who worked weren’t filing taxes or paying somebody to file for them, missing out on key tax credits. He was helping students file himself before reaching out to the IRS to implement something more regimented. Thus, the certification program was born.
“It’s almost like a second job. I bring a lot of stuff home,” says Devault. “I’ll keep plugging at it probably until I retire.”If you or someone you know needs assistance filing taxes or wants to know more about becoming a VITA volunteer, visit the VITA page on United Way’s website. You can also attend the EITC Awareness Day event at Osborne High School on January 26 at 9:30.
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