Education
No, We’re Not Underfunding Public Schools
My latest op-ed at PennLive debunks several school funding myths that continue to haunt Pennsylvania: While local school revenue is notably high (6th in the nation), state revenue…
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No One Person is to Blame for Pennsylvania’s Problems
Proponents of bigger goverment have crafted a narrative that government has been cut to the bone. Pennsylvania needs massive tax hikes, they say, to repair the damage done by Gov. Corbett, whose slash-and-burn budgeting…
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Read More: No One Person is to Blame for Pennsylvania’s ProblemsEducation
Ghost Teachers Cost Allentown Millions
Allentown School District is no stranger to financial troubles. The third largest public school system in the commonwealth has been in financial distress for years. In 2011, the district…
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Governor Wolf’s Sixth Tax Hike Plan
As noted in previous posts, Gov. Tom Wolf has proposed tax hike totaling $2.7 billion over a full year—or $850 per family of four. About half of this increase…
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Read More: Governor Wolf’s Sixth Tax Hike PlanRegulation
Addressing the Confusion on Compensation
Yesterday we issued a press release on public employee compensation, which is now causing quite a stir on social media. One commenter accused us of engaging in “shenanigans.” Another…
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Read More: Addressing the Confusion on CompensationPublic Union Democracy
The Pretense of Democratic Unions
Control over the largest local teachers union in Pennsylvania is up for grabs. The Caucus of Working Educators (WE) is challenging the leadership of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers…
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Pennsylvania Must Control Compensation Costs
The soaring costs of public employee compensation, if left unchecked, could aggravate Pennsylvania’s financial troubles. The growth in employee benefits, which have skyrocketed since 2006, is driving this upward trend…
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A Tale of Two School Districts
North Allegheny School District and Pittsburgh School District are barely a dozen miles apart, but their budgeting approaches for the next fiscal year are worlds apart. Thanks to rising pension…
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