Education

Wolf Veto = $11 Million Bill for Taxpayers

  • Nathan Benefield
  • September 30, 2015

School districts have borrowed $346 million—and taxpayers will pay to pay up to $11 million in interest payments—as a result of Gov. Wolf’s budget vetoes, according to a report…

Media

Read More: Wolf Veto = $11 Million Bill for Taxpayers

State Budget

Fresh Start, or Stale Policies of Decades Past?

  • Nathan Benefield
  • September 30, 2015

At the beginning of 2015, we heard a lot about a “fresh start” for Pennsylvania. But nine months later, it's difficult to identify anything fresh about Gov. Wolf's tax, borrow…

Media

Read More: Fresh Start, or Stale Policies of Decades Past?

State Budget

Who Will Vote to Raise Your Taxes?

  • Nathan Benefield
  • September 29, 2015

Republican leadership in the General Assembly has announced they will allow a floor vote on a budget proposal that has the massive tax increases Gov. Wolf and government union leaders desire—if Democrats…

Media

Read More: Who Will Vote to Raise Your Taxes?

Government Accountability

Secret Contract Leaves Taxpayers in the Dark

  • September 29, 2015

In a special Friday night voting session, board members in Monessen School District unanimously approved a new teachers’ contract, which runs through 2018. The terms of the contract, including…

Media

Read More: Secret Contract Leaves Taxpayers in the Dark

Regulation

Losers and Phony-Baloneys

  • Nathan Benefield
  • September 23, 2015

Last week, Gov. Wolf unveiled new, bad policy ideas—to slightly adjust a misguided pension proposal, and to propose a private manager to a government run liquor monopoly.  But just as…

Media

Read More: Losers and Phony-Baloneys

State Budget

Audio: A Path of Compromise

  • Jonathan Reginella
  • September 21, 2015

Refusing to abandon his demands for the highest tax increase in state history, Gov. Wolf continues to fuel a budget impasse that has left human-services agencies and schools without…

Media

Read More: Audio: A Path of Compromise

Public Union Democracy

One woman’s quest to free teachers

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • September 18, 2015

Rebecca Friedrichs never understood her union. As a new teacher, Friedrichs noticed a teacher in the classroom next to hers was abusive towards her students. When Friedrichs tried to…

Media

Read More: One woman’s quest to free teachers

Education

Audio: Protecting Teachers’ Rights and Paychecks

  • Jonathan Reginella
  • September 18, 2015

Teacher unions are taking money from teachers to fund political causes they do not support. Through Free to Teach, teachers like James Williams and Linda Misja are speaking…

Media

Read More: Audio: Protecting Teachers’ Rights and Paychecks