Education
Commonwealth Court ruling is a massive win for education choice advocates
Originally published in The Philadelphia Inquirer After a more than eight-year slog, the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court affirmed what the Pennsylvania Constitution has said all…
Read More: Commonwealth Court ruling is a massive win for education choice advocatesEducation is the first stepping-stone on the path to success, but Pennsylvania students face severe inequality among public school districts. Thousands who can’t afford private school are trapped in failing schools or situations that aren’t the right fit. The solution to this crisis is school choice. By offering families options outside their zip code-assigned district schools, students are better able to find their path to success. Charter schools, tax credit scholarships, education savings accounts (ESAs), homeschooling, and other types of education choice must become a priority in Pennsylvania.
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Education
Union Politicking Shows Need for Mary’s Law
Political mailers supporting candidates are par for the course during elections—unless those mailers are sent by government unions and funded with members’ dues. Then, they’re illegal. But that didn’t stop…
Media
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Truth Lacking on ‘Schools That Teach’ Tour
Gov. Wolf’s 'Schools That Teach' public relations tour and statewide ad campaigns supporting him aren’t telling voters the truth about the budget impasse or the governor's tax proposal.
Commentary
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Strange Arguments Against Seniority Reform
An amusing opinion article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette takes aim at pending legislation that would protect high-performing teachers and change incentives in persistently failing schools. Authors Adam…
Media
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Lawsuit Inspires Teacher to Speak Out
Over the weekend, Adam Brandolph of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review penned an excellent story on James Williams, a Mercer County science teacher standing up for his rights against the Pennsylvania…
Media
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America Works (On Misleading the Public)
America Works USA, an affiliate of the union-funded Democratic Governors Association, recently launched an ad campaign in support of Gov. Wolf’s effort to raise taxes on middle-…
Media
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When Desperation Sets In
This is what desperation looks like. Gov. Tom Wolf recently visited Downingtown Area School District and claimed the no-tax-increase budget he recently vetoed “includes only $8 million…
Media
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Fixated on Tax Increases
At the end of last month, Gov. Wolf vetoed the Republicans’ budget, criticizing it for failing to meet his lofty goals of closing the structural deficit, increasing education funding…
Media
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The Illustrated Pennsylvania State Budget
There’s a lot of misinformation being thrown around about the Pennsylvania state budget and education spending. While folk are entitled to their own opinions, they aren’t entitled to their own…
Media
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Ink Running Dry on Wolf?s Veto Pen
Gov. Tom Wolf’s veto pen may be running out of ink. In the span of one week, Pennsylvania’s “different kind of governor” vetoed a no-tax-hike budget, liquor privatization,…
Media
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Gov. Wolf, Don’t Raises Taxes on Working People
My letter to the editor in the Pocono Record tackles some of the myths about educations spending and Gov. Tom Wolf’s proposed tax increase—and why, after the House of Represented rejected…
Media
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House Votes to Protect Excellent Teachers
Seniority-based teacher furloughs may soon become a relic of the past for Pennsylvania public schools. On Tuesday evening, the state House approved Rep. Stephen Bloom’s HB 805—the Protecting…
Media
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Devil in the Details for New Funding Formula
Much of the reaction to the Basic Education Funding Commission’s final report has been positive—and…
Media
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Government Union Puts Politics Ahead of Teachers
One government union is putting its political preferences and self-interest above the interests of public school teachers. Now, teachers are fighting back. Jane Ladley, who recently retired from teaching after…
Media
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Education Commission Proposes Smarter, Student-Based Spending
Education Commission Proposes Smarter,Student-Based Spending Commission Tailors Funding to Student Need, Rejects Broken Status-Quo Good afternoon, The Commonwealth Foundation has long advocated for an education funding formula…
Press Release
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Audio: A New Solution for Underperforming Public Schools
A piece of legislation recently passed the Senate Education Committee that would provide a new solution for underperforming public schools. CF’s James Paul spoke with WSBA’s Gary Sutton about…
Media
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School Districts Overwhelmed by Pension Costs
Pennsylvania’s public sector pension crisis is undeniable. Consider the burden it places on local school districts, whose pension contributions increased from $1.4 billion in 2012-13 to $1.9…
Media
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District Reserve Funds Continue to Rise
Contrary to claims about budget cuts to public education, Pennsylvania school districts continue to accumulate large reserve funds, up to $4.1 billion in 2013-14. This amounts to more than 15 percent…
Media
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Examining State Aid for Public Schools
State revenue to school districts reached an all-time high in 2013-14, at $9.7 billion. In part 2 of our week-long series on education finance in the commonwealth, take a look at…
Media
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Another Year, Another Record High in School Spending
Pennsylvania spent $26.1 billion on public schools in 2013-14. According to state data, this amounts to a $600 million increase over the 2012-13 baseline. As you can…
Media
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A Solution for Persistently Failing Schools
Amidst a flurry of hearings on severance taxes, incomes taxes, and pension reform, a piece of legislation with less fanfare advanced with bipartisan support out of the…
Media
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School Spending Update, 2013-14
The Pennsylvania Department of Education recently released new expenditure and revenue figures for the 2013-14 school year. This memo presents trends in school spending, revenue, pension contributions, district fund balances,…
Memo
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