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Education
Public Schools Increased Spending to $23,000 Per Student, Ballooned Reserves While Enrollment Declined
Harrisburg, Pa., May 15, 2025 — Pennsylvania school districts increased overall revenue collected in 2023–24 to $23,000 per student, while expanding general fund reserves to $7.4 billion, according to new…
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Energy
Pennsylvania Supreme Court Hears Oral Arguments on RGGI
Read More: Pennsylvania Supreme Court Hears Oral Arguments on RGGI
Education
Senate Education Committee Approves Bipartisan PASS Scholarships, Offering Lifeline to Students in Need
Read More: Senate Education Committee Approves Bipartisan PASS Scholarships, Offering Lifeline to Students in Need
Prosperity
New Report: Gig-Workers Prefer Flexibility of Portable Benefits
Read More: New Report: Gig-Workers Prefer Flexibility of Portable Benefits
Meet the Pennsylvanians falling through Obamacare’s cracks: Elizabeth Stelle and John R. Bouder
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Read More: Meet the Pennsylvanians falling through Obamacare’s cracks: Elizabeth Stelle and John R. Bouder
Affordable Care Act isn’t Affordable at All
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Read More: Affordable Care Act isn’t Affordable at AllTaxes & Economy
Landowners Will Bear Burden of Severance Tax
Randy Walker’s Armstrong County farm has been in the family for three generations. On 72 acres they grow hay, corn, oats, and care for cattle. A few years ago, Randy…
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Read More: Landowners Will Bear Burden of Severance TaxEducation
Pension Costs Forcing Teacher Layoffs
We’ve debunked on this blog the “billion dollar education cut” myth time and time again. Yet another common refrain—even among those who admit state…
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Podcast: Teachers Opt Out of Union Membership
This post first appeared on Commonwealth Foundation’s PolicyBlog. As part of National Employee Freedom Week, we sat down with two western Pennsylvania teachers who successfully left their teachers’…
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Read More: Podcast: Teachers Opt Out of Union MembershipPublic Union Democracy
Audio: 81% in PA Support Employee Freedom
Should workers be penalized for leaving a union? 81 percent of Pennsylvanians say “no.” So why hasn’t a policy change happened to free workers from having to pay a…
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Podcast: Teachers Opt Out of Union Membership
As part of National Employee Freedom Week, we sat down with two western Pennsylvania teachers who successfully left their teachers’ unions last year. John Cress is a middle school…
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Read More: Podcast: Teachers Opt Out of Union MembershipEducation
School Reserves Offer Pension Reform Opportunity
Despite the rhetoric of “billions of dollars” in cuts from education, school districts across Pennsylvania have been able to increase their reserve funds. School districts had a combined reserve fund…
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Read More: School Reserves Offer Pension Reform OpportunityRegulation
Pennsylvanians Win: Liquor Markup Increase Nixed
Finally some good news for booze consumers: the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) has decided against increasing the markup added to each wine and spirits product, according to PLCB…
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Read More: Pennsylvanians Win: Liquor Markup Increase Nixed
Imagine walking many miles in Philly schools chief’s shoes
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Read More: Imagine walking many miles in Philly schools chief’s shoes
School funding canard: Money isn’t the answer
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Read More: School funding canard: Money isn’t the answer
Building projects lead to financial hole for Butler County schools
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Read More: Building projects lead to financial hole for Butler County schools
Pennsylvania’s public school staffing at 10-year low
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Read More: Pennsylvania’s public school staffing at 10-year lowEducation
More on Philadelphia School Trends
Philadelphia-based Research for Action (RFA) took issue with CF’s Policy Points on spending, enrollment, and staffing trends in the School District of Philadelphia. The…
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Read More: More on Philadelphia School Trends
PLCB: Raising markup on liquor a “last resort”
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Booze Lose: PLCB Proposes Increased Mark-up Price
Get ready to empty the piggy bank because soon you could be paying the government even more for your booze. At least, that’s the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board’s (PLCB) latest…
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Research group disputes Commonwealth Foundation’s findings on Phila. schools finances
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Read More: Research group disputes Commonwealth Foundation’s findings on Phila. schools financesEducation
Teachers Call for More Freedom, Choices
Heather Lister and Joe Connolly are both Pennsylvania educators, and they couldn’t be more different. Heather is a 25-year-old library media specialist and a registered Democrat. Joe is a veteran…
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