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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
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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 BenefitsHealth Care
Saylor Broaches Biggest Budget Buster
Pensions and transportation top the list of crises the General Assembly won’t address in their short fall session, but little has been said about the biggest budget buster facing the…
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5 Fixes for Property Tax Fires
Yesterday, I testified before the House Select Committee on Property Tax Reform, presenting on the best tax policy to finance government operations, and on…
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Bread, Freedom and Halftime Sickles?
Workers of the world unite at the 50-yard line? Apparently, that’s the tune played recently at a halftime show by the New Oxford High School Marching Band whose ” St.
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7 Education Facts Unions Don’t Want You to Know!
Pennsylvania is reeling from the Friday release of student test scores for 2011-12, which show declining student performance in our public schools. Kids did worse on the Pennsylvania System…
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Jobs proposal would give income tax to employers
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Approaches to Property Tax Reform
Testimony of Nathan A. Benefield to the Pennsylvania House Select Committee on Property Tax Reform Good morning, my name is Nathan Benefield; I am the director of policy analysis for…
Testimony
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Pension Crisis: Finding the Path to Reform
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Penn State Fights to Keep Operations Secret After Sandusky
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Governor Corbett, lawmakers fail to act on pension crisis
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Harrisburg’s Horrid Decade of Despair
With soaring crime, a city in bankruptcy and families on the financial brink, children trapped in Harrisburg School District have to wonder how bad it can really get. …
Media
Read More: Harrisburg’s Horrid Decade of DespairRegulation
Pension Iceberg Grows $4 Billion
Pennsylvania’s ailing government worker pension system just landed taxpayers an estimated $4 billion more in unfunded pension liabilities. The Public School Employee Retirement System (PSERS)—the largest government worker pension system…
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Simply Naked or Simply Stupid?
Contradictions, corruption and chaos have consistently characterized the conduct of the Kings of Cabernet. So it should be no surprise today they renewed a kids’ contest designed to bring…
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Liquor store system: Hesitancy to privatize leaves state out of touch
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Read More: Liquor store system: Hesitancy to privatize leaves state out of touchRegulation
Should Taxpayers Subsidize Chocolate Making?
I testified yesterday before the House Finance Committee about how government-directed “economic development” hampers economic growth. A prime example of this happened Tuesday, where taxpayers forked over more…
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Read More: Should Taxpayers Subsidize Chocolate Making?Regulation
Growing Pennsylvania’s Economy
Testimony of Katrina M. Currie to Pennsylvania House Finance Committee, September 19, 2012 Good afternoon, my name is Katrina Currie; I am a policy analyst for the Commonwealth Foundation, Pennsylvania’s…
Testimony
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How Much Will Obama’s Health Care Cost You?
How much will the Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare) cost you? Our new policy points look at the cost Pennsylvanians will shoulder under the sweeping health care reform law.
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Read More: How Much Will Obama’s Health Care Cost You?Public Union Democracy
Mailbag: Why Not Pay for Unused Sick Days?
Our post last week highlighting WGAL’s story on government workers receiving hefty payouts for unused sick days sparked a lively discussion. Here’s a question that popped up frequently: Do…
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Read More: Mailbag: Why Not Pay for Unused Sick Days?Taxes & Economy
Happy 225th Birthday, U.S. Constitution!
Today marks the 225th birthday of the U.S. Constitution, and while it may be getting up there in years, the principles it sets forth are no less relevant today than…
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