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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 BenefitsRegulation
PLCB: Buy More, Drink Less, Embrace Hypocrisy!
From the growing library of Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board doublespeak comes a PLCB news release today urging responsible drinking over the holiday season. What’s wrong with that you ask? Well, nothing if you…
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Read More: PLCB: Buy More, Drink Less, Embrace Hypocrisy!Education
The Right Questions for Penn State
Stacy Brown of the Pennsylvania Independent—which, in the interests of full disclosure, CF launched but no longer controls in any way—is asking the right questions this morning in his…
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Read More: The Right Questions for Penn StateTaxes & Economy
Lt. Gov. Cawley & Marcellus Shale on The BOX
Lieutenant Governor Jim Cawley is the latest guest on The BOX Podcast hosted by Matt Brouillette. They discuss Marcellus Shale misconceptions, Gov. Corbett’s impact fee, and the vast potential for…
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Read More: Lt. Gov. Cawley & Marcellus Shale on The BOXGovernment Accountability
Thank You, Friends of Freedom
Less than two weeks ago, CF announced to our supporters a goal of raising $225,000 by year’s end. They have already supplied $54,487.76. Talk about Thanksgiving…I’m thankful! And if you would…
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Read More: Thank You, Friends of FreedomRegulation
Green Fiascoes and Boondoggles
Economist Mark Hendrickson, a member of CF’s Council of Scholars, looks at the failure of government funded “green energy” projects in his latest column for the Center for Vision…
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Read More: Green Fiascoes and BoondogglesTaxes & Economy
Sky Darkens for Solar Mandates
HB 1580, which we wrote about previously, would accelerate state mandates for utilities to use solar power as part of their electricity portfolio. A new Energy Association of…
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Read More: Sky Darkens for Solar MandatesPublic Union Democracy
Right to Work Helps Oklahoma Economy
A new analysis from the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs shows that since the Sooner State passed a right to work law in 2001—allowing all workers to choose whether…
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Read More: Right to Work Helps Oklahoma EconomyEducation
Our Villainous Plan to Let Parents Choose the Best School for Their Children
If you weren’t aware, Commonwealth Foundation is a sinister cog in a powerful underground organization of folks who support online learning. An article from The Nation bemoans conservative and libertarian…
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The Lesson of Ohio Might Not Be What You Think
The Wall Street Journal recently featured a very short, very striking piece on the defeat of much-needed limits on the power of government unions in Ohio. The conventional wisdom on…
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House to Vote Marcellus Impact Fee
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is expected to vote on HB 1950 today, which would enact an impact fee on “nonconventional gas wells,” largely aimed at Marcellus Shale gas drilling.
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Read More: House to Vote Marcellus Impact FeeEducation
End Transparency Exemption for Penn State
Penn State officials will soon be under a different kind of investigation—an investigation by taxpayers. In the aftermath of the child sexual abuse scandal, Rep. Eugene DePasquale is…
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Teacher Evaluation Bill Up for Committee Vote
Reforming Pennsylvania’s teacher evaluation system is an important leg of Gov. Tom Corbett’s education reform agenda, along with school vouchers, charter school reform, and expanding the successful Educational Improvement Tax…
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Read More: Teacher Evaluation Bill Up for Committee VoteEducation
Is the Education Status Quo a Success?
Former Gov Ed Rendell was in town today to defend the status quo in education, claiming that more spending has produced great improvements in performance. Is he looking at…
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Read More: Is the Education Status Quo a Success?Education
Rockin’ Rally to Rescue Kids in Crime-Ridden Schools
I’m surprised the Capitol Dome stayed on its foundation this afternoon. Hundreds of children filled the steps and balconies in the Capitol rotunda to call on the House of…
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Vouchers a Proven Solution
Today’s Philadelphia Inquirer featured a letter to the editor I wrote on school choice. Here is my full submission: I was disappointed to see the Inquirer’s…
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Read More: Vouchers a Proven SolutionTaxes & Economy
Are Gas Drillers Paying Their “Fair Share”?
The Scranton Times-Tribune and the Patriot-News criticize HB 1950 (the natural gas fee proposal) for not taxing gas drillers enough, yet fail to include basic information about…
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Read More: Are Gas Drillers Paying Their “Fair Share”?Education
Poll: Voters Want Broader School Choice
A new poll by Pulse Opinion Research, commissioned by Unite PA and the Independence Town Hall Tea Party Association, offers interesting information on public opinion on school choice.
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School Board President Ignores Will of Voters
How’s this for underhanded and nefarious election activity: On Nov. 8, longtime Pennsbury School Board President Gene Dolnick was voted out, but that didn’t stop him from trying to hurry through a…
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Disillusioned students learn about libertarian philosophy, theory
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