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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…
Read More: Public Schools Increased Spending to $23,000 Per Student, Ballooned Reserves While Enrollment Declined
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
Tea Party Gears Up For 2012 In Contentious School Voucher Fight
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Read More: Tea Party Gears Up For 2012 In Contentious School Voucher FightTaxes & Economy
Biofuel Failure becomes Natural Gas Success
Pat Copple owns a biodiesel plant in Monaca, or at least he did until May when he started to convert his operation into a Marcellus wastewater treating facility. Copple says the…
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Fracking Friday
There are several good articles and studies worth reading on natural gas drilling, Marcellus Shale and fracking: Katrina’s commentary on the local impact of natural gas drilling appears in today’s…
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Study says a third of employers could cut health insurance by 2014
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Read More: Study says a third of employers could cut health insurance by 2014Taxes & Economy
PA Property Tax Administration 2nd Worst in Nation
This past May, the commonwealth tied for second worse in the nation in state property tax administration, according to the Council On State Taxation (COST). States were evaluated in…
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Read More: PA Property Tax Administration 2nd Worst in NationEducation
Taxpayer-Funded Lobbying at Pitt
A reader shared the letter below from the University of Pittsburgh. It urges all parents and students to contact their state legislators and protest higher education cuts in the proposed…
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Pennsylvania Education Spending Update
Since our budget facts on Pennsylvania Education Spending, the PA Department of Education (PDE) has released updated data on school spending and revenue, through the 2009-10 school year.
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Marcellus Hiring Spree Continues
The Center for Workforce Information and Analysis (the research arm of the Department of Labor and Industry) released their April Marcellus Shale Fast Facts, demonstrating tremendous growth in Marcellus…
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Read More: Marcellus Hiring Spree Continues
Pa.’s education in a state of emergency
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Gov. Tom Corbett’s spending leaves some wondering about his budget ‘sacrifice’ message
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Corbett’s Liberty Financing Authority proposal gaining little traction so far
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Read More: Corbett’s Liberty Financing Authority proposal gaining little traction so far
PLCB Perestroika Program Pulled!
Consumers rejoice! Supermarket superman Wegmans Food Market, has declared dosvedanya to the PLCB’s pitiful perestroika program and killed the catastrophic kiosk program. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, which…
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Read More: PLCB Perestroika Program Pulled!Regulation
The Phony “Surplus”
The Pennsylvania Department of Revenue released May General Fund tax collection data, and many lawmakers are clamoring to spend this “surplus”. But the idea there is any “surplus” is…
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Union Red Herring Erring
The recent Pennsylvania AFL-CIO media campaign to malign Rep. Scott Perry by saying he wants to “punish workers” is as off base as it is disingenuous. The union, for…
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Read More: Union Red Herring ErringRegulation
Have Casinos Hurt Lottery Sales?
According to a new report from the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee, the presence of casinos does not have a negative impact on state lottery revenues. At the same…
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Read More: Have Casinos Hurt Lottery Sales?Education
Make the Case to Voters
My letter to the editor in today’s Post-Gazette on school tax referendum. The article “Groups Fighting…
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Read More: Make the Case to VotersTaxes & Economy
WITF Marcellus Forum Viewers Guide
Tonight at 8 p.m., WITF TV will air an hour-long “Marcellus Shale Forum”. While the discussion should be informative for most viewers wanting to learn about the Marcellus Shale…
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Read More: WITF Marcellus Forum Viewers GuideTaxes & Economy
What’s the Difference Between a Tax and a Fee?
The latest media narrative this week seems to be that Americans for Tax Reform’s Grover Norquist is controlling Pennsylvania lawmakers, by stating that a proposed “impact fee” is a…
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Read More: What’s the Difference Between a Tax and a Fee?Education
Violence Rips Worst Pa. Schools!
In the 2009 school year, Pennsylvania’s bottom five percent of failing public schools had an alarming amount of violent incidents totaling more than 5,400. Not only are these 100,000 students trapped in failing schools, but…
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Proposed laws take aim at property tax increases
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