Media

Taxes & Economy

Guest Post: How Philly’s Brutal Tax Policies Drive Away Jobs

• April 18, 2019

Businesses and people vote with their feet. As a long-time Philadelphian, I have unfortunately witnessed my neighbors taking their livelihoods to the suburbs—or beyond. Politicians cast the blame here and…

Media

Education

Gov. Wolf Blinded to Benefits of School Choice

• Colleen Hroncich
• April 16, 2019

Gov. Wolf’s 2019 budget promotes public and private options for pre-K and post-secondary education. He calls Pennsylvania’s post-secondary institutions “laboratories for innovation.” Most remarkably, the governor touts Pennsylvania Higher…

Media

Public Union Democracy

Guest Post: Shattering Myths About Government Unions

• April 15, 2019

As a former public school teacher, I can tell you: plenty of false messages circulate about union membership. Is union membership required? Why do government employees belong to unions and…

Media

Criminal Justice Reform

Fighting Poverty can be a Bipartisan Effort

• Nathan Benefield
• April 12, 2019

Here's a letter I submitted to the Philadelphia Daily News on how Pennsylvanians of any ideology can share good intent, and work toward a common goal. I was disappointed…

Media

Crucial Reform Needed from Harrisburg as Tax Day Approaches

• April 11, 2019

April 11, 2019, Harrisburg, Pa.—Tax Day may be April 15th, but Americans will be working one more day before they’ve earned enough to pay their national, state, and local tax…

Press Release

Public Union Democracy

The Facts about Pa.’s Employee Rights Notification Act

• April 9, 2019

The Employee Rights Notification Act (HB 785) is exactly what its name suggests: notifying employees of their existing rights. So what are these rights, and why must workers be…

Media

Taxes & Economy

Pennsylvania, Let’s Make our Taxes an Investment

• Jessica Barnett
• April 8, 2019

What do we get for our taxes in Pennsylvania? The question is rarely asked—because the answer is just too painful. But as Tax Day approaches, it's time for taxpayers to…

Media

State Budget

It’s Time to Tackle Debt

• Colleen Hroncich
• April 5, 2019

An ostrich burying its head in the sand is a classic analogy for avoiding difficult decisions. Though this is a mischaracterization—their heads are buried to protect their eggs from predators—the metaphor…

Media

Public Union Democracy

PSEA Flouts SCOTUS Ruling, Bargains for Unconstitutional ‘Fair Share’ Fees in Teacher Contracts

• April 4, 2019

In open disregard for the U.S. Supreme Court’s Janus v. AFSCME decision, the Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA) is bargaining to impose “fair share” fees on non-union member teachers in…

Press Release

Public Union Democracy

Lawsuits by Trapped Union Members Piling Up

• Jessica Barnett
• April 2, 2019

Curtis Thompson loves his school, his district, and helping students succeed. He considers his job as an education aide for at-risk students in the Cumberland Valley School District “an opportunity to…

Media

Education

New Workforce Skills Won’t Come from an Outdated Education System

• April 2, 2019

In his budget address earlier this year, Gov. Wolf cited “workforce concerns” as the reason Amazon rejected Philadelphia for its new headquarters—despite Pennsylvania offering a $4.6 billion dollar…

Media

Education

Time to Start Treating Philly Charter Families Like First Class Citizens

• April 1, 2019

Our children deserve the best, most individually-tailored education available. Sadly, most students in urban districts cannot access educational opportunities. It's a paradox: Pennsylvania schools are receiving more funds than ever—ranking…

Media

Anti-Worker Legislation Introduced in Pa. House

• March 31, 2019

Rep. Maureen Madden (D-Monroe) and Rep. Thomas Mehaffie (R-Dauphin) have proposed anti-worker legislation that would strip government workers of privacy rights in workplace elections and give union leaders workers’ personal…

Media

Taxes & Economy

New Evidence Shows Work is the Path to Prosperity

• Jessica Barnett
• March 29, 2019

Poverty and unemployment are vicious cycles. The longer you remain unemployed, the harder it is to find work—and poverty becomes more entrenched. As the Urban Institute puts it, “long-term…

Media

Education

Military ESAs an Important Part of any Education Plan for Servicemembers

• March 27, 2019

Last month, Governor Wolf introduced a proposal to offer college benefits for families of Pa. National Guard members—like a GI Bill for Pennsylvania. He intends his plan to “show that we…

Media

Lower Barriers to Employment to Give Workers a Fighting Chance

• Nathan Benefield
• March 26, 2019

People make mistakes; sometimes life-altering ones that harm the entire community.  But when they seek to get their life back on track and pay their debt to society, we should…

Media

Education

Economic Growth or Education OpportunityWhy not Both

• Marc LeBlond
• March 25, 2019

In a recent Philadelphia Inquirer op-ed, Mark Gleason explains that growing the economy and expanding educational opportunity are complementary, not competing goals: When it comes to preparing our children…

Media

Public Union Democracy

HB 785: Transparency or Deception

• Nathan Benefield
• March 19, 2019

Yesterday, the House Labor Committee voted to advance HB 785, the Employee Rights Notification Act. Unfortunately, this innocuous proposal became a partisan issue, with the vote falling along party lines.

Media

Public Union Democracy

Employee Rights Notification Bill Passes House Committee

• Jessica Barnett
• March 18, 2019

Today, the House Labor and Industry Committee passed the employee rights notification bill, HB 785. Sponsored by Rep. Kate Klunk (R-Hanover), this legislation ensures public employees can make informed…

Media

House Committee Approves Bill Notifying Public Employees of Constitutional Rights

• March 18, 2019

March 18, 2019, Harrisburg, Pa. — Today, the state House Labor and Industry Committee passed the  Employee Rights Notification Act (HB 785), sending it to the full House. The legislation, sponsored…

Press Release

Criminal Justice Reform

Milwaukee Study: School Choice Linked to Fewer Broken Families, Convictions

• Marc LeBlond
• March 15, 2019

Former Pennsylvania Secretary of Public Welfare Helen O’Bannon once lamented “the family breaking up” as the root cause of an “untrained, unskilled” workforce, which increases “single, female heads of…

Media