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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 BenefitsEducation
Cyber School Rewarded for Its Effectiveness
Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) has renewed the charter for the state’s first cyber charter school to offer all grades K-12. CEO Dr. Nick Trombetta acknowledged this accomplishment:…
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Read More: Cyber School Rewarded for Its EffectivenessTaxes & Economy
Obama Admits Energy Subsidies Distort Economy
A recent Heritage Foundation article highlights the hypocrisy within the Obama Administration’s approach to energy. The U.S. Treasury Green Book, which details the reasons for changing the tax code,…
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Read More: Obama Admits Energy Subsidies Distort EconomyTaxes & Economy
How Much will Your Tax Bill Increase in 2011?
The Tax Foundation has a great new tool to calculate your federal tax burden in 2011 – comparing your tax bill if the 2001 & 2003 tax cuts (“Bush…
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Read More: How Much will Your Tax Bill Increase in 2011?Taxes & Economy
When Your Ideas Harm Taxpayers, Make Stuff Up
The Patriot-News has been all over the Commonwealth Foundation’s recent report exposing the activities of PennFuture, the environmental lobbying group whose former president is in charge of Gov. Rendell’s Department…
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Read More: When Your Ideas Harm Taxpayers, Make Stuff UpTaxes & Economy
The PennFuture Scandal: We’re Not Mudslinging
Jan Murphy of the Patriot-News did a fine job in her Sunday article, giving an evenhanded account of our report on PennFuture’s lobbying, but the…
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Read More: The PennFuture Scandal: We’re Not MudslingingState Budget
Check Out State Budget Solutions
State Budget Solutions is a new website put together by a coalition of free-market organizations. They’ve been up for a while with a “soft launch,” but had their “hard…
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Mount to get $10M: State may help fund convocation center
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$316,000 Apartments for Low-Income Families in Tamaqua
The Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA) has approved $3.8 million in financing to convert an old building in Tamaqua into 12 apartments to house low-to-moderate tenants. The committee awarded…
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Read More: $316,000 Apartments for Low-Income Families in TamaquaTaxes & Economy
Natural Gas & Forced Pooling
The soon-to-be unbalanced FY 2010-11 state budget, included language that a severance tax on natural gas would be passed in Pennsylvania by October 1. Many drillers would support a…
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Read More: Natural Gas & Forced PoolingTaxes & Economy
Reforms for PA’s UC Fund include CF Proposals
State Representative Scott Perry has proposed new legislation to reform PA’s bankrupt unemployment compensation (UC) fund. A few of his suggested reforms are…
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Read More: Reforms for PA’s UC Fund include CF ProposalsEducation
New School Choice Legislation Introduced in PA Senate
Sen. Anthony Williams (D-Philadelphia) introduced Senate Bill 1405, the Opportunity Scholarship Act, last month with three Republican co-sponsors. This legislation represent a huge opportunity to increase parental choice in…
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Read More: New School Choice Legislation Introduced in PA SenateRegulation
Your Liquor Dollars at Work
The Post Gazette highlights the continued efforts of the liquor control board to be a better business. This includes the ridiculous: The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board is…
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Read More: Your Liquor Dollars at WorkRegulation
PA’s Largest Employers Then and Now
The Center for Workforce Information & Analysis provides a list of Pennsylvania’s top 50 employers in ranked order. In 1967, Pennsylvania’s top five largest employers were: U.S. Steel Corporation…
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Groups criticize capital program projects
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Why States Delay on Fiscal Crisis
States have delayed taking substantial action in the fiscal crisis many now face. Though it appears unlikely that states will default on their debts, some pundits fear that option is…
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Read More: Why States Delay on Fiscal CrisisTaxes & Economy
PennFuture Corrects IRS Returns, Owns Private Energy Conservation Company
Jan Murphy of the Patriot News features a story on PennFuture’s lobbying. The story reveals two facts that did not appear in our exposé. First, despite…
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Read More: PennFuture Corrects IRS Returns, Owns Private Energy Conservation CompanyHealth Care
NY Times: Individual Mandate is a Tax & Now Fewer Health Care Options
The New York Times had not one, but two stories over the weekend on things we learned about “what’s in the bill”, that we had to wait until it was…
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Read More: NY Times: Individual Mandate is a Tax & Now Fewer Health Care Options
State is ‘better off’ with lower tax rates
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Read More: State is ‘better off’ with lower tax ratesGovernment Accountability
PA House GOP Unveils Policy Agenda
Earlier this month, the PA House GOP put out a Policy Agenda for Pennsylvania. Not everything gets Commonwealth Foundation Approval – e.g., the “jobs package”, praise for…
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Read More: PA House GOP Unveils Policy AgendaTaxes & Economy
Win PennFuture Junk!
Over on the home page Commonwealth Foundation has responded to PennFuture’s allegations of “serious errors” in our report, “PennFuture’s Lobbying: Hypocritical, Unethical and Possibly Illegal.”…
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Read More: Win PennFuture Junk!