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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 BenefitsState Budget
He’s not Santa Claus
The Herald Standard has an editorial about all of Governor Rendell’s taxpayer-funded “gifts” to Pennsylvania. While they don’t claim that any of these expenditures are misguided (though we pull…
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The Competitive Impact of School Choice
A reader asks, in response to a post about a study show school choice in Ohio had a competitive benefit to public schools, Do you have…
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Read More: The Competitive Impact of School ChoiceGovernment Accountability
16 days of work in six months may tire House
Eric Heyl, with a hint of sarcasm, suggests that the 16 days the PA House (and the 10 days for the PA Senate) is scheduled to be in session between July…
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Is PHEAA reformable?
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review questions whether PHEAA can be reformed, as the Auditor General suggests, given that the legislators who dominate the PHEAA board don’t think legislators should vote to…
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School Choice Benefits Ohio Public Schools
A new study from the Friedman Foundation finds that Ohio’s EdChoice voucher program – offering scholarships to students in failing schools – resulted in academic improvements in voucher-eligible public…
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Read More: School Choice Benefits Ohio Public SchoolsGovernment Accountability
A Pennsylvania Movie Script: U.S.A. v. FUMO Trial Memorandum
The U.S. Attorney General’s Trial Memorandum for the upcoming federal trial, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. VINCENT J. FUMO & RUTH ARNAO, reads like a movie script. Unfortunately,…
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Read More: A Pennsylvania Movie Script: U.S.A. v. FUMO Trial MemorandumGovernment Accountability
Turnpike chairman Rubin under fire as “ghost employee” of federal defendant Fumo
TOLLROADSnews, the toll road industry’s news website, highlights the connections between the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission and Sen. Vince Fumo’s upcoming federal trial. We’re still scratching our heads as to…
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Read More: Turnpike chairman Rubin under fire as “ghost employee” of federal defendant FumoEducation
Protect Our Kids from Preschool
Shikha Dalmia and Lisa Snell have a an editorial in the Wall Street Journal about the merits of universal preschool: In the last half-century, U.S. preschool attendance…
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Toll on integrity: The turnpike chairman owes the public an answer
Finally! We were beginning to wonder if anybody is paying attention to the role of the Turnpike Commission’s Chairman in Sen. Fumo’s 139-count federal indictment. Although the Turnpike Commission claims…
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Read More: Toll on integrity: The turnpike chairman owes the public an answerRegulation
Rendell: “Pennsylvania’s economy is awesome, thanks to me”
Hat Tip to Tony Phryillas for this story I almost missed – Governor Rendell attacked the Allegheny Institute for pointing out that Pennsylvania’s exorbitant economic development spending…
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Read More: Rendell: “Pennsylvania’s economy is awesome, thanks to me”Regulation
Ski for Free!
Well, we doubt you’ll get to ski for free, but you should. Seven Springs Mountain Resort–which lost $220,000 after it took over operations of the Laurael Mountain Ski Area–is poised…
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A Real Pennsylvania School “Report Card”
New report offers more accurate measure of education achievement HARRISBURG, PA — Today, the Commonwealth Foundation released A Pennsylvania School Report Card: How the Commonwealth’s Public Schools Stack Up to…
Press Release
Read More: A Real Pennsylvania School “Report Card”Taxes & Economy
In praise of compromise
The May edition of The Freeman has a creat commentary on Compromise, Principles, and Politics. Essentially the piece makes the point that “compromise” (or “bipartisanship”) in politics is akin to…
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Read More: In praise of compromiseGovernment Accountability
California Lawmaker Kicked Out of Capitol
From The Club For Growth blog: Democratic leaders in the California legislature kicked Assemblywoman Nicole Parra out of the Capitol building because she didn’t…
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Money, Money, Money
Teachers in Scranton are striking for more money Mid Valley school district officials are being criticized for spending too much money PHEAA is under scrutiny for recklessly…
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Read More: Money, Money, MoneyGovernment Accountability
Missouri study of merit selection of judges
One topic that came up in our luncheon on a state Constitutional Convention was merit selection of judges (we also held a luncheon on that topic earlier this…
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Read More: Missouri study of merit selection of judgesGovernment Accountability
Is Pennsylvania Ready for a Constitutional Convention?
Video from yesterday’s luncheon on Reviving Reform: Is it Time for a Constitutional Convention? featuring Sen. Jeff Piccola and Rep. Rosemarie Swanger is now available on our YouTube…
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Read More: Is Pennsylvania Ready for a Constitutional Convention?Education
Phix PHEAA
Pennsylvania Auditor General Jack Wagner has released his audit of PHEAA, recommending among other things that PHEAA’s board not be dominated by legislators (news release here). Wagner does…
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Tax Foundation’s CompeteUSA has great info on business taxes
The Tax Foundation launched a new website, CompeteUSA, that has a lot of fact about corporate taxes in the US (including that PA has the 2nd highest combined…
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Read More: Tax Foundation’s CompeteUSA has great info on business taxesGovernment Accountability
Reducing the Size of the General Assembly
Testimony before the House State Government Committee, August 19, 2008 Thank you, Chairwoman Josephs, and members of the House State Government Committee for the opportunity to testify today on the…
Testimony
Read More: Reducing the Size of the General AssemblyGovernment Accountability
Reform doesn’t mean suing to get candidates off the ballot
Last month, as part of the bonusgate indictments, PA House Democratic representatives and staffers were accused of illegally using taxpayer money to challenge petitions and effectively get Ralph Nader off…
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