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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 BenefitsGovernment Accountability
Brouillette to moderate forum on P3s in transportation
Matthew J. Brouillette, president of the Commonwealth Foundation will moderate a forum on public-private partnerships and the potential role they can play in helping Pennsylvania meet its transportation…
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Read More: Brouillette to moderate forum on P3s in transportationTaxes & Economy
Electricity deregulation a success in Texas
Dallas Morning News story on a report showing how competition flourished and prices declined once Texas Electrity Deregulation took effect in January of last year. The full report…
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Read More: Electricity deregulation a success in TexasGovernment Accountability
Join us on Facebook
The Commonwealth Foundation has a New Page on Facebook. If you are a Facebook user (or want to sign up to see what all the kids are…
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Read More: Join us on FacebookGovernment Accountability
Why the capital budget process needs to be reformed
Here is a response I posted on GrassrootsPA to the defenders of the $13 billion in capital budget projects who state essentially “It isn’t that bad, because not all…
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Read More: Why the capital budget process needs to be reformedTaxes & Economy
Hoover’s Heirs
Wall Street Journal editorial on what not to do facing a possible recession, i.e. follow the lead of Herbert Hoover: In 1930, he signed the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act,…
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Read More: Hoover’s HeirsState Budget
Pork-Barrel Projects Take Taxpayers to Slaughterhouse
Commonwealth Foundation condemns earmarking of $12.7 billion in taxpayer debt HARRISBURG, PA — The Commonwealth Foundation expressed disappointment in the Pennsylvania Senate’s passage of House Bill 1589, which authorizes $12.7…
Press Release
Read More: Pork-Barrel Projects Take Taxpayers to SlaughterhouseState Budget
$13 Billion capital budget flies under radar
The $12.7 billion in borrowing for the state Capital Budget has become a hot topic on GrassrootsPA. Otherwise, it has merited a blurb in the Patriot News, and…
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Read More: $13 Billion capital budget flies under radarTaxes & Economy
Is the GOP Still the Party of Economic Growth?
John Tamny has a scathing RealClearMarkets column on the national economic policy of the last 7 years, implying that, had you been stuck on an island with Jack, Sawyer,…
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Read More: Is the GOP Still the Party of Economic Growth?Government Accountability
Philadelphia Parking Authority to face scrutiny
One the most wasteful, patronage-ridden, and shady government entities – the Philadelphia Parking Authority – will face investigation into its practices, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. Like many other agencies…
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Read More: Philadelphia Parking Authority to face scrutinyState Budget
CAGW releases Congressional Pig Book
Citizens Against Government Waste released their annual Congressional Pig Book, highlighting $17.2 billion in pork projects (11,610 projects). Pennsylvania ranks 31st in pork per capita (though sixth in…
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Read More: CAGW releases Congressional Pig BookTaxes & Economy
The Clean Energy Scam
Time Magazine blasts the ethanol craze that has politicians (including Governor Rendell) demanding more subsidies and mandates for biofuels than they already get (HT: Carpe Diem):…
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Read More: The Clean Energy ScamEducation
Report: Philly graduation rate 33% lower than suburbs
A new report on graduation rates in the largest US cities has troubling news for Philadelphia (and most urban districts). The Philadelphia City School District ranks 34th among the…
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Read More: Report: Philly graduation rate 33% lower than suburbs
Repeal Act 44 Videos
Hat Tip to Grassroots PA for pointing out these absurd but hilarious videos calling for a repeal of Act 44. My favorite is the video below featuring two…
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Read More: Repeal Act 44 VideosHealth Care
MCare: End it, Don’t Extend It
Governor Rendell and House Democrats have refused to extend the MCare abatements unless it is tied to their Cover All Pennsylvania’s/PA ABC plan (read my commentary…
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Read More: MCare: End it, Don’t Extend ItTaxes & Economy
NTU: Return Legislative Surplus to Taxpayers
The National Taxpayers Union sent an open letter to Pennsylvania legislators urging them to return the estimated $240 million surplus in legislative leadership accounts in the form of tax…
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Read More: NTU: Return Legislative Surplus to TaxpayersEducation
New Reports on Education and School Choice
Here are a few new reports that make for handy reference guides for legislators, advocates, researchers, or anyone interested in education reform. American Legislative Exchange Council: 2007…
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Read More: New Reports on Education and School ChoiceTaxes & Economy
Those wacky truckers
As anyone in the Harrisburg area would have noticed this morning, the Truck Drivers are coming into town to protest high diesel prices. Without even addressing their proposal (a…
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Read More: Those wacky truckersTaxes & Economy
What’s a Charity?
A recent blog post on the Tax Foundation blog points to an analysis they did on the tax treatment of charities, which I found to be quite intriguing.
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Read More: What’s a Charity?Education
School Choice Tax Credit Saves Money in IL
An analysis by the Illinois Policy Institute of the Illinois Education Expense Tax Credit finds that an increase on the cap for that credit to $4,000 per child would…
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Read More: School Choice Tax Credit Saves Money in ILEducation
Merit selection and education lawsuits
Our sister think tank, the Show Me Institute, has an interesting post on the intersection of merit selection of judges (i.e. the Missouri Plan) and education cases – namely…
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Read More: Merit selection and education lawsuitsHealth Care
RendellCare lobbyists push socialist pricing
The lobbyists charged with pushing RendellCare InsurePANow has fired off another missive advocating more of Rendell’s health care agenda. They tout a bill that they proclaim will “make insurance…
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Read More: RendellCare lobbyists push socialist pricing