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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 Benefits
School Choice and Racial Balance
Paul Peterson in today’s Wall Street Journal on how school choice can reduce racial segregation in schools.
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Reform coalition proposing budget timeline for lawmakers
Coverage of yesterday’s reform coalition press conference on reforming the budget process: Post Gazette Tribune Review WGAL TV (complete with poll asking, “Would you support a plan…
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Affordable Health Care Agenda
As the lead article on our website indicates, the Commonwealth Foundation has joined with over two dozen organizations to form the Health Care Freedom Coalition. Most…
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11th Most Influential Blog
PolicyBlog debuts as the Pennsylvania’s 11th most influential political blog on the Blognetnews.com rankings. Tony Phyrillas (#5) comments that we are moving up fast (though technically we are…
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Financial Impact of Public Charter Schools
Report from the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools looks at the fiscal impact of charter schools and the myths propogated by school districts. Among their conclusions: Districts get…
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Reforming the Budget Process
The Commonwealth Foundation will be joining with other members of the reform coalition (today at 11 am) to discuss the budget process in the “era of reform,” and an alternative…
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Uninsured in America
Great video titled “Uninsured in America”, produced by Free Market Cure.
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‘Pre-K Counts’ Does Not Apply To Religious Schools
The Evening Bulletin on the effect of “Pre-K Counts” on private, religious preschools.
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Vouchers could desegregate schools better than buses
Some new data on yet another benefit of school choice – desegregation. Summary from NCPA…
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Pretend funding plan
Two days late and a dollar short, the Patriot News declares that “Turnpike borrowing and tolls for Interstate 80 come up short to finance statewide road needs.”…
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Two against 48
Dimitri Vassilaros column in Pittsburgh Tribune-Review on Senators Eichelberger and Folmer (the two in the 2 vs. 48) who voted against the budget. Vassilaros also discussesthe intricacies of state…
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Another Anti-Cyber Assault by School Boards
School boards continue to attack public cyber schools and call for limiting their spending (you never hear anyone calling for school districts to limit their spending) in the Pittsburgh…
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State flunks in financial disclosure
Brett Lieberman in the Patriot News on Pennsylvania’s failing grade for disclosure of public official’s financial interests The full report is here. The disclosure documents for the…
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Toll Roads News on the Transportation Deal
Penn Pike’s Joe Brimmeier trumps state Governor – comes out of fight with growing road portfolio, from Toll Roads News.
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The Best States For Business
This is about a week old, but Forbes’ lastest Best States For Business ranks PA near the bottom, coming in at 39 this year. I’m sure with the Film…
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Edifice Complex Charts and Resources
Below are charts, source data, and statistical results results (as promised) from our report Edifice Complex: Where Has All the Money Gone Charts used at News Conference (PDF)…
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Turnpike Wheeling and Dealing
Brad Bumsted’s assessment of the Turnpike Commission’s deal to expand their power and protect their fiefdom. The Turnpike Commission may have gotten enough House votes for their borrowing and…
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Milton Friedman Resolution Passes!
Without drawing much attention, given all the attention going to the state budget and the transportation funding plan, we scored a legislative victory of sorts. Late last night…
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Pittsburgh schools drop ‘public’ from name to boost image
Oddity on the education front – since “public” schools carry a negative connotation the Pittsburgh Public Schools will now be known simply as the Pittsburgh Schools. We think…
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Edifice Complex at Central Dauphin?
Yesterday we released a report titled The Edifice Complex, which looks at school district spending (as well as contrasting that with cyber schools), finding that school districts suffer from…
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Read More: Edifice Complex at Central Dauphin?Taxes & Economy
PAs Coming Transportation Taxes: When a user fee is a tax
HARRISBURG, PA — Lawmakers in Harrisburg are hailing a budget without tax increases, but the Commonwealth Foundation noted that the effect of the transportation funding proposal will be a significant…
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