Media

Education

Can a Dwight Schrute Save Scranton?

• November 8, 2016

Dwight K. Schrute is an employee at Dunder Mifflin—a fictional Scranton paper company featured in NBC’s The Office. And he just may be the key to overcoming the city’s very…

Media

Regulation

Who Pays for SEPTA?

• Nathan Benefield
• November 7, 2016

News reports today indicate SEPTA (the public transit agency serving the Philadelphia region) came to an agreement with the Transportation Workers Union Local 234—ending a six-day strike just before election…

Media

Public Union Democracy

Government Unions Pour Millions into Pa. Elections

• November 2, 2016

Government Unions Pour Millions into Pa. Elections Taxpayers Help Union Leaders Target U. S. Senate, State Attorney General Races November 2, 2016, HARRISBURG, Pa.—Government union leaders have poured nearly…

Press Release

Education

Children Benefit From School Choice, And So Do You

• James Paul
• November 2, 2016

The moral argument for school choice is irrefutable: Every child deserves access to a first-rate education. Families should not be limited by the supply of public schools within artificially-drawn district…

Media

State Budget

Prioritizing Tax Revenue over People

• November 2, 2016

PennLive recently published an editorial analyzing the General Assembly’s actions—or lack thereof—on key issues during the last two weeks of the legislative session. Their views on the e-cigarette (vape) tax deserve special…

Media

Public Union Democracy

Missed Opportunities: Fall Legislative Session

• Elizabeth Stelle, James Paul
• November 1, 2016

Three critical bills stalled last week amidst a flurry of last minute legislative activity. Failure to reform pensions, repeal the e-cigarette tax, and prohibit ghost teaching were missed opportunities that…

Media

Health Care

Painful Year for Pennsylvanians on the Obamacare Exchange

• Elizabeth Stelle
• November 1, 2016

Today marks the fifth open enrollment season for Obamacare's insurance exchange. As predicted, premiums continue to skyrocket. In fact, Pennsylvania's premium increases are among the highest in the…

Media

Public Union Democracy

Unions Profit by Restricting Workers’ Choices

• Elizabeth Stelle
• October 28, 2016

The gold standard for labor reform is right-to-work, according to the conventional wisdom. However, our latest policy report…

Media

Public Union Democracy

Union Leaders Kill Critical Pension Reform at Members’ and Taxpayers’ Expense

• October 27, 2016

Union Leaders Kill Critical Pension Reform at Members’ and Taxpayers’ Expense Reform Could Have Freed Public Employees from Restrictive, Failing Pension System October 27, 2016, Harrisburg, Pa.—In a…

Press Release

Regulation

State Pension Reform This Week?

• Elizabeth Stelle
• October 24, 2016

Pension reform talks are in full swing as state lawmakers finish up their fall session. The latest pension proposal offers a side-by-side hybrid system for new employees, including new…

Media

Regulation

Pennsylvanians Want Pension Reform

• Elizabeth Stelle
• October 20, 2016

A majority of Pennsylvanians want pension reform. In a poll conducted from October 4th to 9th, 54 percent of voters supported placing new state employees in a 401(k)-style…

Media

Education

APSCUF Threatens Faculty

• Nathan Benefield
• October 19, 2016

This morning, APSCUF, the union representing 5,000 faculty at the State System of Higher Education schools, went on strike. As we pointed out a few weeks ago, one…

Media

Government Accountability

Podcast: Matt Lewis on the Roots of Conservatism

• October 19, 2016

What are the roots of conservatism? How has conservatism and its messengers changed over time and what are the consequences for the nation? Political commentator Matt Lewis, author of “…

Media

Regulation

House Votes to Prevent Further Harm to the Vaping Community

• October 18, 2016

Gov. Wolf and the legislature clearly erred in their attempt to raise revenue on the backs of small vape shop business owners like Dori, Chris, Scottie, and…

Media

Health Care

Record Premium Hikes Hit Pa. Exchange

• Elizabeth Stelle
• October 18, 2016

Pennsylvanians shopping on the health care exchange are in for a rude awakening. Yesterday the Insurance Department announced premiums for individual plans will increase by an average of 32…

Media

Government Accountability

How Much is Too Much for Pa. School Districts?

• James Paul
• October 17, 2016

Why are taxpayers being charged for money left unspent? This question is posed by NBC 10 reporter Mitch Blacher to public school administrators in southeastern Pennsylvania districts. An NBC investigation…

Media

Education

House Speaker Seeks Boost for Vital Scholarship Programs

• James Paul
• October 17, 2016

Pennsylvania’s private school scholarship programs account for less than 2 percent of the $11 billion in state funds allocated for public schools. Yet it is impossible to overstate the…

Media

Regulation

Abysmal Investment Returns for Pension Fund, Taxpayers on the Hook

• Elizabeth Stelle
• October 13, 2016

In the past six years, Pennsylvania taxpayers’ unfunded pension liability has more than doubled from less than $30 billion to $63 billion. While the legislative debate over reform continues, Pennsylvania…

Media

Education

Testimony: Role of Charter Schools in Education

• Nathan Benefield
• October 13, 2016

Testimony

Education

Are These 8 Pa. School Districts Piling Up Tax Dollars Like Lower Merion?

• October 12, 2016

Are These 8 Pa. School Districts Piling Up Tax Dollars Like Lower Merion? Districts Stock Massive Reserve Funds While Seeking Tax Hikes October 12, 2016, HARRISBURG, Pa.—A Montgomery County…

Press Release

Education

Is Your District Hiking Taxes While Piling Up Large Reserves?

• James Paul
• October 11, 2016

In June, CF published a searchable database showing fund balance data for each of Pennsylvania’s 500 school districts as of 2015. Given the recent…

Media