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

Education

How Does Pennsylvania Stack up in School Revenue?

• James Paul
• October 10, 2016

The National Center for Education Statistics recently released 2013-14 figures on revenues and expenditures for U.S. public schools. How does Pennsylvania stack up when it comes to funding? On a…

Media

Regulation

Pennsylvania Deficit Watch: October 2016

• October 7, 2016

Pennsylvania’s state budget is three months old and showing signs of a major budget deficit. Actual revenue collections are already behind $218.5 million through the first quarter, according to…

Media

Criminal Justice Reform

Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform Effort Gutted

• Elizabeth Stelle
• October 7, 2016

North Philadelphian Carol Johnson* saved $2,000 from her pension checks by storing the money in an upstairs bedroom. One day, the 87 year old's savings vanished in a matter…

Media

Government Accountability

Audio Blog: Expectations Exceed Reality with Pa. Pensions

• Catherine Fitzhugh
• October 6, 2016

In a recent interview with Stephanie Renee, host of WURD AM’s The Mojo, Nathan Benefield discussed the roots of Pennsylvania’s pension crisis and how to fix it. Pension debt has stacked up…

Media

Podcast: Matthew Spalding

• October 5, 2016

All men are created equal. This simple idea—just five words—changes world history, according to Matthew Spalding, author of We Still Hold These Truths and Associate Vice President and Dean of…

Media

Public Union Democracy

Top Ten Recipients of Government Union Contributions

• Elizabeth Stelle
• September 30, 2016

Election season is in full swing, but so is the fall legislative session. This time of year elected officials walk a narrow line to avoid the illegal practice of using…

Media

Government Accountability

New Labor Contracts Will Add to Taxpayers’ Burden

• Nathan Benefield
• September 28, 2016

New union contracts will make state government more expensive, according to two analyses released by the Independent Fiscal Office (IFO). The IFO projects contracts negotiated by the Wolf Administration…

Media

Regulation

Fighting for Survival

• September 27, 2016

Yesterday was an emotional day for many. Hundreds of people from Pennsylvania’s vaping community traveled to Harrisburg to save their livelihoods and their way of life. The rally to repeal…

Media

Taxes & Economy

House Committee Votes to Save Vape Shops

• September 27, 2016

House Committee Votes to Save Vape Shops  Bipartisan Vote Would Repeal 40-Percent Tax, Replace with Per-Milliliter Tax September 27, 2016, Harrisburg, Pa.—Today, the House Finance Committee voted 19-4 to…

Press Release

Education

Pennsylvania’s Economy is Struggling

• September 27, 2016

Americans finally got a raise! That's the gist of recent headlines hailing significant economic growth in 2015, but in Pennsylvania the economy is still struggling.  From 1991 to 2015,…

Media

Public Union Democracy

Wolf?s Union Agenda Loses Big in Court

• Gina Diorio
• September 22, 2016

David Smith and Donald Lambrecht were up against a powerful foe: Gov. Wolf and an executive order that granted a sweetheart deal to a union at their expense. In a…

Media

Education

Flawed Arguments Drive School Funding Suit

• Nathan Benefield
• September 22, 2016

As I pointed out earlier this week, Pennsylvania public school spending is at an all-time high. In fact, the state's per student spending is significantly above the national average. James’ analysis…

Media

Education

Podcast: Why Charter Schools – and School Choice – Matter

• September 21, 2016

In Pennsylvania, 130,000 kids attend public charter schools—about 5 percent of the state’s schoolchildren. For many of these kids and parents, charter schools are a lifeline to a safer, better…

Media

Education

Thorough and Efficient System of Public Education

• James Paul
• September 21, 2016

“The General Assembly shall provide for the maintenance and support of a thorough and efficient system of public education to serve the…

Media

Regulation

How to Fix the Vape Tax

• September 19, 2016

The House will return to session later today, with the Senate to follow early next week. The two chambers are in session for a total of nine days. This gives lawmakers a limited…

Media

Education

Facts about the State Share of School Funding

• Nathan Benefield
• September 19, 2016

Should the Pennsylvania Supreme Court order the Legislature to give billions more dollars to school districts? That's what a recent lawsuit demands. But to make their case to the public, the lawsuit's advocates…

Media