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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 BenefitsEducation
Charters Drowning in Red Tape
What could your family, business, or place of work do with an extra 700 hours? This is a question Pennsylvania charter schools are likely asking after a new report from…
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Another levy could undermine a profitable industry for Pa.
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Read More: Another levy could undermine a profitable industry for Pa.Taxes & Economy
All Pennsylvanians Would Pay for Nation’s Highest Severance Tax
Gov. Wolf proposed a natural gas extraction tax on Pennsylvania’s oil and gas industry to make drillers pay what union special interests dub their “fair share.” In testimony to…
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Read More: All Pennsylvanians Would Pay for Nation’s Highest Severance TaxState Budget
Zero Votes for Wolf Tax Hikes
Yesterday, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives voted on Gov. Tom Wolf’s proposed tax increase—the largest in Pennsylvania’s history. The tax proposal failed by a 0-193 vote. That’s right, not a…
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Armed with powerful lobbyists, union stonewalls liquor privatization in PA
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Read More: Armed with powerful lobbyists, union stonewalls liquor privatization in PAEducation
Testimony: Natural Gas Tax Costs Jobs, Threatens Family Budgets
Natural Gas Tax Costs Jobs, Threatens Family Budgets Fixing Pensions & School Funding Formula Better Solutions for Education Good morning, Today, Commonwealth Foundation Vice President of Policy Analysis Nathan…
Press Release
Read More: Testimony: Natural Gas Tax Costs Jobs, Threatens Family BudgetsEducation
Natural Gas Severance Tax
Pennsylvania Senate Environmental Resources Energy Committee And Finance Committee Good afternoon. I want to thank Chairmen Yaw and Yudichak and Chairmen Eichelberger and Blake, along with the…
Testimony
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Busting PA’s budget with welfare spending can be avoided, study finds
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Read More: Busting PA’s budget with welfare spending can be avoided, study findsState Budget
PA Budget Live Chat
Friday at noon we’ll be hosting a live chat on the Pennsylvania state budget.
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Read More: PA Budget Live ChatRegulation
Audio: The ‘Same Old’ Pension System Isn’t Good Enough
During his budget address, Gov. Wolf stated, “It’s not good enough to just say no and continue with the same old same old.” Why, then, does he continue to sidestep…
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Read More: Audio: The ‘Same Old’ Pension System Isn’t Good Enough
Teacher Appreciation Week Survey Winner
This year during Teacher Appreciation Week, Free to Teach hosted a survey to learn more about Pennsylvania’s teachers – straight from the source! Every participating educator was entered into a…
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Pa. Gov. Wolf proposes to add $28M a year for human services
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Read More: Pa. Gov. Wolf proposes to add $28M a year for human servicesState Budget
Welfare, not Education, is Wolf’s Biggest Budget Buster
Commonwealth Foundation Contact: John Bouder | 717-671-1901 Welfare, not Education, is Wolf’sBiggest Budget Buster Study: Slowing Welfare Spending Growth Will Ease Budget Pressure May 27, 2015, HARRISBURG,…
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Read More: Welfare, not Education, is Wolf’s Biggest Budget Buster
Erie shows wrong way to shop for economic growth solutions
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Read More: Erie shows wrong way to shop for economic growth solutions
Pensions and Politics Fuel Crisis in Illinois
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Read More: Pensions and Politics Fuel Crisis in Illinois
Here’s how Pennsylvania school districts would spend extra money promised by Gov. Tom Wolf
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Read More: Here’s how Pennsylvania school districts would spend extra money promised by Gov. Tom Wolf
Why are teachers pension plans in trouble?
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Read More: Why are teachers pension plans in trouble?Government Accountability
Union Contract Agreements Bolster Case for Collective Bargaining Transparency
The Wolf Administration finalized contracts with two government unions yesterday, perfectly encapsulating the failings of the current collective bargaining process. In a terse press release, the Wolf Administration announced…
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Read More: Union Contract Agreements Bolster Case for Collective Bargaining TransparencyEducation
Audio: House Expands State Scholarship Programs
Last week, Pennsylvania’s House of Representatives approved a significant expansion of two state scholarship programs, the Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) and the Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit…
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Read More: Audio: House Expands State Scholarship Programs
Audio: Gov. Wolf’s Stealth Unionization
Gov. Wolf’s recent executive order has been unveiled as an illegal attempt to unionize home healthcare workers–but the governor is claiming his order does not pave the way…
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Read More: Audio: Gov. Wolf’s Stealth Unionization