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Education
Pennsylvania School Funding Reaches $23,000 per Student in 2024
Pennsylvania Public School Spending is Growing Public school spending reaches historic levels year after year. Pennsylvania public school revenue per student increased to $23,061 in the 2023-24 school year, up…
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Energy
Preventing Pennsylvania from Powering Down: Analysis of Governor Shapiro’s PACER and PRESS Proposals
Read More: Preventing Pennsylvania from Powering Down: Analysis of Governor Shapiro’s PACER and PRESS ProposalsEducation
Educational Choice Myth and Facts 2025
Summary Unfortunately, conversations about education choice are fraught with myths about accountability, funding, and who qualifies for choice programs. This fact sheet addresses the most common myths. Academic Accountability MYTH:School…
Fact Sheet
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Educational Choice for Children Act
Federal legislation supporting educational opportunities for K–12 students in Pennsylvania. Update: The 2025 budget reconciliation legislation, which the U.S. House of Representatives passed on May 22, 2025, includes…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Educational Choice for Children ActEducation
PASS/Lifeline Scholarship Program
Overview Two proposals—Senate Bill 10, the Pennsylvania Award for Student Success Scholarship Program (PASS), and forthcoming Lifeline Scholarship legislation in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives—are separate but similar…
Fact Sheet
Read More: PASS/Lifeline Scholarship ProgramProsperity
Deficit Watch: May 2025
Pennsylvania cannot afford more mass transit bailouts. Background Pennsylvania faces serious fiscal challenges. The enacted 2024–25 General Fund budget created a $3.6 billion structural deficit. Gov.
Deficit Watch
Read More: Deficit Watch: May 2025State Budget
EITC and Economically Disadvantaged Schools
Summary The Economically Disadvantaged School (EDS) component of the Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) scholarship program provides supplementary scholarships for Pennsylvania students, who are economically disadvantaged and attend private schools…
Fact Sheet
Read More: EITC and Economically Disadvantaged SchoolsState Budget
Mass Transit Bailout
2025 Budget Proposal Seeks to Further Subsidize Inefficient Agencies Summary Mass transit agencies, including Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT) in Pittsburgh, have seen…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Mass Transit BailoutRegulation
Portable Benefits for Gig-Workers
Findings from a DoorDash pilot program in Pennsylvania. Summary In April 2024, with the support of Gov. Josh Shapiro, DoorDash launched a first-of-its-kind portable benefits six-month pilot program for…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Portable Benefits for Gig-WorkersPublic Union Democracy
Government Union Political Spending in Pennsylvania’s 2023–24 Election Cycle
Key Points Government unions enjoy a host of special legal privileges in Pennsylvania, which allow their executives to exert undue influence over Pennsylvania’s public policy process. Government union bosses use…
Backgrounder
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Deficit Watch: April 2025
Improving Pennsylvania’s economy will help close the deficit. Background Pennsylvania faces serious fiscal challenges. The enacted 2024–25 General Fund budget created a $3.6 billion structural deficit.
Deficit Watch
Read More: Deficit Watch: April 2025Public Union Democracy
Protecting Public Employees’ Personal Information
Summary Government unions regularly obtain sensitive personal information from employers through their collective bargaining processes. Unions are not responsible stewards of this sensitive information. The Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA)…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Protecting Public Employees’ Personal InformationHealth Care
How to Help Pennsylvanians Prosper with Medicaid and SNAP Reform
Work requirements, strengthening eligibility verification, and prioritizing traditional enrollees will lead to better outcomes. Summary The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid programs are intended to help adults increase…
Fact Sheet
Read More: How to Help Pennsylvanians Prosper with Medicaid and SNAP ReformEducation
Shadow School Choice: When Public Schools Turn Students Away
Summary The School District of Philadelphia outsources special education to private schools when the district is unable to meet the student’s special education needs. The U.S. Department of Education guarantees…
Fact Sheet
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IFO Data Shows Pennsylvania’s Emissions Success Story
The Keystone State is lowering emissions and generating more energy without RGGI or PACER taxes. Overview The Keystone State cut total emissions while increasing electricity generation, according to the two…
Fact Sheet
Read More: IFO Data Shows Pennsylvania’s Emissions Success StoryEducation
Pennsylvania Education Myths
Summary Conversations about education in Pennsylvania are fraught with myths, including the notions that Pennsylvania public schools remain underfunded, nonpublic options and school choice programs lack accountability, private schools only…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Pennsylvania Education MythsState Budget
Deficit Watch: March 2025
Background Pennsylvania faces serious fiscal challenges. The enacted 2024–25 General Fund budget created a $3.6 billion structural deficit. Gov. Josh Shapiro’s 2025–26 budget…
Deficit Watch
Read More: Deficit Watch: March 2025Education
Record Tax Credit Scholarship Waiting List Shows Growing Demand for Education Options
Summary Pennsylvania scholarship organizations awarded a record 85,570 K–12 scholarships through the Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) and Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit (OSTC) in the 2022-23 school year. The average…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Record Tax Credit Scholarship Waiting List Shows Growing Demand for Education OptionsState Budget
Optimizing State Spending
Summary Pennsylvania faces a $3.6 billion structural budget deficit in Fiscal Year (FY) 2024–25. The Independent Fiscal Office (IFO) calculates Gov. Josh Shapiro’s FY 2025–26 budget…
Fact Sheet
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Pennsylvania Public Schools: Nation’s Report Card 2024
Summary Despite $4.1 billion in education funding increases over the last four years, Pennsylvania Public Schools did not rank in the top 10 for any category…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Pennsylvania Public Schools: Nation’s Report Card 2024Prosperity
Deficit Watch: February 2025
Background Pennsylvania faces serious fiscal challenges. The enacted 2024–25 General Fund budget created a $3.6 billion structural deficit, with $47.6 billion in spending and only $43.9 billion in net…
Deficit Watch
Read More: Deficit Watch: February 2025Education
Governor Shapiro’s 2025 Budget Proposal: An Extreme Spending Binge
Overview Gov. Josh Shapiro’s radical overspending exacerbates what is already a massive budget deficit. His plan imposes new taxes this year and will force extreme tax hikes on working families…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Governor Shapiro’s 2025 Budget Proposal: An Extreme Spending Binge