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Education
2025 State of Education Spending in Pennsylvania
Overview The national trends impacting education in Pennsylvania in 2025 include an impending fiscal cliff, under-enrolled schools, and population decline, all of which lead to school closures…
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Education
Governor Shapiro’s 2025 Budget Proposal: An Extreme Spending Binge
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Education
2025 State of Education Spending in Pennsylvania
Read More: 2025 State of Education Spending in PennsylvaniaTaxes & Economy
Policy Memo: The History of Tom Wolf’s Proposed Tax Hikes
Since assuming office, Gov. Tom Wolf has persistently advocated higher taxes on working Pennsylvania families. Here's a brief history of Wolf's efforts to raise taxes. …
Memo
Read More: Policy Memo: The History of Tom Wolf’s Proposed Tax HikesRegulation
Policy Points: Pennsylvania’s Debt Burden
State and local debt levels have exploded since 2002. When combined with the commonwealth’s unfunded liabilities, total state obligations exceed $17,600 for every Pennsylvania resident.
Fact Sheet
Read More: Policy Points: Pennsylvania’s Debt BurdenCriminal Justice Reform
Policy Memo: Principles for State Budget
With the 2017 budget, lawmakers have an opportunity to double down on the idea of reinventing government and adopt meaningful reforms that will save taxpayers money, stimulate economic growth, and improve services…
Memo
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Policy Memo: Pension Reform in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania’s $71 billion unfunded pension liability is unsustainable for taxpayers and puts public employees at risk. Without timely reform, pension payments will crowd out funding for other services, property taxes will…
Memo
Read More: Policy Memo: Pension Reform in PennsylvaniaRegulation
Policy Memo: Pension Reform in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania’s $71 billion unfunded pension liability is unsustainable for taxpayers and puts public employees at risk. Without timely reform, pension payments will crowd out funding for other services, property taxes…
Memo
Read More: Policy Memo: Pension Reform in PennsylvaniaGovernment Accountability
Policy Memo: Government Union Political Spending Trends
Union leaders spend millions each year to further their own political agenda. Regardless of public sector employees’ personal political convictions, the highly partisan trend continued to the tune of $19 million…
Memo
Read More: Policy Memo: Government Union Political Spending TrendsGovernment Accountability
Redistricting Reform Memo
Redistricting reform, Fair Districts PA and CF Priorities …
Memo
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Memo on Redistricting Reform
Commonwealth Foundation supports redistricting reform as a good government practice.
Memo
Read More: Memo on Redistricting ReformHealth Care
Policy Points: After ObamaCare
Obamacare increased the number of people holding insurance cards but failed to increase access to quality and affordable health services. It’s time to put patients, not government bureaucrats, in charge…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Policy Points: After ObamaCareRegulation
Policy Memo: The Downside of Raising the Minimum Wage
In February, Gov. Wolf proposed raising the minimum wage from $7.25 to $12, claiming a higher minimum wage will raise revenue, reduce welfare participation and spur job growth. These claims are…
Memo
Read More: Policy Memo: The Downside of Raising the Minimum WageCriminal Justice Reform
Embracing Innovation in State Government
Conventional governing is hampering Pennsylvania’s progress. Growing state budgets combined with one-time revenue transfers and targeted tax hikes are delaying the structural reforms essential to improving the quality…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Embracing Innovation in State GovernmentState Budget
Tracking State Budget Trends
The 2016-17 General Fund budget added to Pennsylvania’s fiscal challenges. Lawmakers approved the $31.6 billion budget without implementing meaningful reforms or authorizing enough revenue to balance the budget. Despite lacking…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Tracking State Budget TrendsPublic Union Democracy
Transforming Labor
Executive Summary In the last five years, Americans have seen an unprecedented sweep of public sector labor reforms across several states. Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana—and most recently, West Virginia in…
Report
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Answering Questions about Education Savings Accounts
What are Education Savings…
Memo
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How Does Pennsylvania’s Tax Burden Compare?
Pennsylvania’s tax structure should benefit all Pennsylvanians, not just some. Unfortunately, our state’s stifling tax burden harms residents. Each year, government spending grows, increasing the pressure for higher taxes. These…
Fact Sheet
Read More: How Does Pennsylvania’s Tax Burden Compare?Government Accountability
School District Labor Contracts: Surprising Provisions
More than 1.7 million students rely on Pennsylvania’s 500 school districts to meet their diverse educational needs. School boards from each district agree to collective bargaining agreements (labor contracts) with local teachers’…
Memo
Read More: School District Labor Contracts: Surprising ProvisionsState Budget
Seven Threats to the 2017-18 Budget
The 2016-17 budget remains unbalanced. Without serious efforts to reduce spending or reform major cost drivers, like public pensions and the sprawling human services system, taxpayers should expect a push…
Memo
Read More: Seven Threats to the 2017-18 BudgetState Budget
An Analysis of the 2016-17 Budget
On June 30, the legislature passed a $31.6 billion General Fund Budget. Gov. Wolf allowed this budget to become law without his signature on July 12. On July 13, the…
Fact Sheet
Read More: An Analysis of the 2016-17 BudgetEducation
School Spending Update, 2014-15
Pennsylvania school districts spent approximately $27.4 billion in 2014-15. This represents a $1.3 billion increase from 2013-14, despite a 12,000 student decrease in average daily membership.
Memo
Read More: School Spending Update, 2014-15Public Union Democracy
Pennsylvania’s Ghost Teachers
Collective bargaining agreements in many Pennsylvania school districts permit school employees to take a full-time leave of absence from the classroom to perform union work. While on leave doing union work,…
Fact Sheet
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Beneath the Surface: The Pennsylvania Public Pension Saga–Ten Years Later
Pennsylvania government employee-benefit plans operate in a vacuum. In a world where private-sector benefit cutbacks and cost reductions occur on a daily basis, state government in Harrisburg has not responded…
Memo
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