State Budget
Takeaways from the (Mostly) Finalized 2023–24 Pennsylvania State Budget
Overview With the passage of Fiscal Code and School Code bills in December, work on the 2023–24 Pennsylvania state budget ended mostly done, six months late. The budget is as…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Takeaways from the (Mostly) Finalized 2023–24 Pennsylvania State BudgetEducation
Education Funding in the Commonwealth
Pennsylvania Outspends the Nation on Public Schools Pennsylvania ranks among the highest-spending states on public education. According to National Center for Education Statistics data, as of fiscal year (FY) 2021,…
Backgrounder
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Another $6 BILLION Increase in Education Spending Is a Recipe for Failure
Harrisburg, Pa., January 10, 2024 — This week, the Basic Education Funding Commission—a bipartisan, 15-member group of lawmakers and administration officials—faces a deadline to release its funding report detailing the commission’s…
Press Release
Read More: Another $6 BILLION Increase in Education Spending Is a Recipe for FailureEducation
Lifeline and Education Choice Myths and Facts
Summary Lifeline Scholarships, also known as the Pennsylvania Award for Student Success (PASS) program, would offer scholarships ranging from $2,500 to $15,000 per year for students in the commonwealth’s lowest-performing…
Fact Sheet
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Tax Credit Scholarships: An Investment in Educational Opportunity
Summary Pennsylvania scholarship organizations awarded 77,670 K–12 scholarships through the Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) and Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit (OSTC) in the 2021–22 school year. The average 2021–22 scholarship…
Fact Sheet
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2023 PSSA Scores Highlight the Need for Educational Opportunity
Summary The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) released Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) scores from spring 2023. Test results show that fourth- and eighth-grade students struggle to…
Fact Sheet
Read More: 2023 PSSA Scores Highlight the Need for Educational OpportunityRegulation
Regulatory Streamlining in Pennsylvania Would Boost Opportunities for State Residents
Introduction Good morning, members of the Senate Majority Policy Committee. My name is James Broughel and I am a senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute in Washington DC, as…
Testimony
Read More: Regulatory Streamlining in Pennsylvania Would Boost Opportunities for State ResidentsPublic Union Democracy
Government Union Contracts Increase Again
Summary Pennsylvania elected officials routinely and secretly negotiate billion-dollar labor contracts with government union leaders from whom they often receive political donations. These labor contracts are a major cost of…
Fact Sheet
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Pa. Back to School Public Education Trends
Overview As students head back to school, there are many claims of teacher shortages and funding shortfalls. In reality, public school spending is at a record high, and Pennsylvania ranks…
Backgrounder
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