Erik Telford
Senior Vice President of Public Affairs
Erik Telford is the Senior Vice President of Public Affairs at the Commonwealth Foundation.
Erik is a senior public affairs and communications executive with more than 15 years of diverse experience across public policy, advocacy, and public affairs institutions. Before joining the Commonwealth Foundation, Erik served as the senior vice president at Stand Together Communications, the Koch network’s marketing and communications capability. Erik has also served as the president of the Franklin Center for Government & Public Integrity, a state-based watchdog journalism organization. And at Americans for Prosperity, he was the executive director of RightOnline (an initiative he founded) and the director of membership and online strategy. He is currently on the board of the American Commitment Foundation.
In 2013, Campaigns & Elections Magazine honored Erik as an “Advocacy Innovator” and in 2011 as a “Rising Star in American Politics.” Politics Online named him one of the “Top 10 Who Are Changing the World of Internet and Politics.”
Republicans are Keeping Their School Choice Promise
Originally published by the Washington Examiner. Republicans in Washington are on the verge of keeping a historic promise to America’s families. In the “one big, beautiful bill” that…
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Preventing Pennsylvania from Powering Down: Analysis of Governor Shapiro’s PACER and PRESS Proposals
Key Findings The Price Tag: Governor Shapiro’s Pennsylvania Climate Emissions Reduction Act (PACER) and Pennsylvania Reliable Energy Sustainability Standard (PRESS) proposals would impose $157.2 billion in new electricity costs on…
Report
Read More: Preventing Pennsylvania from Powering Down: Analysis of Governor Shapiro’s PACER and PRESS ProposalsEducation
PA Families Need Two School Choice Victories
Originally published by RealClearPennsylvania. The following month could determine whether tens of thousands of Pennsylvania students get ahead—or continue to fall behind. That’s the reality as both Congress and…
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What Happens in Philly Schools’ “Rubber Rooms”?
Originally published by the Philadelphia Citizen. What happens in Philadelphia schools stays in Philadelphia schools—or so it seems based on the District’s lack of transparency. As The…
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Read More: What Happens in Philly Schools’ “Rubber Rooms”?Government Accountability
Pennsylvania Needs Genuine Election Integrity Reform
Originally published by Broad + Liberty. Imagine that you are at the liquor store but forgot your ID. Don’t worry, your friend can sign an affidavit saying you’re over 21.
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Gov. Josh Shapiro Wants to Spend More than Taxpayers Can Pay
Originally published by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The weather isn’t the only thing heating up this May. Negotiations are underway for Pennsylvania’s Fiscal Year 2025–26 state budget. These negotiations determine how…
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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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School Choice Returns to Harrisburg
Originally published by Pottstown-Mercury. School choice is, once again, the talk of the town in Harrisburg. Hundreds of students, parents, educators, lawmakers, and activists crowded the Capitol steps, rallying support for meaningful…
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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…
Press Release
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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…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Pennsylvania School Funding Reaches $23,000 per Student in 2024Energy
Pennsylvania Supreme Court Hears Oral Arguments on RGGI
Harrisburg, Pa., May 12, 2025 – The Pennsylvania Supreme Court will hear oral arguments tomorrow in Harrisburg on the constitutionality of the controversial Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). Pennsylvania entered RGGI…
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PA Supreme Court Must Strike Down Shapiro’s Energy Tax
Originally published by RealClearPennsylvania. Tomorrow, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court will begin oral arguments about an energy tax looming over utility bills in the commonwealth: the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI).
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State High Court Should Confirm Unconstitutionality of Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative
Originally published by LNP/Lancaster Online. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Tuesday on Pennsylvania’s controversial and unconstitutional membership in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. This multistate cap-and-trade program—illegally…
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Senate Education Committee Approves Bipartisan PASS Scholarships, Offering Lifeline to Students in Need
Harrisburg, Pa., May 6, 2025—Today, the Pennsylvania Senate Education Committee approved legislation to establish the Pennsylvania Award for Student Success (PASS) Scholarships. Similar to the popular Lifeline Scholarship proposal, PASS…
Press Release
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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 ProgramGovernment Accountability
A SEPTA Bailout Is as Predictable as It Is Irresponsible
Originally published by Penn Live. We hate to say, “We told you so.” But when it comes to the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) demanding another state bailout, we told…
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Find Your School District’s Reserves
Local Districts: Charter Schools: Topics on this pageCharter schoolCleveland Municipal School DistrictPublic school funding in the United StatesSchool district…
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Read More: Find Your School District’s ReservesState Budget
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
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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
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How To Make Pennsylvania Manufacturing Boom
Originally published by RealClearPennsylvania. President Donald Trump and Gov. Josh Shapiro can agree on one thing: Pennsylvania needs a manufacturing boom. Political talk and regulatory action, however, are two different…
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Shapiro ‘Price Cap’ Could Hike Electricity Bills
Originally published by Delaware Valley Journal. Gov. Josh Shapiro’s proposal to cap electricity prices could, perversely, lead to higher customer bills and a greater risk of blackouts, according to America’s…
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