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.”
Education
Analysis: Shapiro Least Productive Governor with a Divided Government
Harrisburg, Pa., September 21, 2023 — Pennsylvania state lawmakers have enacted only 15 bills during the first six months of Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration, despite having a full-time legislature, according to…
Press Release
Read More: Analysis: Shapiro Least Productive Governor with a Divided GovernmentEducation
Shapiro’s Legislative Record: Last in Nation Among Divided Governments
Overview An analysis by the Commonwealth Foundation of bills enacted in the first half of 2023 reveals Pennsylvania has been the least productive among states with divided government. This analysis…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Shapiro’s Legislative Record: Last in Nation Among Divided GovernmentsPublic Union Democracy
Commonwealth Foundation Supports Advancement of Senate Bill 399
Harrisburg, Pa., September 19, 2023 – Today, the Pennsylvania Senate State Government Committee advanced Senate Bill 399, a critical piece of legislation that brings urgently needed transparency to the…
Press Release
Read More: Commonwealth Foundation Supports Advancement of Senate Bill 399Regulation
New Study: Pennsylvania’s Overregulation Harms Economy and Costs Jobs
Harrisburg, Pa., September 19, 2023 — Reducing Pennsylvania state regulations by 36 percent would increase the state’s gross domestic product by $9.2 billion a year, a new Commonwealth Foundation…
Press Release
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School Choice Report, Episode 17
Margaret “Macke” Raymond is the Director of the Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO) based at Stanford University. She has steered the group to national prominence as a rigorous…
Podcast
Read More: School Choice Report, Episode 17Education
Pennsylvanians Deserve the Truth on Education Spending
Originally published at RealClearPennsylvania Pennsylvania’s Basic Education Funding Commission has begun holding hearings on how to remake the state’s public schools funding formula after a state court determined that the existing…
Media Hit
Read More: Pennsylvanians Deserve the Truth on Education SpendingRegulation
Cutting Red Tape in Pennsylvania
This report presents findings from Mercatus Center’s State RegData database, analyzing regulations in the Pennsylvania Code as of 2022. The report provides an overview of state regulations, how Pennsylvania’s regulatory…
Executive Summary
Read More: Cutting Red Tape in PennsylvaniaEducation
Pa. House Majority Leader Matt Bradford’s failed leadership
Originally published in The Mercury The Pennsylvania budget remains unfinished, while Pennsylvania House lawmakers remain on vacation (in recess) until the end of September. While it’s up to Speaker…
Media Hit
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Education Pioneer David Hardy Tells Harrisburg to Pass Lifeline Scholarships
Harrisburg, Pa., September 14, 2023 — Philadelphia education pioneer and Commonwealth Foundation Distinguished Senior Fellow David Hardy delivered powerful testimony to the state Senate Education Committee on Monday, reminding lawmakers that the…
Press Release
Read More: Education Pioneer David Hardy Tells Harrisburg to Pass Lifeline ScholarshipsEducation
A Democrat saved school choice in Maryland. Can the same thing happen in Pennsylvania?
Originally published at The Patriot-News Maryland’s targeted educational choice program was on the chopping block earlier this year. With Democrats controlling both legislative chambers and flipping the governor’s…
Commentary
Read More: A Democrat saved school choice in Maryland. Can the same thing happen in Pennsylvania?Education
School Choice Report, Episode 16
Ryan Boyer is the business manager of Laborers’ District Council and head of the Philadelphia Building & Construction Trades Council. It’s been written that he’s a no-nonsense operator in the…
Podcast
Read More: School Choice Report, Episode 16Taxes & Economy
Jennifer Stefano: All that’s lost when teens don’t work
Philadelphia Inquirer columnist and Commonwealth Foundation Executive Vice President Jennifer Stefano, in her recent column, laments the decline of teenage employment and the life lessons that teenagers miss when they don’t…
Press Release
Read More: Jennifer Stefano: All that’s lost when teens don’t workRegulation
All that’s lost when teens don’t work
Originally published at The Philadelphia Inquirer At a back-to-school night this year, I chatted with a group of moms who had kids in high school. Their teens’ summers were…
Media Hit
Read More: All that’s lost when teens don’t workPublic Union Democracy
This Labor Day, ask yourself: Are unions living up to their promises?
Originally published at The Hill Within days of signing legislation protecting the rights of public employees, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was sued twice by the…
Media Hit
Read More: This Labor Day, ask yourself: Are unions living up to their promises?Education
School Choice Spotlight on Private Education
Ana, a mom to two sons, lives in the Northeast section of Philadelphia. Her youngest—awarded a four-year scholarship to a private academy in the Kensington/Port Richmond section of Philadelphia—is…
School Choice Spotlight
Read More: School Choice Spotlight on Private EducationEducation
Parental activism and public support level the playing field as government unions block Lifelines to students in failing schools.
Originally published at Broad + Liberty When government union leaders sent a letter to elected officials urging them to oppose scholarships for low-income students, they left out that part…
Media Hit
Read More: Parental activism and public support level the playing field as government unions block Lifelines to students in failing schools.Education
Americans Want Education Reform. Why Don’t Democrats?
Originally published at Newsweek Millions of American children return to school every August with new pencils and notebooks. Unfortunately, for more than a million kids, supplies are the only…
Media Hit
Read More: Americans Want Education Reform. Why Don’t Democrats?Education
Commonwealth Foundation Applauds Senate, Urges House to Act on Educational Choice
Harrisburg, Pa., August 30, 2023 — The Pennsylvania Senate reconvened today and passed legislation necessary to complete parts of the long-overdue state budget. Returning to session three weeks earlier than…
Press Release
Read More: Commonwealth Foundation Applauds Senate, Urges House to Act on Educational ChoiceEducation
School Choice Report, Episode 15
Georgia State Representative and school choice champion Mesa Mainor made headlines across the nation when she left the Democratic Party after her party attacked her when she decided to stand…
Podcast
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Environmental Social and Governance (ESG) Mandates in Pennsylvania
Key Points Studies show adopting Environmental Social and Governance (ESG) criteria is not associated with better labor or environmental regulatory compliance. Emerging studies show ESG criteria are associated with lower…
Backgrounder
Read More: Environmental Social and Governance (ESG) Mandates in PennsylvaniaEducation
Legislature should fund college students, not administrators
Originally published at Centre Daily Times As Pennsylvania’s budget stalemate persists, so does the limbo on funding for four state-related universities. Under debate is Gov. Josh Shapiro’s proposed collective…
Media Hit
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