Staff

Government Accountability

Fiscal Earmarks Reduce State Budget Transparency

• Jessica Barnett
• August 19, 2021

The 2021–2022 Fiscal Code contains at least $5.5 billion in federal and state funds earmarked for special projects across the state, up from $120 million last year. Most of this…

Backgrounder

Op-Ed: Teacher Sues Union That Demands He Pay Dues For Almost A Year After He Resigned

• Kevin Mooney
• August 18, 2021

A Pennsylvania teachers union argues that a teacher who resigned his union membership should pay 'fair-share fees' for the entire year, even though he resigned only a few months in.

Commentary

Energy

Op-Ed: Young Pennsylvanians want to fight climate change. Our leaders want to pretend they are.

• August 16, 2021

Governor Wolf’s push to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative is more about appearances than real change. It’s time for Pennsylvania to instate policy that helps the environment, boosts revenue,…

Commentary

Op-Ed: Pennsylvanians deserve maximum wages, not harmful minimum wage mandates

• Stephen Bloom
• August 16, 2021

Instead of making workers dependent upon politics for a raise, the government should clear the path for our local economies to grow. This approach to prosperity is real and long-lasting—and…

Commentary

Energy

Op-Ed: Wolf climate change plan will kill Pa. jobs

• Elizabeth Stelle
• August 12, 2021

Joining RGGI will hurt our economy. States that participate in the RGGI have seen major decreases in goods manufacturing (down 8.6% from 2007 to 2019) thanks to rising energy costs.

Commentary

Op-Ed: Lawsuit claiming Pennsylvania has unequal school funding is misguided

• Jennifer Stefano
• July 28, 2021

If Pennsylvania’s education system prioritized families over bureaucracy, we’d never have to worry about “wealthy” and “poor” districts — or baseless lawsuits — again.

Commentary

Op-Ed: Limited Government Can Make a Comeback in Pandemic Era

• Nathan Benefield
• July 27, 2021

States like Pennsylvania are also pushing against unbridled gubernatorial powers. In the past, Republicans and Democrats criticized executive overreach when the opposing party was in power. Both parties, however, rarely…

Commentary

Energy

Op-Ed: In Pennsylvania, Scientific and Economic Realities Unsettle Climate Change Morality Plays

• Kevin Mooney
• July 21, 2021

As the economic, legal, and scientific arguments against RGGI continue to gain traction, the fallback position for Wolf is to posture as an advocate for children who will supposedly be…

Commentary

Education

Concentrating Resources on Failing Systems Instead of Students

• Stefanie Mason
• July 20, 2021

The 2021-22 budget has the largest state education funding increase in Pennsylvania history despite public schools receiving over $6.2 billion in federal COVID-19 relief funds. The funding increase includes a…

Fact Sheet

Webinar Questions

• July 20, 2021

Do you have a question about election integrity for Rep. Seth Grove or the Commonwealth Foundation team? Submit it using the form below. Webinar Questions…

Media

Fox News: Ideology Vs Education in America’s Schools

• July 14, 2021

Jennifer Stefano’s latest piece in The Federalist—I Might Pull My Kids From Public School This Fall For Teaching Them Racism—spurred national news coverage about curriculum taught in public schools.

Media

Education Landscape in PA: 2021

• July 14, 2021

Overview There are approximately 1.9 million school-age children in Pennsylvania. Around 75% attend their assigned district school. Nearly 9% attend a charter school and close to 12% attend a private…

Fact Sheet

New Research Shows Pathway to Fiscal Stability for States

• Michael Torres
• July 12, 2021

July 13, 2021, Harrisburg, Pa. — A new Commonwealth Foundation study investigating the impacts of Taxpayer and Expenditure Limits (TELs) has found that the policies can ward off tax increases…

Press Release

State Budget

TEL-Tale Heart: Crafting Effective Policies to Reduce Spending

• Tirzah Duren
• July 12, 2021

Executive Summary Increases in state spending do not result in greater prosperity for state residents, across an array of measures. In fact, increased state spending can reduce economic growth. Reducing…

Report

Health Care

How Pennsylvania Is Progressing in the Race to Rebuild

• July 12, 2021

The 2021 state budget includes some policy changes to spur recovery and better governance, but much more needs to occur.

Fact Sheet

My Child Was Saved by School Choice

• July 10, 2021

In April, Sharon Sedlar testified before the Pennsylvania Senate Education Committee, sharing her families’ story of school choice, and how cyber charter schools changed her daughter’s educational trajectory. This is…

Commentary

My Child Was Saved by School Choice

• July 10, 2021

In April, Sharon Sedlar testified before the Pennsylvania Senate Education Committee, sharing her families’ story of school choice, and how cyber charter schools changed her daughter’s educational trajectory. This is…

Commentary

Standing Up for Students: Jamie Walker

• July 9, 2021

Jamie Walker didn’t mean to become an activist, but now that she’s gotten a taste of what an informed and involved citizen can do, she isn’t ready to stop. Her…

Commentary

Standing Up for Students: Jamie Walker

• July 9, 2021

Jamie Walker didn’t mean to become an activist, but now that she’s gotten a taste of what an informed and involved citizen can do, she isn’t ready to stop. Her…

Commentary

Op-Ed: I Might Pull My Kids From Public School This Fall For Teaching Them Racism

• Jennifer Stefano
• July 8, 2021

My kids attend one of the highest-rated public school systems in Pennsylvania. I may not be sending them back because of critical race theory.

Commentary

Op-Ed: Delusions of Progressive ‘Resistance’ in PA’s Heartland

• Andrew Cuff
• July 7, 2021

On guns, law and order, family values, and education, the county isn’t a great fit for progressive activists or the elite millionaires who fund them. But post-Trump, such a conservative…

Commentary