Staff

Education

A Time for Choosing: Systems or Kids?

• Marc LeBlond
• March 26, 2020

In this time of crisis, teachers and parents are working to ensure children can continue to learn. But new legislation cuts off funding for parents seeking cyber education for their…

Commentary

Education

Pa. Lawmakers can Help Families and Businesses Overcome COVID-19

• March 25, 2020

March 25, 2020, Harrisburg, Pa. — Today, Commonwealth Foundation released a package of key policy solutions to help reduce the harm caused by COVID-19 and the response to it.

Press Release

Education

Welcome to the Homeschool Club!

• Colleen Hroncich
• March 24, 2020

New homeschoolers, try to relax and enjoy this unexpected time with your kids. While there may be some things they don’t learn now that they would have learned in a…

Commentary

Health Care

Policy Recommendations to Fight COVID-19 in Pennsylvania

• March 24, 2020

As Pennsylvania faces its greatest crisis in decades, it is imperative that legislators take the lead and enact key heath care, education, and budget reforms to help Pennsylvania families and small…

Fact Sheet

Education

Parent to Parent: 3 Keys to Stay Sane and Healthy During COVID-19

• Colleen Hroncich, Marc LeBlond
• March 19, 2020

If you haven’t been living under a rock, you know all Pennsylvania public schools have been closed. What do parents and educators need to know?…

Commentary

Health Care

Recommendations to Ease Mounting Healthcare Burden

• March 16, 2020

March 16, 2020, Harrisburg, Pa. — The Pennsylvania State Legislature should prioritize flexible medical care as it returns to session this week aiming to mitigate the spread of the novel…

Press Release

Regulation

Tale of Two Workers

• Tirzah Duren
• March 12, 2020

The rhetoric surrounding public service and actual compensation for public service are two different stories. Average total compensation (salary and benefits) for a Pennsylvania state employee is now $104,506. That’s…

Commentary

Education

Fast Lies and Slow Truths

• Marc LeBlond
• March 11, 2020

All students—regardless of school type—deserve a student-based funding system. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Education, only 14% of the $1.2 billion Special Education appropriation is distributed based on categories of…

Commentary

Education

Slots for Scholars?

• Andrew Abramczyk
• March 5, 2020

Use of gambling revenue to fund colleges is both economically and morally questionable.

Commentary

Health Care

No Easy Pass This Year on Cost Overruns

• Andrew Abramczyk
• March 3, 2020

Legislators are questioning the administration's chronic overspending habit, but they aren't getting many answers.

Commentary

Entrepreneurs — Enemies or Visionaries?

• March 2, 2020

Are entrepreneurs peddling in obscene greed or are they visionaries who benefit our society? And how does entrepreneurship connect to politics and policy? Commonwealth Foundation…

Commentary

Education

State System Error: Proposed Scholarship Program is a Bailout

• Andrew Abramczyk
• February 27, 2020

Governor Wolf's scholarship plan is a disguised bailout for the financially distressed State System colleges.

Commentary

Education

Government Unions Threaten to Eclipse School Choice

• Kevin Mooney
• February 25, 2020

Governor Tom Wolf and other elected officials are pulling in millions of dollars from government unions that oppose school choice and exert considerable influence at the expense of education reform. …

Commentary

It’s Time to Take Action

• Tirzah Duren
• February 25, 2020

Being a state legislator is just like being Bruce Willis in Die Hard. Or Jennifer Lawrence in Hunger Games. Or Captain America in Avengers. In other words, they have to take action. Protecting…

Media

Education

Can Our Kids Afford to Wait While Harrisburg Schools Improve?

• Marc LeBlond
• February 24, 2020

Last fall, several House education committee members cited ongoing improvements in Harrisburg City School District as the reason to oppose scholarships for Harrisburg kids. But are things really getting better?…

Commentary

The Taxpayer Protection Act

• February 24, 2020

Pennsylvania state spending has more than tripled in the last 50 years, far outpacing the economy and families’ ability to pay for it. It's time to stop the spending and…

Commentary

Health Care

Gov. Wolf Should Unleash Pennsylvanians’ Ingenuity to Improve Medicaid

• Elizabeth Stelle
• February 20, 2020

It’s time for Pennsylvania to pursue proven ways of improving the quality of Medicaid services, while reducing the burden on taxpayers.

Commentary

Public Union Democracy

Union Dues Fuel Political Activism, Records Show

• Kevin Mooney
• February 18, 2020

Considering government unions draw heavily from their dues to fund political activism, public school teachers who prefer not to fund this political activism of their state and national unions should…

Commentary

Appropriating Inappropriately – Gov. Wolf’s 2020 Budget

• February 17, 2020

It's difficult to see how your state government spends your money, but you can hear about it in our latest…

Commentary

Government Accountability

Three Steps to an Honest Budget: Fiscal Reform Priorities 2020-2021

• Andrew Abramczyk
• February 16, 2020

Our legislative roadmap to a balanced budget, a spending limit and a more transparent fiscal process.

Fact Sheet

Energy

5 Ways Carbon Taxes Harm PA

• Tirzah Duren
• February 13, 2020

When Governor Wolf announced his decision to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) through executive order this past October, he also sent the message that PA is closed for business. For businesses operating…

Commentary