Staff

Education

Former PSEA Director Says Union Flip-Flopped on Charters

• Marc LeBlond
• October 29, 2019

“When I was at PSEA we embraced charter schools.” Those are surprising words from former PSEA Executive Director Carolyn Dumaresq. And they carry even more weight, given she was…

Media

Regulation

Wolf’s Wage Mandate will Harm Workers

• October 28, 2019

Fewer jobs, reduced hours, cuts to take home pay. That’s what Pennsylvanians are facing now that Gov. Wolf’s overtime wage mandates are moving forward. Initially, Wolf wanted to increase the…

Media

State Budget

Slicing Pennsylvania’s Finances, Part 2

• Andrew Abramczyk
• October 28, 2019

The state legislature controls less than half of all state revenue. The rest is on autopilot, flowing automatically through a maze of accounts and undermining the constituional plan for accountabilty…

Fact Sheet

Regulation

Fleeing Philly

• October 23, 2019

Roughly 60,000 people leave Philadelphia every year, significantly more than those who move in from other towns or cities according to a Pew Charitable Trusts survey.[1]…

Media

Education

Union Donations to Gov. Wolf Drown Out School Choice

• Kevin Mooney
• October 23, 2019

Charter schools remain in the crosshairs of the teachers’ unions and their government allies.  That much is made evident in the proposals, resolutions and other public statements the National Education…

Media

Education

Charter Schools Senate Hearing: Giving Parents Options Should Not Be Optional

• Colleen Hroncich
• October 22, 2019

Do charter schools work? That was the focus of a Pennsylvania Senate Education Committee hearing today. The 3-hour meeting featured five different panels discussing various aspects of charter schools…

Media

Taxes & Economy

Wolf Pollutes the Discussion on RGGI

• Tirzah Duren
• October 18, 2019

Power plants aren’t the only things blowing smoke in Pennsylvania. Governor Wolf’s executive order forcing the state to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) is based on deceptive “findings.” And…

Media

Miss Virginia: How One Mom’s Fight Led to Opportunity for Thousands

• Marc LeBlond
• October 18, 2019

“MISS WALDEN!” The words of reproach thundered from the dais of a Congressional hearing room. But rather than shirk back at the rebuke from her congresswoman, Virginia Walden doubled down.

Media

Education

Fact Sheet: HB 1897 Eliminating Cyber Charter Schools

• Marc LeBlond
• October 16, 2019

Today 34,000 Pennsylvania kids choose cyber charter schools. HB 1897 would eliminate all Pa. cyber charter schools by fall 2021. It also issues a top-down mandate that each school district…

Fact Sheet

Education

Charter School 101

• Colleen Hroncich
• October 15, 2019

Nearly 140,000 Pennsylvania students attend charter schools. Despite their popularity, misconceptions about charter schools abound. Here are answers to some common questions about this public alternative to district schools.

Media

Government Accountability

The Cost of Secretly-Negotiated Government Union Contracts

• October 14, 2019

Are Pennsylvanians a bottomless pit of cash? Government union leaders and Governor Wolf seem to think so. The two “re-negotiate” new labor contracts behind closed doors, and each time…

Media

Taxes & Economy

State Treasury: Soak the Rich

• Andrew Abramczyk
• October 14, 2019

Last week the Pennsylvania state treasury tweeted a link to a New York Times opinion piece headlined The Rich Really Do Pay Lower Taxes Than You. The piece…

Media

Education

Protecting Mackenzie’s School

• Elizabeth Stelle
• October 11, 2019

Brad and Emily Moore live in Erie County. They chose to send their oldest daughter to Commonwealth Cyber Charter Academy (CCA). But now her education and the education…

Media

Education

How to Fix the Teacher Shortage in Pa.

• October 10, 2019

This year Gov. Wolf proposed raising the minimum salary of teachers to attract and mintain the best talent. There's a better way to attract the best…

Media

Taxes & Economy

The Not-So Secret Trick to Raise Kids out of Poverty

• Andrew Cuff, Elizabeth Stelle
• October 10, 2019

Innassa, a Pittsburgh native, was a stay-at-home mom for her two sons while her husband worked. Then, he got injured—and three surgeries later, still hasn’t recovered. “He’s talking and can…

Media

The Wolf that Cried Charters

• October 9, 2019

Gov. Wolf drums up numerous myths about charter schools.

Commentary

Regulation

Good Returns Won’t Close the Gap

• Andrew Abramczyk
• October 9, 2019

The state teachers’ pension fund, PSERS, just reported a 6.7% return over the past twelve months. That is a very good investment return. Sadly, when starting from a deep…

Media

Public Union Democracy

Union Contracts Bow to Worker Pressure

• Kevin Mooney
• October 8, 2019

Public employee unions, which spend dues and fees on political activity that frequently conflict with the views of their rank-and-file members, are finally showing signs of yielding to legislative and…

Media

Regulation

RGGI Would Hurt Pennsylvanians

• Tirzah Duren
• October 7, 2019

The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) is a network of nine surrounding states that have imposed caps on CO2 emissions in a failed attempt to impact climate trends. Current member states have experienced increased…

Media

Public Union Democracy

Unconstitutional Union Fees that Won’t Go Away?

• October 7, 2019

The 2018 Supreme Court Janus v. AFSCME decision was a fantastic victory for American workers, striking down the ability of public-sector unions to charge nonunion public-sector employees “fair share”…

Media

Regulation

Pensions and Pa’s Poor Fiscal Health

• October 4, 2019

Pennsylvania recently underwent a “fiscal physical’ and didn’t exactly come out with a clean bill of health. Truth in Accounting, an economic think tank, recently released its report on the…

Media