Nathan Benefield
Senior Vice President
An Ohio native, Nate holds an undergraduate degree in political science and economics and a master’s degree in public service management from DePaul University in Chicago. He also completed his doctoral studies (ABD) in political science at Loyola University, also in Chicago.
Nate joined the Commonwealth Foundation in 2005. Now as senior vice president, he provides strategic leadership as well as operational oversight spanning policy analysis, government relations, marketing, and communications.
Nate has researched and written extensively on public policy issues including the state budget, public sector labor reform, government spending and taxes, liquor privatization, education, and economic development. Under Nate’s policy leadership, the Commonwealth Foundation’s work on public sector pension law helped drive the bipartisan pension reform of 2017, heralded by the Wall Street Journal and Washington Post as an example for other states to follow.
Nate has testified numerous times before state legislative committees and is often called upon by legislators and members of the media to provide expertise. He is a frequent commentator on both television and radio, and his writings have appeared across the state and nationally in outlets including the Philadelphia Inquirer, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Patriot-News, and Weekly Standard.
Nate’s favorite rock song and personal motto are both “Don’t Stop Believin.”
Education
Misconceptions Cloud School Funding Debate
Would you believe that nearly three-quarters of Pennsylvania’s voters underestimate how much money we spend on schools? Shocking but true, according to a new poll testing the public’s knowledge of…
Commentary
Read More: Misconceptions Cloud School Funding DebateEducation
School Reserves Offer Pension Reform Opportunity
Despite the rhetoric of “billions of dollars” in cuts from education, school districts across Pennsylvania have been able to increase their reserve funds. School districts had a combined reserve fund…
Media
Read More: School Reserves Offer Pension Reform OpportunityGovernment Accountability
Agreed: Public Resources Should not be used for Politics
“Public resources are not supposed to be used for partisan political purposes.” So says Barry Kauffman of Common Cause PA in a Tribune Review article. What Mr. Kauffman…
Media
Read More: Agreed: Public Resources Should not be used for PoliticsEducation
A Note on Philadelphia School Spending
Last week, we released a summary of spending, enrollment and staffing trends in the Philadelphia School District over the past decade. After this release,…
Media
Read More: A Note on Philadelphia School SpendingEducation
PSEA Spokesman Wins the Pinocchio Award
Readers of PolicyBlog already know that Pennsylvania education spending is at a record high, that state funding to school districts for…
Media
Read More: PSEA Spokesman Wins the Pinocchio AwardPublic Union Democracy
Union Dues Fund SuperPAC Spending Binge
A new $2 million political TV ad campaign represents the first foray of “SuperPAC” spending into Pennsylvania. And taxpayers are forced to pay for this political spending. As…
Media
Read More: Union Dues Fund SuperPAC Spending BingeRegulation
Downgrade Detrimental to Taxpayers
For the third time in two years, a major bond rating agency gave Pennsylvania a downgrade. The most recent downgrade, courtesy of Moody’s, has real implications for taxpayers. Moody’s…
Media
Read More: Downgrade Detrimental to TaxpayersEducation
Is There a Pension Crisis?
PolicyBlog readers will be well-familiar with the fact that Pennsyvlania state funding for public schools is at a record high. So why do government union leaders and some…
Media
Read More: Is There a Pension Crisis?Public Union Democracy
Teachers Unions Putting More Dues Money into Politics
While union leadership continues to repeat the myth that union dues cannot be used for politics, the latest newsletter from the Pennsylvania State Education Assocation again reveals, in small…
Media
Read More: Teachers Unions Putting More Dues Money into PoliticsEducation
State Education Spending at Record High
The recently passed Pennsylvania state budget sets a new record for state funding for public schools. The chart below illustrates this growth over the years. The total budgeted for the…
Media
Read More: State Education Spending at Record HighPublic Union Democracy
Taxpayer Collection of Union Political Money is Unique
Paycheck protection opponents claim that other groups, like charities and insurance companies, are allowed to use taxpayer resources for their deductions, just like government unions. But are all paycheck deductions…
Media
Read More: Taxpayer Collection of Union Political Money is UniqueRegulation
Union CEO Calls Majority Leader a Liar
Union CEO Wendell Young issued a press release Wednesday claiming, “there’s no nice way to put this but he [House Majority Leader Mike Turzai] is not telling the truth…
Media
Read More: Union CEO Calls Majority Leader a LiarPublic Union Democracy
What You Need to Know About the Paycheck Protection Bills
Taking a strong stand for taxpayers, the House and Senate State Government Committees passed paycheck protection legislation this week. Both committees amended original versions of their respective paycheck protection bills.
Media
Read More: What You Need to Know About the Paycheck Protection BillsState Budget
House Budget Holds the Line on Taxes
Yesterday, the PA House of Representatives advanced a $29.1 billion spending bill. This bill could be voted on by the full House today. There is much to like in this…
Media
Read More: House Budget Holds the Line on TaxesGovernment Accountability
The Real Cost of Paycheck Protection
Critics of paycheck protection claim that the practice of our government deducting union dues and campaign contributions from workers’ paychecks “only costs $100.” That’s based on a letter from Treasurer…
Media
Read More: The Real Cost of Paycheck ProtectionPublic Union Democracy
Mailbag: How will SuperPACs Affect Pennsylvania?
A PolicyBlog reader asked if we could explain a recent “SuperPAC” ruling we covered in an op-ed back in April, along with its implications for state and national elections.
Media
Read More: Mailbag: How will SuperPACs Affect Pennsylvania?Public Union Democracy
End Teacher Bullying with Paycheck Protection
As most PolicyBlog readers already know, union dues are being used for political action. Moreover, taxpayer resources are used to collect both union dues and union campaign contributions. We at…
Media
Read More: End Teacher Bullying with Paycheck ProtectionEducation
Union Leaders’ Lobbying Hurts Teachers, Students
Last week we highlighted a California judge who ruled that laws enforcing teacher seniority and tenure were unconstitutional and violated students’ rights to a quality education. But here in…
Media
Read More: Union Leaders’ Lobbying Hurts Teachers, StudentsRegulation
Union Lobbyists Not Interested in Solving Pension Crisis
My latest letter to the editor in the Phoenix Reporter and Item corrects the record, noting that government union leaders have for years denied a pension crisis, supported underfunded pensions for…
Media
Read More: Union Lobbyists Not Interested in Solving Pension CrisisPublic Union Democracy
The Government Union Billion Dollar Tax Hike
In 2012, Americans paid more in taxes than they did for food, clothing and shelter combined. In Pennsylvania, residents labor under the 10th highest tax burden in the…
Media
Read More: The Government Union Billion Dollar Tax HikeEducation
Students Win over Seniority Laws
Big news out of California, where a state judge struck down that state’s teacher seniority and tenure laws. The lawsuit was filed by 9 students who believed that…
Media
Read More: Students Win over Seniority Laws