Headshot

Robert O’Donnell

Education Senior Fellow

The Honorable Robert W. O’Donnell is an Education Senior Fellow with the Commonwealth Foundation.

Bob is a Philadelphia-based attorney and a former Democratic Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. As a member of the House for 19 years, Bob rose through the ranks of leadership, serving as caucus chairman, majority whip, majority leader, and Speaker of the House. While in public service, he developed a reputation as a thoughtful, dynamic, and intellectually honest member of the House. He has been a consistent advocate for equality of opportunity including supporting school choice throughout his tenure in the legislature.

Bob has served as a member of Public Employees Retirement Study Commission, the Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh, the Board of Trustees of the University of Pittsburgh, the Mayor’s Tax Budget and Advisory Committee (Philadelphia), the Chesapeake Bay Commission, the General State Authority, the Mayor’s Economic Recovery Task Force (Philadelphia), the Millrite Council, and the Philadelphia Port Corporation Board of Directors.

He is a graduate of Temple University and its law school and attended The Hague Academy of International Law. Arcadia College and Philadelphia University awarded Bod honorary degrees, and he has received several public awards including citations from the Pennsylvania League of Cities Service and Common Cause.

Bob resides in Chestnut Hill with his wife, Dr. Donna Gentile O’Donnell.

Education

Cigarette Tax Won’t Save Philly Students

  • August 1, 2014

For Immediate Release Commonwealth Foundation Contact: 717-671-1901 Threatened Cuts Exaggerated, Quick-Fix Measures Not the Answer Trends Show More Funding Won’t Fix Philadelphia Schools August 1,…

Press Release

Read More: Cigarette Tax Won’t Save Philly Students

Education

Philadelphia School Trends, 2002-03 to 2012-13

  • August 1, 2014

The School District of Philadelphia is in desperate need of reform, but its many problems cannot be solved by simply raising taxes and increasing spending.

Fact Sheet

Read More: Philadelphia School Trends, 2002-03 to 2012-13

Education

Teacher Evaluation System to Continue in Pittsburgh

  • James Paul
  • July 30, 2014

Good news from the Pittsburgh School District, where the Pennsylvania Department of Education granted three year approval of Pittsburgh’s new teacher evaluation system. This despite the Pittsburgh Federation…

Media

Read More: Teacher Evaluation System to Continue in Pittsburgh

Education

PSEA Spokesman Wins the Pinocchio Award

  • Nathan Benefield
  • July 29, 2014

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 Award

Worker Choice Leads to Prosperity

  • July 29, 2014

Worker freedom leads to higher incomes. This according to the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), which recently published a paper on the effects of right to work (RTW) laws in…

Media

Read More: Worker Choice Leads to Prosperity

Podcast: PA Teachers Talk Pension Reform

  • July 29, 2014

Often lost in the public pension reform debate raging across the state are the viewpoints of public school teachers themselves. That’s why our Senior Policy Analyst Priya Abraham recently interviewed…

Media

Read More: Podcast: PA Teachers Talk Pension Reform

Education

Study: Charter Schools More Efficient

  • James Paul
  • July 28, 2014

It is impossible to do more with less, they say; you cannot expect schools to achieve better results without increasing spending. Yet an essential new report from the University…

Media

Read More: Study: Charter Schools More Efficient

Education

Taxing Business Won’t Save Students

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • July 25, 2014

Paul Battista told a Congressional subcommittee last year: “We can now pay a higher family-sustaining wage! We have people working for us that are the primary breadwinners of their household.”…

Commentary

Read More: Taxing Business Won’t Save Students

Regulation

Survey: Pennsylvania Unfriendly to Small Business

  • James Paul
  • July 25, 2014

You’re probably aware that Pennsylvania’s tax burden is among the most oppressive in the country. But the tax code is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes…

Media

Read More: Survey: Pennsylvania Unfriendly to Small Business

Health Care

Audio: The Beginning of the End for Obamacare?

  • July 24, 2014

This week, a federal court ruling shook the foundations of Obamacare by prohibiting tax credits and subsidies for health insurance policies purchased on the federal exchange. As Elizabeth Stelle…

Media

Read More: Audio: The Beginning of the End for Obamacare?

Public Union Democracy

Union Dues Fund SuperPAC Spending Binge

  • Nathan Benefield
  • July 23, 2014

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 Binge

State Budget

House Majority Leader Moves to Reduce Debt Burden

  • July 23, 2014

On the heels of Pennsylvania’s bond rating downgrade, House Majority Leader Mike Turzai has declared his intention to ease Pennsylvanians’ debt burden. This represents a necessary step towards restoring Pennsylvania’s…

Media

Read More: House Majority Leader Moves to Reduce Debt Burden