Thomas Cusmano
Regional Director, Strategic Partnerships
Thomas (Tom) Cusmano is Regional Director, Strategic Partnerships at the Commonwealth Foundation.
Prior to joining the Commonwealth Foundation in early 2022, Tom spent twelve years at the Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI) and its student journalism subsidiary, the Collegiate Network (CN). Both ISI and CN educate, train, and mentor America’s most promising principled student leaders, scholars, and future journalists.
Tom has spent three decades facilitating development support for national, regional, and statewide charitable organizations. He says, “The greatest blessing of my professional life has been to assist an inspiring group of dedicated, patriotic, and generous Americans with their philanthropy. I now have the opportunity to return that inspiration for my home state of Pennsylvania through the worthy endeavors of the Commonwealth Foundation.”
Tom has been a Pennsylvania resident since 1994 and proudly proclaims another great blessing, living in Amish Country, where he, his wife, and family “found home.”
Health Care
Getting Insurance is Simple. Getting Care is Not
Originally published at RealClearHealth ‘Tis the season for health insurance. Open enrollment for Medicare, employer-sponsored insurance, and Pennie plans are in full swing. Plans are plentiful and highly subsidized.
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Pennsylvania Legislature Passes Historic $150M Increase in Education Tax Credit Programs
Harrisburg, Pa., December 15, 2023 – Today, the Pennsylvania Senate and House of Representatives sent to the Governor’s desk a new school code bill, House Bill 301, which makes a groundbreaking…
Press Release
Read More: Pennsylvania Legislature Passes Historic $150M Increase in Education Tax Credit ProgramsPublic Union Democracy
PA House Democrats Want You to Pay Striking Workers
Originally published at RealClearPennsylvania Publicly funding people not to work is too radical a policy even for California Gov. Gavin Newsom. Though he has every reason to curry favor…
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Gov. Shapiro wants unilateral power to commit the state to climate agreements
Originally published at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette During a recent black-tie affair in a Manhattan ballroom, Gov. Josh Shapiro encouraged Pennsylvania lawmakers to embrace bipartisanship. “It doesn’t just last a weekend,…
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Read More: Gov. Shapiro wants unilateral power to commit the state to climate agreementsState Budget
A Tale of Two Chambers in Pennsylvania
Originally published in The Mercury The Pennsylvania General Assembly is currently a Dickensian tale of two chambers. One chamber — the Senate — exemplifies the best of the times:…
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Pa. great place to retire, but bad for workers
Originally published in The Morning Call Jason Kavulich, the state’s secretary of aging, shared great news: Pennsylvania is a top place to retire. Unfortunately, the commonwealth is not hospitable…
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Pa. Tracking Poll: Biden Faces Political Headwinds on Eve of Pa. Visit
Harrisburg, Pa., December 7, 2023 – As President Biden prepares for his ninth visit to Pennsylvania in 2023—his most-visited state aside from Delaware, his home state—he is struggling to connect with…
Press Release
Read More: Pa. Tracking Poll: Biden Faces Political Headwinds on Eve of Pa. VisitPublic Union Democracy
Government Unions Spent Over $708 Million on Near-Exclusively Leftist Causes
Harrisburg, Pa., December 7, 2023 — The four largest public-sector unions—the National Education Association (NEA), the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME),…
Press Release
Read More: Government Unions Spent Over $708 Million on Near-Exclusively Leftist CausesTaxes & Economy
Jennifer Stefano: Holiday shopping is a moral good
Despite a growing association of the Christmas season with anti-consumerism, holiday shopping stimulates local economies and businesses, writes Commonwealth Foundation Executive Vice President and Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Jennifer Stefano in her recent …
Press Release
Read More: Jennifer Stefano: Holiday shopping is a moral goodPublic Union Democracy
The Battle for Worker Freedom: How Government Unions Fund Politics
Key Findings The four largest government unions, the National Education Association (NEA), American Federation of Teachers (AFT), American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), and Service Employees International…
Executive Summary
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Holiday shopping is a moral good
Originally published at The Philadelphia Inquirer At 5:15 p.m. on Christmas Eve, you’ll find me at St. John the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church near 13th…
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Union bosses or real estate moguls? Tracking the PFT’s finances
Originally published at Center Square One reason Philadelphia workers may choose – or feel compelled – to join a union is the promise of access to special funds to…
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Read More: Union bosses or real estate moguls? Tracking the PFT’s financesEducation
Stagnating PSSA Scores Illustrate Desperate Need for Education Opportunity
Harrisburg, Pa., November 28, 2023 — The Pennsylvania Department of Education’s (PDE) 2023 Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) scores demonstrate the critical need to reform the state’s education system, new …
Press Release
Read More: Stagnating PSSA Scores Illustrate Desperate Need for Education OpportunityEducation
School Choice Report, Episode 22
In the latest School Choice Report, Commonwealth Foundation Distinguished Sr. Fellow David Hardy interviews Dr. James Woodworth, Research Fellow with the Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO). They delve into…
Podcast
Read More: School Choice Report, Episode 22Education
2023 PSSA Scores Highlight the Need for Educational Opportunity
Summary The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) released Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) scores from spring 2023. Test results show that fourth- and eighth-grade students struggle to…
Fact Sheet
Read More: 2023 PSSA Scores Highlight the Need for Educational OpportunityEducation
To address the achievement gap, students need choice
Originally published at The Philadelphia Tribune To be sure, closing the achievement gaps in education — specifically, the ones that separate the poor from the wealthy and the students…
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Don’t believe the hype — hydrogen hubs won’t create jobs or ‘green’ energy
Originally published at the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Leading Democrats, including President Joe Biden and Gov. Josh Shapiro, are gleefully celebrating hydrogen hubs as a political two-for-one deal: good-paying union jobs…
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Read More: Don’t believe the hype — hydrogen hubs won’t create jobs or ‘green’ energyEducation
The hard-fought but inevitable reward of school choice
Originally published at The Sentinel Students like Myles Slade-Bowers remind us of how far Pennsylvania has come with education reform. Myles was supposed to attend Steelton-Highspire High…
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Commonwealth Foundation Condemns Gov. Shapiro’s Appeal of Unconstitutional RGGI
Harrisburg, Pa., November 21, 2023 – Today, Gov. Josh Shapiro announced his administration would appeal the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court’s recent ruling that struck down the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). The Commonwealth…
Press Release
Read More: Commonwealth Foundation Condemns Gov. Shapiro’s Appeal of Unconstitutional RGGIEducation
Rigor. Standards. Responsibility.
Originally published in The Philadelphia Citizen This November marks the 50th anniversary of the murder of a lesser-known Black hero, arguably the most innovative educator of his…
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Conservative Donors Failed to Show Up in the 2023 Elections
Originally published in the Wall Street Journal Once critics of the supposedly malign influence of money in politics, the progressive left proved to be big spenders in November’s elections.
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