Education

Education Opportunity Accounts in Practice

  • May 18, 2023

Key Points Education Opportunity Accounts (EOAs) are transformative, flexible-use accounts funded by state tax dollars.Program Administration: The Pennsylvania Treasury is the ideal administrator at the state level and may contract…

Backgrounder

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Taxes & Economy

A Brief History of Gov. Tom Wolf’s Tax Hike Proposals

  • March 7, 2022

Key Points Wolf proposed or supported 14 tax hike proposals. Twelve were stopped.Wolf’s proposals contained 52 individual tax increases.If Wolf’s first and most expansive tax proposal had come to fruition,…

Fact Sheet

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Education

Education Opportunity Accounts in Practice

  • February 10, 2022

Key Points Education Opportunity Accounts (EOAs) are transformative, flexible-use accounts funded by state tax dollars.Program Administration: The Pennsylvania Treasury is the ideal administrator at the state level and may contract…

Backgrounder

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Government Accountability

Fiscal Earmarks Reduce State Budget Transparency

  • Jessica Barnett
  • August 19, 2021

The 2021–2022 Fiscal Code contains at least $5.5 billion in federal and state funds earmarked for special projects across the state, up from $120 million last year. Most of this…

Backgrounder

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Education

Pennsylvania Public Schools? Pandemic Profits

  • Stefanie Mason
  • June 18, 2021

Since the early months of the pandemic, Pennsylvania school district bureaucrats and lobbyists have demanded additional funding, ostensibly to cover increased costs. A February Commonwealth Foundation report tracked the…

Media

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Op-Ed: With $7 Billion to Spend, Lawmakers Must Avoid Past Mistakes

  • June 16, 2021

The lesson is clear. If politicians use federal stimulus money to expand existing programs, their successors will face intense political pressure to make those spending increases permanent, compounding our structural…

Commentary

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Energy

Governor’s Lone Wolf Approach Leaves Families Wanting

  • May 27, 2021

Throughout his two terms in office, Governor Tom Wolf has showcased his preference to act unilaterally and consistent unwillingness to work with the state legislature. The unprecedented power Wolf has…

Fact Sheet

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School Reserve Funds in Pandemic Times

  • Stefanie Mason
  • February 26, 2021

Pennsylvania school officials are projecting local tax revenue losses for the upcoming year due to the wreckage from COVID-19 restrictions. Even if local tax revenue declines, most schools have…

Backgrounder

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Earmarks Double to $120 Million in State Budget

  • Michael Torres
  • December 8, 2020

December 8, 2020, Harrisburg, Pa. — Pennsylvania lawmakers and Gov. Wolf used a shadowy process to bury $120 million of earmarks in the new state budget. That’s double last year’s…

Press Release

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