Education
Tax Credit Scholarship Myths and Facts
Summary Pennsylvania’s tax credit scholarship programs, the Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) and the Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit (OSTC), provide more than 100,000 scholarships annually to low- and middle-income K–12…
Fact Sheet
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Inside Pennsylvania’s Budget Battle [PODCAST]
What really happens behind closed doors during Pennsylvania’s budget negotiations? Andrew Lewis sits down with former Pennsylvania Senate Secretary-Parliamentarian Megan Martin (now the Commonwealth Foundation’s chief operating officer and…
Blog
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2026 State of Education Spending in Pennsylvania
Overview Demographic trends, most notably declining enrollments, have led to empty school buildings that are costly to operate, forcing considerations on…
Backgrounder
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Balancing the 2026 State Budget
Controlling and Prioritizing Spending Can Help Balance the Budget Summary Gov. Josh Shapiro’s 2026–27 budget proposal spends $3.2 billion more than last year and drains the Rainy-Day Fund, increasing the…
Fact Sheet
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Education Landscape in Pennsylvania
Overview There are approximately two million school-age children in the commonwealth. Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) 2025–26 enrollment reports show 73.5 percent attend their assigned district…
Fact Sheet
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Pennsylvania Students Will Thrive With Educational Choice
Testimony of Stephen Bloom, Vice PresidentCommonwealth FoundationPennsylvania House Republican Policy CommitteeHearing on Educational Choice in the CommonwealthJanuary 23, 2026 Chairman Rowe and members of the committee: Thank you for…
Testimony
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Pennsylvania School Funding Reaches $23,000 per Student in 2024
Pennsylvania Public School Spending is Growing Public school spending reaches historic levels year after year. Pennsylvania public school revenue per student increased to $23,061 in the 2023-24 school year, up…
Fact Sheet
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Pennsylvania Education Myths
Summary Conversations about education in Pennsylvania are fraught with myths, including the notions that Pennsylvania public schools remain underfunded, nonpublic options and school choice programs lack accountability, private schools only…
Fact Sheet
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2025 State of Education Spending in Pennsylvania
Overview The national trends impacting education in Pennsylvania in 2025 include an impending fiscal cliff, under-enrolled schools, and population decline, all of which lead to school closures…
Backgrounder
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