State Budget

Balancing the 2026 State Budget

• June 12, 2026

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

Education

No, Donors Aren’t “Profiting” from Tax-Credit Scholarship Programs

• May 8, 2026

Special interest groups that profit off the status quo in education have repeatedly tried to smear Pennsylvania’s successful tax-credit scholarship programs as “tax shelters for the rich.” Critics claim that…

Blog

Myths and Facts: Public Cyber Charter Schools

• September 19, 2025

Summary Myths and misinformation obscure the facts about Pennsylvania’s public cyber charter school students. Proposed cuts to cyber students will force the closure of up to nine of Pennsylvania’s 14…

Fact Sheet

Education

Universal School Choice Attracts More Educational Alternatives

• May 28, 2025

If you build it, they will come. “It” is an educational framework that empowers students and families to choose the best school for their needs. “They” are the private schools…

Blog

Education

Educational Choice Myth and Facts 2025

• May 21, 2025

Summary Unfortunately, conversations about education choice are fraught with myths about accountability, funding, and who qualifies for choice programs. This fact sheet addresses the most common myths. Academic Accountability MYTH:School…

Fact Sheet

Education

PASS/Lifeline Scholarship Program

• May 5, 2025

Overview Two proposals—Senate Bill 10, the Pennsylvania Award for Student Success Scholarship Program (PASS), and forthcoming Lifeline Scholarship legislation in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives—are separate but similar…

Fact Sheet

Shapiro’s Plan to Double Electric Bills

• Common Sense Weekly
• May 2, 2025

Welcome to Common Sense Weekly! This is the Commonwealth Foundation’s weekly news roundup of policy issues debated in Harrisburg and across Pennsylvania.Have you seen our recent social media videos?…

Blog

Education

VIDEO: Ohio School Choice Program Helps Students Find Success in College, New Study Finds

• April 28, 2025

A scholarship program helped thousands of kids not only escape their failing schools and find a school of their choice but also graduate from college, according to a new…

Blog

Education

Pennsylvania Education Myths

• March 5, 2025

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