Education

Higher Education in Pennsylvania

• March 12, 2024

Summary Pennsylvania owns and operates 10 universities under the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE); subsidizes four state-related universities (which function as public-private partnerships); 15 community…

Fact Sheet

Pennsylvania’s Use of ARPA Funds

• Brandon Van Dyck
• September 23, 2021

ARPA is a $1.9 trillion federal bill passed in March 2021. Supporters of the legislation argued that our country needed the added spending to stimulate a nationwide recovery from the…

Fact Sheet

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

State Budget

How to Balance the State Budget without Raising Taxes in a Pandemic

• Elizabeth Stelle
• November 6, 2020

Reducing spending to reflect how the pandemic impacted state agencies and balance the budget without tax hikes or borrowing is the first step. Without additional structural spending changes laid out in…

Backgrounder

Government Accountability

Solutions to Preventing Tax Increases in 2021

• Nathan Benefield
• May 26, 2020

Lawmakers can respect the Pennsylvania constitution’s balanced budget amendment and act to prevent tax increases that will drive more families and businesses out of the state, further shrinking the revenue…

Memo

Education

State System Error: Proposed Scholarship Program is a Bailout

• Andrew Abramczyk
• February 27, 2020

Governor Wolf's scholarship plan is a disguised bailout for the financially distressed State System colleges.

Commentary

Education

APSCUF Threatens Faculty

• Nathan Benefield
• October 19, 2016

This morning, APSCUF, the union representing 5,000 faculty at the State System of Higher Education schools, went on strike. As we pointed out a few weeks ago, one…

Media

State Budget

Summary of Governor Wolf’s 2015-2016 Budget Proposal

• Nathan Benefield
• March 12, 2015

General Fund spending is projected to reach $31.6 billion—the largest spending increase (8.7 percent) in 25 years. Gov. Wolf is proposing to move $1.75 billion in school pension payments to a…

Memo

Education

Penn State Loophole Closed, Taxpayers Get Accountability

• April 26, 2013

More accountability is in the works for Pennsylvania universities. Earlier this week, the House State Government Committee considered legislation requiring Pennsylvania’s four state-related universities to comply with the Right-to-Know Law.

Media