Education

No Reason to Worry

  • Common Sense Weekly
  • April 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.We have a new X handle! Follow @MyCommonwealth…

Blog

Read More: No Reason to Worry

Fairness

Penn State faculty will get more than they bargain for with SEIU

  • David Osborne
  • March 31, 2025

Originally published by Centre Daily Press. Higher education’s future seems bleak. The national decline in enrollment has forced countless colleges and universities to tighten belts…

Media Hit

Read More: Penn State faculty will get more than they bargain for with SEIU

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

Read More: Higher Education in Pennsylvania

Education

Legislature should fund college students, not administrators

  • Jonathan McGee
  • August 24, 2023

Originally published at Centre Daily Times As Pennsylvania’s budget stalemate persists, so does the limbo on funding for four state-related universities. Under debate is Gov. Josh Shapiro’s proposed collective…

Media Hit

Read More: Legislature should fund college students, not administrators

State Budget

Takeaways from the Unfinished 2023–24 State Budget

  • August 10, 2023

Summary The state budget remains unfinished. While Gov. Josh Shapiro signed off on the general appropriation bill (House Bill 611), authorizing more than $40 billion in state general fund spending,…

Fact Sheet

Read More: Takeaways from the Unfinished 2023–24 State Budget

Taxes & Economy

Tax reform, not tax credits, will grow Pennsylvania’s economy

  • Andrew Holman
  • June 16, 2023

Originally published in The Mercury Pennsylvania State University’s Center for Evaluation and Education Policy Analysis made headlines with this key finding: 7.7 percent of all Pennsylvania teachers, the “largest” number on…

Media Hit

Read More: Tax reform, not tax credits, will grow Pennsylvania’s economy

Health Care

Expanding Health Care Access: The Easy Way

  • David T. Mitchell, Moiz Bhai
  • May 9, 2023

Key Findings Full practice authority for nurse practitioners (NPs) would increase the amount of time NPs can see patients by about 45 minutes each week.This translates into almost one more…

Executive Summary

Read More: Expanding Health Care Access: The Easy Way

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

Read More: Fiscal Earmarks Reduce State Budget Transparency

Health Care

Lawmakers Push to Do Better, Rebuild Our Economy

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • September 2, 2020

Today the Republicans in the Pa. House attempted to override the Governor’s veto of HR 836, the bill that would end Pennsylvania’s 6-month long state of emergency and the…

Commentary

Read More: Lawmakers Push to Do Better, Rebuild Our Economy