State Budget
Pennsylvania’s Small Towns Need Harrisburg to Think Big
The stories are all too familiar. In towns hollowed out by economic downturns, Pennsylvanians are struggling to get by. Many are wondering when, or if, things will get better. Small…
Media
Read More: Pennsylvania’s Small Towns Need Harrisburg to Think BigGovernment Accountability
News Release: $65 Million in Earmarks Hidden in State’s Fiscal Code
Pennsylvanians shouldn’t need a decoder ring to know how their tax dollars are being spent. But lawmakers have hidden more than $65 million in vaguely worded earmarks in the Senate-passed…
Press Release
Read More: News Release: $65 Million in Earmarks Hidden in State’s Fiscal CodeTaxes & Economy
The Fizz Tax Is on the Fritz
Philadelphia’s soda tax was the final blow to the Orlando family’s nearly 70-year-old bakery. The business closed earlier this month following a steep decline in sales after the soda…
Media
Read More: The Fizz Tax Is on the FritzPublic Union Democracy
Erie Suspends Costly Ghost Teaching
Someone in Erie must have called the ghostbusters. Last August, the Erie School District and the Erie Education Association signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) ending ghost teaching in…
Media
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Op-Ed: Contract Secrecy Plagues Public Schools
Taxpayers were kept in the dark, only to be slipped a $395 million bill—along with the admission that there’s no way to pay for it—at the 11th hour. These secret…
Commentary
Read More: Op-Ed: Contract Secrecy Plagues Public SchoolsPublic Union Democracy
Ghost Teachers Exposed by NBC Philadelphia
The ghost teaching phenomenon is continuing to garner major media coverage—this time, a multi-part NBC10 Philadelphia investigation. Investigative reporter Mitch Blacher gets to the bottom of union work on school…
Media
Read More: Ghost Teachers Exposed by NBC PhiladelphiaRegulation
Fact Sheet: Leveraging Liquor Privatization to Balance the Budget
Last year, lawmakers loosened Pennsylvania’s monopolistic grip on wine and liquor sales with the passage of Act 39. However, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) still maintains a high…
Media
Read More: Fact Sheet: Leveraging Liquor Privatization to Balance the BudgetEducation
Will Philly Union Contract Require State Bailout?
Philadelphia’s new teacher contract could be so expensive as to require teacher layoffs to pay for it. But there’s another way the $395 million pact could be financed: with…
Media
Read More: Will Philly Union Contract Require State Bailout?Education
Philly Union Contract Underscores Need for Transparency
On Monday evening, members of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers (PFT) voted to approve a new labor contract with the School District of Philadelphia. Scant details have emerged on…
Media
Read More: Philly Union Contract Underscores Need for Transparency