Education
Statement on 2018 AFT Convention
Commonwealth Foundation VP and COO Nathan Benefield issued the following statement regarding the American Federation of Teachers convention taking place in Pittsburgh this weekend. The convention’s keynote speakers on Friday,…
Press Release
Read More: Statement on 2018 AFT ConventionRegulation
Gov. Moves to Eliminate Handful of Occupational Licenses
Sally Ladd earned a living managing vacation rental properties in Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains. Her clients gladly pay Sally to manage their listings, but that livelihood was threatened when the…
Media
Read More: Gov. Moves to Eliminate Handful of Occupational LicensesEducation
EITC In Context
Pennsylvania’s Education Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) and Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit (OSTC) provide tax credit scholarships to low and moderate-income students. These scholarships are lifelines for tens of…
Media
Read More: EITC In ContextRegulation
Government Job Creation is a Myth
Can government create jobs? If you ask Gov. Tom Wolf, you won’t get a straight answer. On the one hand, Wolf promised Amazon millions—likely billions—in taxpayer subsidies to build a…
Media
Read More: Government Job Creation is a MythHealth Care
More than a Paycheck: Amanda’s Work Story
A mother of four, Amanda Zernell worked odd jobs – as a certified nurse assistant at minimum wage and later at Sears – to help support her family. But after…
Media
Read More: More than a Paycheck: Amanda’s Work StoryEducation
Pittsburgh School District Rescinds Performance-Based Pay
In 2009, the Pittsburgh Public Schools (PPS) utilized a $40 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to implement a comprehensive new K-12 education program. The program, known…
Media
Read More: Pittsburgh School District Rescinds Performance-Based PayPublic Union Democracy
Reading Schools Stop Paying Ghost Teachers
Since 2011, Reading taxpayers have spent over $500,000 subsidizing the salaries of local teachers’ union officials. Finally, this unfair arrangement will end. In a practice known as “ghost teaching,”…
Media
Read More: Reading Schools Stop Paying Ghost TeachersTaxes & Economy
Wolf’s Severance Tax Among the Highest in the Nation
The Governor's fourth natural gas tax proposal, and 11th tax proposal overall, is now embodied in legislation. SB 1000 and HB 2253 join nine other bills sitting in the House and Senate, all…
Media
Read More: Wolf’s Severance Tax Among the Highest in the NationPublic Union Democracy
4 Facts on Pennsylvania Teacher Strikes
Between the nearly averted strike in Pittsburgh and statewide strikes in West Virginia and Oklahoma, the validity of teacher strikes is once again up for debate. Here are four facts…
Media
Read More: 4 Facts on Pennsylvania Teacher Strikes