November 12, 2008 | Policy Brief by MATTHEW BROUILLETTE, JESSICA RUNK

Pennsylvania State Education Association: Compelling Teachers, Marginalizing Students, Lobbying Politicians & Increasing Taxes

Originally founded as the Pennsylvania State Teachers Association in 1852, the Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA) has transformed itself from a professional development organization for educators into one of the wealthiest, largest, and most politically active labor unions in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

With more than 185,500 members, an annual income of more than $84 million through compulsory dues and fee payments and other sources, and 281 full-time employees, the union’s success depends on its ability to:

September 17, 2008 | Policy Brief by COMMONWEALTH FOUNDATION

Paying for Our Paving: Why Leasing the Turnpike Makes Good Economic and Public Policy Sense

Introduction

How should Pennsylvania pay for its transportation infrastructure, now that the Federal Highway Administration has rejected the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission’s application to toll Interstate 80?  Gas taxes?  Vehicle fees?  Tolls?

August 21, 2008 | Policy Brief by DAVID ANDERSON

A Pennsylvania School Report Card

How the Commonwealth’s Public Schools Stack Up to the Rest of the Nation

Politicians and school officials frequently point to student performance  on state tests as a primary measure of the quality of public education.  According to the Pennsylvania Department of Education, the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) “is a standards based criterion-referenced assessment used to measure a student’s attainment of the academic standards while also determining the degree to which school programs enable students to attain proficiency of the standards.”

May 23, 2008 | Policy Brief by COMMONWEALTH FOUNDATION, REASON FOUNDATION

Leasing the Turnpike: Frequently Asked Questions and Answers

Tthe Commonwealth Foundation and the Los Angeles-based Reason Foundation released a policy brief entitled Leasing the Turnpike: Frequently Asked Questions and Answers to help enhance and enlighten the current transportation policy debate.

The policy brief asks and answers twenty-one of the most common questions related to Pennsylvania's transportation funding needs and cost, current and proposed solutions, and the benefits of a Turnpike lease.

The twenty-one questions and answers in the policy brief include:

April 28, 2008 | Policy Brief by NATHAN BENEFIELD

A Primer on Pennsylvania Cyber Schools

Executive Summary

An increasing number of parents are choosing Pennsylvania’s cyber charter schools for their children every year. Between 2001 and 2006, enrollment grew from 1,848 to almost 16,000 students. Although cyber schools receive less funding than traditional public schools, they perform well academically despite frequently serving students who are hard to educate. In the 2006-07 school year, Pennsylvania’s cyber schools collectively met 64 out of 78 of the state’s academic criteria for Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP).

July 31, 2007 | Policy Brief by MARY F. YODER AND JARED M. WALCZAK

The Dollars and Sense of School Choice

Introduction

Every year, most Pennsylvania homeowners receive larger property tax bills due to increases in public school spending. In the nine school years from 1997 to 2006, school property taxes increased by 61%, or $3.6 billion—costing the average homeowner an additional $840 per year.

June 26, 2007 | Policy Brief by GRANT R. GULIBON

Mass Transit Reform: Lessons for Pennsylvania

Executive Summary

Pennsylvania’s two major public transit agencies, the Philadelphia-area Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) and the Pittsburgh-based Port Authority Transit (PAT), have been in financial crisis for years, with no indication of abatement. In response to budget shortfalls—SEPTA and PAT are expected to run deficits in excess of $120 and $45 million respectively in FY 2007-08—policymakers have adopted a three-faceted response: cut service, raise passenger fares, and lobby for larger and perpetual state subsidies for public transit.

June 13, 2007 | Policy Brief by NATHAN BENEFIELD, JENNIFER A. SYNDER

Taxpayer-Funded, Universal Preschool in Pennsylvania: Benefits Questioned

The push toward taxpayer-funded preschool for every child in Pennsylvania continues with Governor Rendell’s budget proposal for the 2007-08 fiscal year. The Governor wants $75 million for “Pre-K Counts,” which would provide grants to school districts, Head Start programs, and community providers at the discretion of the Rendell Administration to serve a projected 11,100 children. At a cost of $6,750 per child to state taxpayers, “free” preschool would be made available to parents in certain areas of the state, without regard to family income.

February 1, 2007 | Policy Brief by GRANT R. GULIBON

Taxpayers Guide to the Rendell Property Tax Relief Act of 2006

For more than three decades, Pennsylvania policymakers have repeatedly attempted to devise a mechanism to reduce school district property taxes on homeowners. Such a mechanism has been elusive. A number of past attempts at school district tax reform—including Act 50 of 1998 and Act 72 of 2004—failed for two main reasons: 1) school districts were not required to participate in either law, and 2) these laws relied upon tax-shifting, whereby in order to get a property tax reduction, school district residents would pay equivalent higher taxes elsewhere.

September 25, 2006 | Policy Brief by NATHAN BENEFIELD

The Estimated Impact of the Swann Tax Cuts

Executive Summary Republican gubernatorial candidate Lynn Swann has proposed a number of changes to state tax rates. This analysis focuses on four major components of that proposal—namely reductions in the tax rates for the Corporate Net Income Tax, the Personal Income Tax, the Corporate Stock and Franchise Tax, and the Inheritance Tax.