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Education
Pennsylvania’s Education Tax Credit Scholarships: How EITC Serves Children and Families in the Commonwealth
Key Findings Pennsylvania’s Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) and Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit (OSTC) are state tax credit programs that give thousands of low- to middle- income students access to…
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State Budget
EITC and Economically Disadvantaged Schools
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Pennsylvania’s Looming Budget Challenges
Summary Pennsylvania’s fiscal year (FY) 2024–25 state budget has created a $3.6 billion structural budget deficit. Without a major shift in direction, this deficit will persist and grow in future…
Fact Sheet
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The Taxpayer Protection Act
Summary Pennsylvania faces a $3.6 billion structural deficit that will force lawmakers to cut spending or increase taxes. State spending growth far outpaces inflation, population growth, and economic growth. This…
Fact Sheet
Read More: The Taxpayer Protection ActEducation
Pa. Tax Credit Scholarships 101
Overview: Tax Credit Scholarship Programs Pennsylvania’s Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) and Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit (OSTC) are state tax credit programs that provide students access to high-quality schools of…
Fact Sheet
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EITC Private School Tuition
Simple Tuition Solutions Simple Tuition Solutions (STS) processed scholarship applications for students attending 130 different private schools in 2023–24. The median tuition charge, of the 106 schools with tuition rates…
Fact Sheet
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EITC: Archdiocese of Philadelphia
Archdiocese of Philadelphia The Archdiocese of Philadelphia (AOP) serves the five-county Philadelphia region—Philadelphia, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery Counties. AOP provides EITC and OSTC scholarships to an economically and racially…
Fact Sheet
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EITC Student Economic Data
Summary While no state agency collects comprehensive information regarding scholarship students’ family income or demographics, this report compiles data from scholarship providers and financial services providers to provide details about…
Fact Sheet
Read More: EITC Student Economic DataRegulation
Prevailing Wage in Pennsylvania
Summary Prevailing wage law dictates the minimum wage rates paid to workers on public construction projects if the project’s estimated costs exceed a certain threshold. Pennsylvania’s threshold for prevailing wage…
Fact Sheet
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Restarting Three Mile Island: Quick Facts
Quick Facts On September 20, 2024, Constellation Energy entered a 20-year agreement with Microsoft to restart Three Mile Island’s (TMI) unit one reactor, renaming the facility “Crane Clean Energy…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Restarting Three Mile Island: Quick FactsPublic Union Democracy
The Battle for Worker Freedom: Grading State Public Sector Labor Laws
Key Findings The four largest government unions—American Federation of Teachers (AFT), American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), National Education Association (NEA), and Service Employees International Union (SEIU)—lost…
Executive Summary
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Mass Transit Bailout
Summary Mass transit agencies, including Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT) in Pittsburgh, have seen steep declines in ridership since 2019. Gov. Josh Shapiro…
Fact Sheet
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2024–25 State Budget Analysis
Key Points Pennsylvania’s $47.6 billion 2024–25 budget creates a $3.6 billion structural deficit. This will exhaust General Fund reserves, which will require draining from the Rainy Day fund—illegally—or raising taxes…
Fact Sheet
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Pa. Travelers’ Guide: Summer Gasoline Prices
Pennsylvania’s June average gasoline price was higher than all its neighbor states except New York. While Pennsylvania’s gasoline price has decreased from its 2022 record high, the long-term picture shows…
Backgrounder
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Child Learning Investment Tax Credit
Summary Last year, lawmakers approved the Child and Dependent Care Enhancement Tax Credit and a $66.7 million increase for child-care subsidies. Pennsylvania lawmakers are looking for ways to lower…
Fact Sheet
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Governor Josh Shapiro “Ain’t Got Sh*t Done”
Overview Governor Josh Shapiro has made “Get Sh*t Done,” profanity and all, the official slogan of his administration, but when it comes to legislative accomplishments, his governing abilities have…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Governor Josh Shapiro “Ain’t Got Sh*t Done”Education
The High Cost of Pa. K–12 Education Failures
Key Points The cost and risk of failure in our K–12 system is high. Low academic achievement is a predictor of lower lifetime incomes and higher costs for taxpayers. On…
Backgrounder
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Energizing Federalism: Defending Pennsylvania from Anti-Energy Policies
Summary The Commonwealth Foundation joins several energy policy groups in two coalition letters opposing the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) latest power plant rule and the PROVE IT Act.
Fact Sheet
Read More: Energizing Federalism: Defending Pennsylvania from Anti-Energy PoliciesState Budget
Proposed Tax Cuts and the 2024 State Budget
Key Points A responsible budget in fiscal year (FY) 2024–25 must grapple with Pennsylvania’s aging and shrinking workforce challenges through sound tax and regulatory reform. State Senate Republicans proposed two…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Proposed Tax Cuts and the 2024 State BudgetEducation
Pa. School Funding Reaches $22,000 per Student in 2023
Pennsylvania Public School Spending Is Growing Over the last decade, state spending on Pennsylvania public schools reached all-time highs year after year. Pennsylvania per-pupil public school funding increased to $21,985…
Fact Sheet
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Find Your School District’s Reserves
Use the table below to see your school district’s total reserves.
Research
Read More: Find Your School District’s ReservesPublic Union Democracy
Shapiro’s Project Labor Agreement Mandate
Summary Project Labor Agreements (PLAs) are pre-hire agreements between the government and a contractor that outline the terms and conditions for a certain project. Gov. Josh Shapiro wrote to state…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Shapiro’s Project Labor Agreement MandateRegulation
Regulatory Reforms Stalled in State House
Summary Gov. Josh Shapiro’s PAyback permit rebate program is a step forward. But alone, it is insufficient to fix Pennsylvania’s above-average regulatory burden. The governor says he wants to…
Fact Sheet
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