Latest Content
Education
Key Takeaways from Governor’s 2024 Budget Proposal
Key Points Gov. Josh Shapiro’s startling spending increases and myriad of new initiatives would explode the budget deficit and invite massive tax hikes on working families in the coming years.
Read More: Key Takeaways from Governor’s 2024 Budget Proposal
Public Union Democracy
Shapiro’s Project Labor Agreement Mandate
Read More: Shapiro’s Project Labor Agreement Mandate
Regulation
Regulatory Reforms Stalled in State House
Read More: Regulatory Reforms Stalled in State House
Education
School Choice Toolkit
Children at Pennsylvania’s worst-performing schools are frequently subjected to acts of violence. In the worst 140+ schools alone, with some 80,000 children, students faced nearly 10,000 acts of violence in…
Fact Sheet
Read More: School Choice ToolkitCriminal Justice Reform
Real Corrections Reform, Right Now
Albert Einstein is said to have remarked that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. We the undersigned submit that unfortunately,…
Poll
Read More: Real Corrections Reform, Right NowState Budget
State Spending Limits for Pennsylvania
Prior to 2011-12, Pennsylvania's total operating budget had increased for at least 40 consecutive years. The Taxpayer Protection Act (TPA) would force lawmakers to limit government spending during boom years,…
Fact Sheet
Read More: State Spending Limits for PennsylvaniaEducation
Pennsylvania Higher Education Spending
Pennsylvania taxpayers subsidize higher education through appropriations to 14 state-owned universities (Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, or PASSHE), four state-related universities (Penn State, Pittsburgh, Temple, and Lincoln), community colleges,…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Pennsylvania Higher Education SpendingState Budget
Pennsylvania Government Debt
Today, Pennsylvanians owe $121 billion in state and local government debt. This equates to more than $9,400 for every person, and almost $38,000 for the average family of four in…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Pennsylvania Government DebtRegulation
Pennsylvania State and School Pension Costs
Pennsylvania taxpayers fund two statewide pension plans for government employees—the State Employees' Retirement System (SERS) for state employees and the Public School Employees' Retirement System (PSERS) for school employees. PSERS…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Pennsylvania State and School Pension CostsGovernment Accountability
The Squeeze: Government Unions’ Grip on Pennsylvanians
Pennsylvania's government unions wield tremendous political influence and advance policies that harm the commonwealth's taxpayers, children, and even their own members. Pennsylvania is a forced union state, meaning even workers…
Report
Read More: The Squeeze: Government Unions’ Grip on PennsylvaniansEducation
Pennsylvania K-12 Education Spending
Pennsylvania's K-12 education revenue increased from $13 billion in 1995-96 to $26 billion in 2009-10. Adjusted for inflation, that represents a 44% increase in revenue per student. …
Fact Sheet
Read More: Pennsylvania K-12 Education SpendingState Budget
Pennsylvania Welfare Spending
The FY 2011-12 total operating budget of $63.4 billion, which included $27.1 billion in General Fund spending, represented the first year-to-year reduction in state spending in at least 40 years.
Fact Sheet
Read More: Pennsylvania Welfare SpendingHealth Care
Ending the Cycle: Reforming Welfare in Pennsylvania
Government welfare, with its goal to provide a helping hand to those in need, has instead become a vast series of programs that fall far short of the good intentions…
Report
Read More: Ending the Cycle: Reforming Welfare in PennsylvaniaPublic Union Democracy
Pennsylvania’s Prevailing Wage Law
Pennsylvania's Prevailing Wage Law was enacted in 1961 to protect construction workers from out-of-state competition, mandating that contractors pay the wages that "prevail" in each region on all government construction…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Pennsylvania’s Prevailing Wage LawCriminal Justice Reform
Pennsylvania Corrections Spending
The FY 2011-12 total operating budget of $63.4 billion, which included $27.1 billion in General Fund spending, represented the first year-to-year reduction in state spending in at least 40 years.
Fact Sheet
Read More: Pennsylvania Corrections SpendingRegulation
Pennsylvania State Budget Background & 2012 Preview
The FY 2011-12 total operating budget of $63.4 billion, which included $27.1 billion in General Fund spending, represented the first year-to-year reduction in state spending in at least 40 years.
Fact Sheet
Read More: Pennsylvania State Budget Background & 2012 PreviewEducation
Charter School Reform
Pennsylvania charter school enrollment grew from 982 students in 1997 to 91,000 in 2010, as more parents exercised choice in their children's education. On average, charter schools receive and spend…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Charter School ReformEducation
The Cost of Pennsylvania’s Education Failures
Lawmakers are considering providing school choice to low-income children trapped in violent and failing schools. While some lawmakers are concerned about the cost of school vouchers, the cost of educational…
Fact Sheet
Read More: The Cost of Pennsylvania’s Education FailuresEducation
Fall 2011 Legislative Priorities
Fall 2011 Legislative Priorities.
Fact Sheet
Read More: Fall 2011 Legislative PrioritiesEnergy
Marcellus Shale Impact Fee
Companies should pay for the cost of government they use. Many advocates of a new tax simply want more money for Harrisburg politicians to dole out.
Fact Sheet
Read More: Marcellus Shale Impact FeeGovernment Accountability
Pennsylvania’s Government Unions
Pennsylvania is a forced union state, meaning that workers can be forced to join a union or pay a "fair share fee" just to keep their job. Most government units…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Pennsylvania’s Government UnionsEducation
Pennsylvania’s Failing, Violent Schools
Nearly 82,000 children are enrolled in the 141 public schools with available data on violence in Pennsylvania's lowest-performing 5 percent on student proficiency. These schools reported more than 4,500 violent…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Pennsylvania’s Failing, Violent SchoolsEducation
Charter School Funding in Pennsylvania
Many school districts and other advocates complain about the charter school funding mechanism, arguing that it "drains funding" from school districts. This charge must be considered in the context of…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Charter School Funding in PennsylvaniaEducation
The Learning Revolution
Online learning serves a significant and growing number of students, and represents a significant shift in how we educate Pennsylvania's children. In light of the growth of cyber and hybrid…
Report
Read More: The Learning Revolution