DV Journal

A new study from the Commonwealth Foundation reports the 77,000 students who receive Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) and Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit (OSTC) funding to attend the school of their choice are outperforming their peers.

That includes their peers at private schools as well. They also have a higher graduation rate than their public school counterparts.

The scholarships serve low-income to middle-class students and most of the private or parochial schools involved charge $10,000 or less in tuition.

One of those families is Tammie Tilson and her three children who live in the Mt. Airy section of Philadelphia.

“Growing up, my dad always had this rule: I needed to go to private or Catholic school. So, when I started having children, I wanted the same thing for my kids, especially a faith-based education,” said Tilson.

“There’s so much going on in the world, negativity included,” she said. “I just think the kids having a foundation for morals and respect for others would be beneficial to us all.”

When her oldest son, Jordan, started kindergarten at St. Raymond of Penafort Catholic School, school officials told her about the Children’s Scholarship Fund Philadelphia (CSFP).

The nonprofit CSFP matches families with funds from the state Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) and Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit (OSTC) to help with their children’s tuition for private schools, depending on their income.

Opportunity scholarships are funded by businesses making contributions to scholarship organizations in exchange for a tax credit.

A third type of scholarship is Economically Disadvantaged Schools (EDS), which is available where 51 percent of their students receive EITDS.

CSFP President and CEO Keisha Jordan said her organization currently serves 6,200 Philadelphia K-8 students who attend schools in Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley.

“We serve the families who need it the most,” said Jordan. “Families who otherwise could not attend a private school. Seventy percent of our families live in the OSTC, the lowest-achieving public school neighborhoods. And we are also serving families with low income.”

Rachel Langan, senior education policy analyst with Commonwealth, said most of the data is from the 2021-22 school year, the latest available. She noted most families who receive the scholarships earn below the median income for their counties. And the counties with the lowest-achieving public schools have the highest number of scholarship recipients.

So, the programs “are meeting the needs of the lowest income families,” she said.  New state regulations require organizations that administer scholarships use 90 percent of the money for scholarships, and 70 percent already do that.

Children in every county in the state receive this scholarship money. The heaviest concentration is in southeastern Pennsylvania, she said.

Pennsylvania taxpayers spend $21,985 per public school student, which is in addition to local and federal funds, she said. The average private school tuition is $12,000, and most students who qualify for the scholarships receive $2,780.

In 2021–22, K-12 students submitted 141,452 scholarship applications—2,914 more than the previous year and the highest on record. During the same period, Pennsylvania scholarship organizations turned away 63,781 K-12 student scholarship applications—almost 45 percent of applications—because of tax credit caps.

Passage of the state’s 2024 budget allows increased access to these scholarships.

“This is really good news because these are the kids who need access to education because they are living in low-achieving public school [area] serving economically disadvantaged students,” said Langan.

Nathan Benefield, senior vice president for the Commonwealth Foundation, said, “This report demonstrates high demand and significant results. If the past is any indication, demand for tax credit scholarships will continue to rise, showing the remarkable success of the program and the desire of parents to find the best educational option for their children.”

“It’s been a blessing for sure,” said Tilson, about the scholarship money her family receives for her three children so they can attend St. Raymond’s. The school offers tuition on a sliding scale, depending on a family’s income.

In addition to Jordan, she has 7-year-old twins, Jade and Jaden. The single mother, who works as an assistant at a law firm, receives $1,200 per child to partially pay the school’s tuition.

“Which is amazing,” she said.

“I wish more families knew about it,” she said about the scholarship program. “It’s definitely beneficial for a lot of families. I don’t know how many families could afford a private school without the Children’s Scholarship Fund.”

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Even as Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro is strutting his stuff at the Democratic National Convention convention in Chicago, a conservative think tank from his home state is running a negative ad in the Chicago Tribune.

Shapiro, who was on the shortlist to become Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate, has been glad-handing his fellow Democrats in the Windy City, giving speeches and news interviews.

The Commonwealth Foundation ad says despite Shapiro’s slogan that he “Gets S**t Done,” he has enacted the fewest laws of any governor with a divided government. It blames his inability to get the Democratic-controlled House to go along with his legislative proposals, “making him the least productive governor of the Keystone State in at least 50 years.”

The ad lists the other governors with divided legislatures, starting with Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-Va.) who passed 1,654 laws, all the way down to Shapiro at 111. It ends with: “Learn more: ShapiroRecord.com.”

“Gov. Shapiro had his moment in the spotlight,” said Erik Telford, Commonwealth Foundation senior vice president. “Now it’s time for him to come home and deliver on the promises he made to Pennsylvanians.”

Shapiro’s failure to unite lawmakers behind immensely popular policies and deliver on his campaign promises has tarnished his reputation in Pennsylvania and on the national stage,” Telford said.

“It’s time for Shapiro to focus on his job as governor, learn to work with the legislature, and follow through on the commitments he made to cut red tape, reduce taxes, and save kids in failing schools,” Telford said.

Commonwealth is a strong proponent of school choice. When he was running for election as governor, Shapiro promised to provide Lifeline Scholarships to disadvantaged kids in failing public schools. But House Democrats, many relying on significant campaign financing from the teachers’ unions, balked. Now, with two budget cycles under his belt, Shapiro has failed to pass the program.

Shapiro spokesman Manuel Bonder did not respond to a request for comment on Tuesday. However, he previously told DVJournal, “Gov. Shapiro has been delivering for Pennsylvanians on the issues that matter most – growing our economy, investing in education, supporting law enforcement, and protecting freedom.

“In the meantime, the Commonwealth Foundation appears to have taken a break from their hobby of peddling an extreme political agenda to focus on their new passion: graphic design. It’s good to see they are equally bad at both,” Bonder said.

The Commonwealth Foundation’s Shapiro ad also ran in Milwaukee during the Republican National Convention and The Washington Post on July 21.

But the biggest controversy dogging Shapiro is the lingering belief that antisemitism among his fellow Democrats kept Vice President Kamala Harris from picking him as her nominee. He pushed back on that premise at a breakfast event with the Pennsylvania delegation Monday.

“She was very clear about what she wanted. I think Tim fits that really well,” Shapiro told reporters about Harris’ pick, adding: “Now, let me also be very clear here, antisemitism played absolutely no role in my dialogue with the vice president. Absolutely not.”

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Despite portraying himself as the ‘Get Sh** Done’ governor, a recent survey of 800 Pennsylvania voters showed they feel like Josh Shapiro hasn’t done enough.

“Actions speak louder than words,” Commonwealth Foundation Senior Manager Andre Beliveau told DVJournal.

The poll was released by the Commonwealth Foundation a week before Kamala Harris passed over Shapiro for the vice-presidential spot on the Democratic ticket.

It found that 76 percent believe the governor needed to be more involved in budget negotiations. The budget is supposed to be signed each year by June 30. It’s been late in both years Shapiro’s been in office. It took until early August for Shapiro to sign the initial 2023 budget. The rest wasn’t finalized until just before Christmas. This year, the budget was signed in mid-July.

Shapiro has blamed the state’s divided legislature for the delays. Republicans control the Senate, and Democrats control the House. However, 84 percent of those surveyed called for Shapiro to be more active in working with the legislature to deliver campaign promises.

That included a deal on school vouchers he reached with Senate Republicans last year. Shapiro went back on the promise weeks later after House Democrats revolted.

“Gov. Shapiro made a lot of promises and he hasn’t delivered,” said Beliveau.

The Commonwealth Foundation said the governor had the lowest legislative production of any Pennsylvania governor in the last 50 years. He’s signed 111 bills in his first 18 months of office. Compare that to Harris’ running mate, Gov. Tim Walz (D-Minn.) He signed more than 150 bills over two legislative sessions. Minnesota has a part-time legislature, while Pennsylvania’s serves full time.

One proposal Shapiro promoted heavily was his Pennsylvania Climate Emissions Reduction Act (PACER). The governor called PACER “tailored for Pennsylvania” and swore it would create jobs, lower carbon emissions, and save consumers millions via electricity rebates. The bill died in the legislature.

It was portrayed as an alternative to the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), the multi-state compact Gov. Tom Wolf (D) unilaterally entered the state into in 2022. The Commonwealth Court removed Pennsylvania from RGGI last year and called it an “invalid tax.” An appeal before the state Supreme Court is pending.

Voters aren’t feeling either compact.

The Commonwealth Foundation poll found 61 percent of respondents disagreed with PACER, fearing it would increase electricity costs. Twenty-nine percent supported PACER.

For RGGI, half of those polled didn’t want the state involved in the program. About 30 percent supported RGGI, which Shapiro avoided discussing during his gubernatorial campaign.

Beliveau said the results show Pennsylvanians care about pocketbook issues, particularly those that would increase utility costs and impact their family. He added the policies were well-intentioned, but he did not believe they would help America maintain energy dominance. He’s certain that pocketbook issues will be on voters’ minds while inside polling places on Election Day.

Transparency and taxpayer-funded air travel also caused waves in the poll.

Almost 75 percent of surveyed voters expressed concern about the $270,000 in taxpayer-funded airfare Shapiro used during his first year of office. Twenty-two percent expressed little to no concern. Shapiro’s used the plane for everything from opening a new state park to visiting a South Carolina resort to attending a Phillies playoff game. In contrast, Wolf spent $487,000 during his eight years in office, while Republican Gov. Tom Corbett spent $481,000 in four years.

One way Shapiro followed in the footsteps of Wolf and Corbett involves his daily calendar. The governor has not released his daily calendar to the public. Corbett and Wolf also kept parts of their calendar private.

The lack of transparency is a point of contention. More than three-fourths of those surveyed say that the governor needed to be more transparent with Pennsylvanians on what he does during the day. Just 17 percent say it was not a big deal.

Despite those concerns, Shapiro remains popular with voters. His average approval rating hovered around 60 percent during his first two years in office. However, voters seem to want Shapiro to govern more and talk less.

Beliveau saw the poll as proof that politicians can’t just pay lip service to their constituents during speeches and public events.

“People can promise the world, but have they followed through on their actions,” he said.

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In a sign that he’s seen as a potential presidential contender, the Commonwealth Foundation announced plans to place ads critical of Gov. Josh Shapiro in newspapers in Milwaukee, Washington, D.C. and Chicago. They will coincide with the Republican and Democratic national conventions.

The free market think tank claims Shapiro, a Democrat who was elected in 2022, is not as competent as other governors who are also dealing with divided legislatures.

The full-page print ad says when it comes to Shapiro’s legislative record, he has proven “last in the nation among states with divided government.” During his first 18 months in office, Shapiro enacted only 111 bills, a mere fraction of other governors leading states with divided government. Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed 1,654 bills into law over the same period.

Shapiro’s “inability to persuade his own party to get to work and pass his priorities—including scholarships for disadvantaged kids in failing schools—resulted in a lack of legislative accomplishments, making him the least productive governor of the Keystone State in at least 50 years,” the ad says.

“Gov. Shapiro acts like a figurehead who is more concerned with media appearances and public relations than working with the legislature to get stuff done,” said Commonwealth Foundation Senior Vice President Erik Telford. “It’s time for him to put the future of Pennsylvania ahead of his political ambition. Pennsylvanians deserve a governor that they can rely on to deliver.”

The ad will be published in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel for the duration of the Republican National Convention, as well as in the Chicago Tribune when Democrats hold their convention in August. It will also appear in The Washington Post on Sunday, July 21.

Mark Nevins of Nevins Consulting isn’t impressed by the effort.

“Trying to understand the Commonwealth Foundation’s strategy is like trying to argue with a toddler: it’s pointless and exhausting. Who knows why they do what they do? But the reason people in Pennsylvania and, increasingly, around the country like and respect Gov. Shapiro is because he delivers results that actually make a difference. And that drives the far right nuts,” Nevins said. He pointed to a Wall Street Journal opinion piece “Josh Shapiro, a Competent Pragmatist in Divided Times,” praising the governor.

Less than two years into his four-year term, Shapiro is already being mentioned as a possible presidential or vice presidential candidate—if President Joe Biden drops out of the race.

An AP-NORC poll released Wednesday found 65 percent of Democrats want President Biden to quit and allow the party to nominate someone else after his poor performance in a June debate with former President Donald Trump.

A July New York Times/Siena poll of Pennsylvania voters finds 38 percent would vote for Biden; 41 percent for Trump; and 8 percent for independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Green Party candidate Jill Stein took two percent and Libertarian Chase Oliver and Cornell West each take less than one percent. Some 3 percent say they don’t plan to vote and 8 percent either don’t know or are confused.

Shapiro spokesman Manuel Bonder said, “Gov. Shapiro has been delivering for Pennsylvanians on the issues that matter most – growing our economy, investing in education, supporting law enforcement, and protecting freedom.

“In the meantime, the Commonwealth Foundation appears to have taken a break from their hobby of peddling an extreme political agenda to focus on their new passion: graphic design. It’s good to see they are equally bad at both,” Bonder added.

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Pennsylvania lost 10,408 residents between July 2022 and July 2023, the U.S. Census said.  After the 2000 Census, Pennsylvania lost a congressional seat because so many residents sought their fortunes elsewhere.

Hoping to reverse this trend, on Tuesday the Republican-led state Senate nearly unanimously passed a bipaartisan package of bills dubbed “Grow PA.”

“Everyone knows we have a declining population in Pennsylvania, and our workforce is shrinking as Pennsylvanians age,” Sen. Tracy Pennycuick (R-Montgomery) told DVJournal. “So we came together, and leadership did a great job of putting this together.”

Elizabeth Stelle, director of policy analysis for the free market think tank, agreed.

“The Commonwealth Foundation applauds Pennsylvania Senate Republicans—and state Sen. Scott Martin (R-Lancaster) in particular—for its leadership in advancing much-needed higher education reform in the commonwealth. The passage of Grow PA illustrates the Senate Republican’s commitment to supporting our students and future workforce,” Stelle said.

“Grow PA’s reforms provide student-centered funding, ensuring financial aid benefits students directly. From technical programs and community colleges to four-year universities, Grow PA funds students regardless of their choice of higher education. It prioritizes student choice—not bureaucracy—and allocates resources to the fields of study our state needs the most,” she said.

“Grow PA links accountability and results, tying scholarship grants to student success in high-demand fields, such as health care and agriculture. This approach makes higher education more affordable and aligns educational programs with the demands of our state’s key industries. As a result, students graduate better prepared, collect less student debt, and have a greater chance to secure gainful employment.”

The Grow PA Scholarship Grant Program will offer grants of up to $5,000 per year for in-state students who attend college in Pennsylvania, pursue a degree in a high-demand industry, and agree to live and work in that industry in Pennsylvania after graduation.

Students who receive grants would be required to live and work in Pennsylvania for at least 15 months for each year they accept the grant. Otherwise, the grant is converted into a loan.

A Grow PA merit scholarship program also attracts high-performing out-of-state students to a Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) school.

Another bill would expand the Ready to Succeed Scholarship Program, which provides scholarships to promising students to cover the cost of post-secondary education. The bill would increase household income limits from $126,000 to $175,000 and allow students with at least a 2.5 GPA to qualify.

Pennycuick was the lead sponsor of a bill to help foster children.

The measure would expand the Fostering Independence Tuition Waiver Program, which waives higher education tuition and fees for foster children in the foster care system and adopted children. Under the bill, the program would include eligible nonresident students for undergraduate courses at PASSHE schools.

“Many young, talented individuals are simply in need of a chance to succeed. This is especially true for foster care children, who often face significant barriers when seeking access to postsecondary education,” said Pennycuick. “Let’s give foster care kids across the nation the opportunity they seek right here in Pennsylvania.”

She hopes those former foster children will continue to live as contributing members of Pennsylvania society.

“We’ve got phenomenal schools in Pennsylvania,” she said. “We have some top-notch universities. I think it’s a great way to grow Pennsylvania and bring kids that need an opportunity here.”

Another bill would impose performance-based metrics to funding for state-related universities, including the University of Pittsburgh, the Pennsylvania State University, and Temple University.

Stelle added, “Grow PA links accountability and results, tying scholarship grants to student success in high-demand fields, such as health care and agriculture. This approach makes higher education more affordable and aligns educational programs with the demands of our state’s key industries. As a result, students graduate better prepared, collect less student debt, and have a greater chance to secure gainful employment.”

The bills will now be taken up by the House.

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The Commonwealth Foundation, Pennsylvania’s free-market think tank, launched a six-figure advertising campaign this week, using billboards to promote Lifeline Scholarships.

The nonprofit is promoting Lifeline Scholarships, which help children in failing public schools access better schools. Although Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) ran on a promise to support those scholarships, he used his line-item veto to remove them from last year’s budget. Commonwealth hopes to build public awareness and support so that the Lifeline Scholarships program will be included in the state budget this year.

The Democratic majority in the state House and state teachers’ union opposed the program. A spokesperson for Shapiro did not respond to requests for comment.

The first three digital billboards will run for the next 12 weeks at major locations along I-76, I-676, and the Schuylkill Expressway in Philadelphia. Multiple other billboards have slated launches in the Pittsburgh, Wilkes Barre/Scranton, and Harrisburg areas.

Commonwealth will be following the billboards with radio spots and ads in other media, as well, said Christian Stellakis, a spokesman.

The ads urge parents to visit LifelineScholarships.com to explore the potential of the program’s proposed Educational Opportunity Accounts (EOAs) for their kids.

“Every child deserves access to an excellent education,” said Erik Telford, the senior vice president of public affairs at the Commonwealth Foundation. “Lifeline Scholarships empower families to do just that by allowing education funds to follow the student. Parents get to choose the schools that best meet their kids’ needs.”

Lifeline Scholarships, proposed by the state legislature last year, would establish EOAs for students trapped in schools ranked in the bottom 15 percent of the state’s educational institutions. In these failing schools, fewer than 10 percent of students test proficient in math, and just 25 percent reach proficiency in English.

“Too many kids are currently trapped in failing schools. Lifeline Scholarships would provide parents $10,000 to send their child to a better and safer school,” Telford said. “We want to make families aware of the transformational impact of Lifeline Scholarships so that when they become available, parents can take advantage of the new opportunity to secure their children’s future.”

Funded separately from existing education formulas, Lifeline Scholarships would not impact public school budgets. Though Shapiro vetoed the legislation in August 2023, the latest polling reveals a strong majority of Pennsylvania voters (61 percent) believe the governor should enact Lifeline Scholarships.

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Hold on to your wallet.

The Commonwealth Foundation has come out with another critique of Gov. Josh Shapiro’s proposed $48.3 billion 2024 budget. The organization says it will lead to a $2,000 tax increase for a family of four after state surpluses are drained.

Officials at the state’s free-market think tank say, if passed, this budget would expand Pennsylvania’s structural deficit to more than $6 billion by 2028. And that would bring significant tax increases, according to its research.

The budget includes $4.5 billion in new spending initiatives. It would take the surplus from $7 billion to less than $4 billion, a structural deficit of more than $4 billion for revenue versus spending, a think tank spokesman said. The structural deficit would drain the fund balance, eventually requiring a tax increase.

Shapiro would use the state’s general fund balance and then move on to the $7 billion Rainy Day Fund. However, state law says Pennsylvania’s Rainy Day Fund reserves “shall not be used to begin new programs but to provide for the continuation of vital public programs in danger of being eliminated or severely reduced due to financial problems resulting from the economy.”

Commonwealth officials said that Shapiro’s budget flouts this statute.

“Gov. Shapiro’s deficit projections seem deliberately misleading,” said Commonwealth Foundation Senior Vice President Nathan Benefield. “Pennsylvania has lost nearly 65,000 residents to other states over the last two years—working adults are leaving the commonwealth. Yet, the Shapiro administration believes the economy will surge and state revenues will exceed the IFO’s calculations by more than $850 million in fiscal years 2024–25 and 2025–26. The governor’s math doesn’t add up.”

Shapiro’s budget projections also put a rosy spin on revenue growth while underestimating spending increases. But the Pennsylvania Independent Fiscal Office (IFO) calculations paint a different picture.

Rep. Seth Grove (R-York), who chairs the House Appropriations Committee, noted the surplus and Rainy Day Fund boost the state’s bond rating; if those are depleted, the bond rating would fall, increasing the cost of borrowing. The state would need to borrow from other entities to pay its obligations, whereas now it borrows from the Treasury. The current Rainy Day Fund is saving taxpayers $100 million in long-term debt costs, Grove said.

Reacting to the governor’s budget estimates, state Sen. Jarrett Colemen (R-Breiningsville) said, “The legislature should absolutely use the IFO’s revenue projections when determining what funds will be available. What’s more concerning is that even with the overly optimistic revenue projections offered by the governor, his spending levels would drain the Rainy Day Fund and all other reserves by the middle of 2027. Spending at that pace is completely irresponsible.”

Despite the governor’s promises, Shapiro’s budget outlook projects no increases in basic education funding after fiscal year 2024–25. This means the budget deficit will be about $4 billion higher than his forecast, Commonwealth officials claim.

Manuel Bonder, a spokesman for the governor, defended Shapiro’s budget and disparaged the Commonwealth Foundation.

“Gov. Shapiro is focused on getting things done and creating opportunity for Pennsylvania families – not on poorly written press releases from special interest groups,” said Bonder.

“Gov. Shapiro doesn’t believe it should be a badge of honor for politicians to tax Pennsylvanians more than needed, just for over $14 billion to sit in a bank account in Harrisburg — the situation we find ourselves in now. The facts are clear: the governor’s budget is balanced, cuts taxes – doesn’t raise them – and even if every single thing in this proposal were enacted, we would still have an $11 billion surplus at the end of the day,” Bonder said.

Benefield disagreed.

“Pennsylvanians can’t afford the thousands more in taxes that Shapiro’s budget would heft upon them,” said Benefield. “Nor can they afford an administration that uses creative accounting to mask the true cost of the governor’s spending proposals. Our families deserve better than runaway government spending, increased deficits, depleted reserves, and tax hikes on working families.”

View the Commonwealth Foundation’s fact sheet here.

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While Gov. Josh Shapiro spends the next few weeks selling his $48.3 billion spending plan to Pennsylvania, a fiscal watchdog warns the budget proposal will drain the state’s recently replenished finances.

Pennsylvania’s Rainy Day Fund sits around $14 billion. That’s enough to fund the government for almost 50 days in lieu of a government shutdown. “You’re still just pushing it down the road,” Commonwealth Foundation Senior Vice President Nathan Benefield told DVJournal. “It’s unwise to be using that just to go like, ‘Hey, we could use that money this year’ and still have an unbalanced budget.

“Using the one-time reserves for ongoing spending that’s going to be year after year is not sustainable.”

Benefield points out that multiple Shapiro administration officials and the governor himself claim to support fiscal responsibility when it comes to taxpayer dollars.

Shapiro hailed Pennsylvania’s budgeting ability last September after S&P Global Ratings and Moody’s moved the Commonwealth’s outlook to ‘positive.’

“Our commonsense investments and sound fiscal management are setting the Commonwealth up for continued success,” the governor said at the time. “My administration will strive to ensure that our fiscal outlook remains strong by working with leaders in both parties to continue making commonsense investments…all while remaining fiscally responsible.”

Budget Secretary Uri Monson praised sound fiscal management last September, saying it “makes a difference in the lives of Pennsylvanians every day.”

But Benefield pointed out credit rate agencies want Pennsylvania to keep a high balance in the Rainy Day Fund balance. “The credit rate agencies all basically pointed to the fact that Pennsylvania has a reserve and would maintain it in case there is a recession.”

S&P and Moody’s highlighted Pennsylvania’s need to keep its reserve fund high in their credit rating outlook announcements. One S&P analyst said Pennsylvania could see its overall rating go up if it preserved or increased “reserve balances in its budget stabilization reserve.”

Moody’s said it was “particularly important” for Pennsylvania to maintain adequate reserves because of extremely long budget negotiations. The state’s budget wasn’t finalized last year until late December.

There’s also disagreement on whether the Pennsylvania government can use the Rainy Day Fund to fill in the budget hole.

State law says the fund can be used in “emergencies involving the health, safety or welfare of the residents of this Commonwealth or downturns in the economy resulting in significant unanticipated revenue shortfalls…”

Pennsylvania’s government is also blocked from using Rainy Day Fund money to “begin new programs.”

That’s what Shapiro wants to do, according to Benefield. “His proposal, if you look at it, is a lot of new programs,” he said. “They’re not to deal with an emergency. They’re simply to prop up spending.

“The idea that having an ongoing structural deficit year after year is not an emergency. That’s simply poor budgeting,” Benefield added.

Shapiro said during his budget address that the state needed to spend some of the reserve cash as a so-called investment into Pennsylvanians.

“We need to build a more competitive Pennsylvania that starts in our classrooms, runs through our union halls and our small businesses, through our farmlands and our high rises, our college campuses, and leads to a life of opportunity and a retirement with dignity,” he said. “We need to keep people safe, make sure they have access to the medical treatments and care they need, and build communities where they see a future of opportunity.”

Benefield doesn’t believe that Shapiro’s budgetary wishes will come to fruition. Calling the proposals “pie in the sky and even campaign-oriented,” Benefield said that he doesn’t see them getting done this year. “There isn’t a lot of appetite to have that large of a budget deficit of $3 billion-plus this year. I think there probably will still be a deficit this year, but I expect it to be a lot less than what Shapiro proposed.”

The Pennsylvania legislature remains divided, with Republicans controlling the Senate and Democrats holding a small lead in the House.

Neither House nor Senate Republicans appear to desire Shapiro’s proposed spending spree.

“While I can support initiatives that invest in our workforce and help more folks to lay down roots in Pennsylvania, those initiatives cannot be coupled with an endless wish list of spending agendas that are unsustainable and eviscerate our safety nets,” said Rep. Donna Scheuren (R-Montgomery). “That is not good governance, nor is it fiscally responsible.”

“We cannot reverse years of progress with a single-year spending spree that sacrifices our future,” said Sen. Scott Martin (R-Lancaster). “We need a responsible budget that helps grow jobs here and encourages families to put down roots here so we can reverse the negative economic and demographic trends that threaten our future stability. I look forward to working with my colleagues to make that happen.”

An email to the Shapiro administration was not answered.

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If money weren’t a problem, a majority of Pennsylvania parents would pull their kids out of public schools. That was the finding of a new poll from the Commonwealth Foundation.

The survey of 800 Keystone State voters found that 55 percent said, financial considerations aside, they would rather their kids attend a private school. Fewer than one in five (18 percent) picked public school as their first option.

More parents preferred sending their kids to a non-religious private school (33 percent) than a religious private school (22 percent). Charter schools and home schools were the choice of seven percent of respondents.

Foundation Executive Vice President Jennifer Stefano said the poll’s most disturbing finding was the poor grade most Pennsylvanians gave the public school system. “[W]hen asked to grade the K through 12 system, the respondents gave schools twice as many F’s as they did A’s.”

Those who tended to favor public education made over six figures. Stefano said that showed “if you can buy in the marketplace options” — in other words, afford to move to communities with high-performing public schools — you have a more positive view of government-run education.

Only three percent of those making less than $40,000 gave public schools an A, while 11 percent gave public schools an F. The results were similar for respondents earning between $40,000 and $125,000 annually.

While schools historically taught ‘reading, writing, and arithmetic,’ 41 percent of Pennsylvanians did not believe that is happening in classrooms today. Almost 50 percent believe students aren’t learning life skills. Student safety concerns were at 38 percent, while 37 percent of parents worried about learning loss from COVID shutdowns.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro signed a bill last week expanding the state’s tax credit scholarship programs by $150 million. The first-term Democrat previously reached a deal with the Republican-controlled Senate on vouchers. That plan was ditched in July after the Democratic-controlled House refused to pass a budget that included $100 million for school choice.

Shapiro, however, has consistently said he wants to give children “more opportunity to learn” if they are in difficult situations.

Pennsylvanians feel the same way, and according to the Commonwealth Foundation poll, they want the governor to honor the deal he made with Senate Republicans on student scholarships.

The Commonwealth Foundation said 61 percent agreed the scholarships should be funded. Sixty-four percent of people 18 to 29 and 67 percent of those 30 to 44 believed Shapiro needed to follow through on the voucher deal. A whopping 70 percent of people living in the big city favored the agreement. Not only that, but 63 percent of Democrats and independents gave support to scholarships.

“[It’s] very interesting, given that the Democratic Party elites were debating whether to have a resolution to condemn school vouchers as policy,” said Nathan Benefield, senior vice president of the Commonwealth Foundation. “They seem to be appeasing the teachers unions but are out of touch with their own voters who think that Gov. Shapiro should get that done and support lifetime scholarships for low-income kids.”

Shapiro avoided a rebuke from the Pennsylvania Democratic Party’s rules committee last week after an anti-voucher resolution was tabled. Party Chair Sen. Sharif Street (D-Philadelphia) said the national Democratic Party asked the resolution to be tabled under the guise of party unity. He wouldn’t say who from the Democratic National Committee made the request.

An original version of the anti-voucher resolution would have included language criticizing Shapiro for talking to Fox News about vouchers and that “school voucher policies are widely supported by the [party’s] political opponents.”

School choice advocates still hope vouchers will become a reality in Pennsylvania. American Federation for Children CEO Tommy Schutz told DVJournal that “Empowering families should not be a partisan issue; in fact, a super-majority of every political party and demographic – including 66 percent of Democrats in a recent poll – support it. Democrat Party leaders who have chosen to represent the unions instead of their constituents on this issue do so at their own political peril.”

The Lifeline Scholarship program is getting more support. Some 65 individuals and organizations sent a letter to Gov. Josh Shapiro and the state legislature Thursday backing the program. It is designed to help students in failing public schools learn elsewhere.

The coalition includes two former U.S. education secretaries, rapper Meek Mill, state and national organizations, and schools nationwide.

The Lifeline Scholarship program was introduced by Reps. Clint Owlett (R-Tioga) and Martina White (R-Philadelphia) in the House and Sen. Judy Ward (R-Blair) in the Senate. It would help students in the lowest performing 14 percent of public schools. Shapiro has indicated he supports the program, promising, “I won’t take a dollar out of our public schools.”

The letter said, in part, “33 of the bottom 15 percent of high schools have zero students performing math at their grade level; six high schools have not a single student reading at their grade level. Minority, low-income students are overrepresented in these underperforming schools.

“Without Lifeline Scholarships, we are setting our children up for failure before they even have an opportunity to succeed.

“The truth is this program would save kids—and save public schools money. Lifeline Scholarships would result in smaller class sizes, which would mean more focused learning and more funding per student. The program provides $5,000 and $10,000 scholarships for students who wish to leave their assigned public school—a fraction of the $21,300 per student school districts receive,” the letter said.

A recent Commonwealth Court ruling said Pennsylvania’s funding system must ensure that “every student receives a meaningful opportunity to succeed.” The letter argued that lifeline Scholarships are the way to deliver on that promise.

“Lifeline Scholarships will give our most vulnerable students hope and the opportunity for a brighter future. It’s time we deliver an excellent education to all of Pennsylvania’s children,” the letter stated.

However, the program has many critics, and it’s unclear whether it will ultimately become law.

“Right now is the time to invest more into our schools, not less. Private school voucher programs defund our public schools,” said Arthur G. Steinberg, president of AFT Pennsylvania. “There is literally no mathematically sound way to send money to unaccountable private and religious institutions without harming school districts’ budgets. It is a farce.”

And Rich Askey, president of the Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA), said, “Tuition vouchers, in whatever form they may take, siphon precious taxpayer dollars from the public schools that serve 1.7 million Pennsylvania students and give them to private and religious schools. In fact, there is absolutely no way to create a tuition voucher program that doesn’t take money from public schools.”

“Our public school students don’t have a moment to waste on this nonsense,” said Askey. “Now, let’s get to work on passing a budget that supports them and our public schools.”

In fact, the Lifeline Scholarship program increases per-pupil funding at underperforming schools where students are eligible for the scholarships. Because their scholarships are funded by a state account separate from the K-12 budget, the schools they leave behind retain their funding but would have fewer students to serve.

“Republicans who oppose adding more funding for public schools keep warning us about a future state spending crunch. Yet when it comes to their priorities—such as lifeline scholarships—as well as the huge $340 million subsidy for private schools in the ETIC and OSTC program that already exist—they forget this warning,” said Marc Stier, executive director of the Pennsylvania Policy Center. Stier also pointed out evidence from other states that have enacted proposals for vouchers like lifeline scholarships shows they have failed in multiple ways.

But the latest round of National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) tests found performance in math and reading at public schools plunged at a record pace, while students attending parochial schools experienced no meaningful decline in either subject on the latest NAEP.

Supporters believe the state can make changes to its education system now.

“Our children trapped in failing district schools need more than increased funding; their parents need choices—good choices. No child ought to be forced to attend a school that is failing them simply because of their zip code. These children need a way out of a system that has failed them,” GOP activist Guy Ciarrocchi wrote for National Review.

“This is an overwhelming expression of support from a broad coalition on behalf of the 250,000 Pennsylvania students trapped in failing public schools,” said Erik Telford, senior vice president of the Commonwealth Foundation, a free market think tank, which organized the coalition letter. “Lifeline Scholarships offer them hope and access to quality education. This program must be included in the pending budget agreement. With the new school year fast approaching, these children’s futures are hanging in the balance.”