LegisLativePriorities
LegisLativePrioritiesGG
Fall 2011Fall 2011
School choice •Pennsylvaniapublicschoolspendingdoubledinthepast15years;performancedidnot. •In the commonwealth’s bottom five percent of schools, more than 5,400 acts of violence occurred in the 2008-09 school year,includingsevenrapesandmorethan3,000assaultsonstudentsandstaff. •Pennsylvania’sEducationalImprovementTaxCreditserves40,000studentsannually,butthousandsremainonwaitinglists. •Studies have shown school choice programs, including vouchers and tax credits, increase student performance, improve the qualityofpublicschools,andsavetaxpayersmoney.
liquor Store Privatization •PennsylvaniaandUtaharetheonlystateswheregovernmenthasacompletemonopolyoversalesofwineandliquor. •69percentofPennsylvaniavoterssupportgettinggovernmentoutoftheboozebusiness. •APennsylvaniaLiquorControlBoard-commissionedstudyfound that45percentofSoutheastPennsylvaniansbuywineand liquorinotherstates,eventhoughitisillegaltotransportalcoholacrossstatelines. •Pennsylvaniarankshigherthanthenationalaverageinunderagedrinking,underagebingedrinking,andbingedrinkingamong allresidents.Acomprehensivestudyshowsnolinkbetweengovernmentcontrolofalcoholsalesandnegativesocialimpacts.
MarcelluS Shale iMPact Fee/tax •Pennsylvania’snaturalgasindustryhaspaidmorethan$1.2billioninstatetaxessince2006.Inadditiontotaxes,gascompanies put$200million into improving local roads lastyear, andpaidoutanestimated$7billion in leaseand royaltypayments to residentssince2006. •PennStateeconomistsestimateMarcellusactivityspurredmorethan24,000newjobsinPennsylvaniain2009alone. •Lastyear,MarcellusgasproductionsavedPennsylvaniansanestimated$633millioninutilitycosts,orabout$200forevery familyoffour. •Anyimpactfeeassessedtothenaturalgasindustryshouldonlychargeforthegovernmentservicesgasdrillersareusingthatare notalreadybeingcoveredthroughcurrenttaxesandfees.
tranSPortation Funding •No additional transportation funding should be awarded without spending reforms. Every dollar spent on transportation shouldbeprioritized. •Redefiningprevailingwagesasthemarketwagewouldsavehundredsofmillionsofdollarseachyear. •Enablingpublic-private partnershipswould bring in private-sector funding and expertise both in new road construction and inmasstransitoperations. •Anyadditionalfundingneedsshouldbeborneonlybythosewhobenefit.Thisincludesridersofmasstransit.
charter School reForM •Charter school enrollment grew from 982 students in 1997 to 91,000 in 2010, as more parents exercised choice in their children’seducation. •Onaverage,charterschoolsreceiveandspendonlyabout83percentofwhatschooldistrictsspendforeachstudent. •Ifchartersfailtoperform,theymaybeshutdown.Ultimately,chartersfacethehighestaccountabilitystandard—parentalchoice. •Allowingalternativecharterschoolauthorizerswouldincreaseopportunitiesfornewandinnovativecharterschools.
LegisLativePriorities
LegisLativePrioritiesGG
Fall 2011Fall 2011
School choiceShould parents have more control over their child’s education?Pennsylvaniahasdoubledpublicschoolspendinginthepast15years,yetonly40percentof8th-gradestudentsscoredatoraboveproficiencylevelsontheNationalAssessmentofEducationalProg-ressreadingandmathematicsexams.Overthattime,enrollmentinPennsylvaniapublicschoolsdeclinedby26,960students,whileschoolshiredanadditional32,937employees.Nearlyeveryempiricalstudyshowsthatschoolchoiceprogramsincreaseacademicachievementforstudentsandimprovepublicschoolsthroughcompetition.It’stimetoempowerfamiliestopickthebestschoolfortheirchild.
Why does school choice need to happen this session?Inthecommonwealth’sbottomfivepercentofschools,fewerthan53percentofstudentswereproficientinreadingandmathin2009-10.Inthesame144schools,morethan5,400actsofviolenceoccurredinthe2008-09schoolyear,includingsevenrapesandmorethan3,000assaultsonstudentsandstaff.Onlybyactingnowcanlawmakersprovidealifelinetothesestudentsbeforesentencingthemtoanotheryearinviolentandfailingschools.
What can lawmakers do? Legislationhasbeenintroducedtoexpandeducationaltaxcreditsandimplementschoolvouchers.ThepopularEducationalImprovementTaxCreditProgram(EITC)supportsscholarshipsthathelpparentspaytuitionattheirschoolofchoicefromvoluntarycontributionsofPennsylvaniabusinesses.Vouchersprovidefamilieswithtaxpayermoney,inthiscaseafrac-tionoftheamountschoolscurrentlyspendperpupil,tohelpparentspayprivateorpublicschooltuition.
Does school choice provide a better education for children?Nineofthe10“goldstandard”evaluationsofvoucherprogramsre-portedstatisticallysignificantgainsinachievementforallorsomevoucherrecipients.VoucherprogramsimprovegraduationratesinplaceslikeWashington,D.C.,andMilwaukee,havehigherparentalsatisfactionratesandreducesegregation.
How does school choice affect public schools?Whenparentscanchoose,publicschoolsareforcedtocompete.In18outof19aca-demicallyrigorousstudies,vouchershadapositiveimpactonaffectedpublicschooldistricts.Nostudyhaseverdemonstratedthatscholarshipshaveanegativeimpactondistrictschoolperformanceortheirabilitytoraisefunds.
Can school choice save taxpayers money?TheEITCsavedtaxpayersanadditional$512millionlastyear,asstudentslefthigh-costdistrictschools.TheaverageEITCscholarshipis$1,044,whiletheaverageschooldistrictspendsover$14,000perstudent.Ifallstu-dentscurrentlyenrolledincharterschools,privateschoolsandhomeschoolingreturnedtodistrictschools,itwouldcosttaxpayersanadditional$3billionperyear.
Do parents want school choice?Sincethelate1990s,Pennsylvanialawmakershavecreatedcharterschools,cyberschoolsandpri-vateschoolscholarshipsthroughtheEducationalImprovementTaxCreditprogram.Yetlongwaitinglistsfortheselimitedoptionsshowthesupplyofschoolchoiceoptionsdoesnotmeetparentaldemand.Forexample,theChildren’sScholarshipFundPhiladelphiahad95,000applicationsfor7,700scholarshipsawardedoverthelast12years.
Government-run liquor StoreSShould Pennsylvania sell off the government-run liquor stores?EverystateexceptUtahprovidesmorefreedomoverwineandspiritssalesthanPennsylvania.Thesearetheonlystateswheregovernmenthasacompletemonopolyoverwholesaleandretailsalesofwineandliquor,aremnantofProhibition.Thislackofliquorlibertyhasturnedlaw-abidingresidentsintobootleggers.
ThePennsylvaniaLiquorControlBoard(PLCB)shouldconcentrateonitsenforcementroleandprivatebusinessesshouldbegiventheabilitytosellwineandspiritsinacompetitivemarket.ThiswillgivePennsylvaniansthesamefreedom,convenienceandpricingofferedinneighboringstates.
Are Pennsylvanians crossing the border to buy alcohol? A PLCB-commissioned study found that 45 percent of Southeast Pennsylvaniansbuywineandliquorinotherstates,eventhoughitisillegaltotransportacrossstatelines.BasedonPLCBsalesinjusttheseeightcountiesalone,thestatelosesanestimated$40millionperyearduetoborderbleed.
Do Pennsylvanians support private liquor stores? More than 69 percent of Pennsylvania voters support getting governmentoutoftheboozebusiness,accordingtorecentpolling.Supportforprivatizationtranscendspartylines,gender,unionmembership, economicmeansandallgeographicregionsofthestate.
Isn’t the liquor business a cash cow for the state?FromthewinekioskcatastrophethatcostmillionsbecausePLCBleadersignoredinternalrecommendationstonotproceed,tospending$66millionforaninventorydatabasethatunder-ordered(causingmanagerstohoard),thenover-ordered(wastingmillionsduetoproductspoilageandexcessstoragecosts),thePLCBhasmisusedtaxpayerre-sources.Lastyear,thePLCBfinishedwithayear-endfundbalanceofnegative$8million.
Is privatization safe?Contrarytothefacts,opponentsofprivatizationspreadfearthatlessgovernmentcontrolwillleadtoadversesocialimpacts.Ifmoregovernmentcontrolresultedinmoresafety,Pennsylvaniawouldberankedfirstorsecondinthenationinmea-sureoflowestalcoholuseandabuse.YetPennsylvaniarankshigherthanthenationalaverageinunderagedrinking,underagebingedrinking,andbingedrinkingamongallresidents.Thecommonwealthrankshigherthanmostofitsborderstatesinalcohol-relatedtrafficfatalitiesandtotalalcohol-relateddeathspercapita.Acomprehensivestudyshowsnolinkbetweengovernmentcontrolofal-coholsalesandnegativesocialimpacts.
PLCB Central Administrative Support Spending$80,000,000
$70,000,000
$60,000,000
$50,000,000
$40,000,000
$30,000,000
$20,000,000
$10,000,000
$02000-01
$26,705,659 $26,128,456
$28,729,098 $29,523,686 $28,434,203$32,095,769 $31,311,714
$34,434,698
$50,927,591
$66,816,185
2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10
What should the role of the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board be? Currently,thePLCBspendsmillionstoadvertisealcoholproducts,rebrandstoresandshiftoperatingpracticestolookmorelikeaprivatebusiness.Atthesametime,thePLCBischargedtoservetheroleofenforcer.ThisconflictofinterestmeansthePLCBcannotdedicateitsfullenergiestoenforcinglawsthatprotectcitizensfromunderagedrinking,bingedrinkingandotherformsofalcoholabuse.
marcelluS Shale impact Fee/taxShould the natural gas industry pay higher taxes or fees?Inconsideringthisquestion,weencouragepolicymakerstoapplythefollowingfiveprinciplestotheirdecision-makingprocess:
1. Businesses should pay the cost for the amount of government they use.Ifabusinessisnotpayingforitsnegativeimpacts ontheenvironmentand/orinfrastructure,itisappropriatetochargeafee/taxtopayforthegovernment’scosttoremediatethe problem.Sincedrilling’simpactongovernmentdoesnotincreaseifagaswellismoreprofitable,a“fee”shouldnotbetied toproduction. 2. Any fee/tax should be directly related to uncompensated costs of government.Anewfee/taxshouldnotbeimposedto extractadditionalrevenueforunrelatedgovernmentpurposesorsubsidies.Forexample,GrowingGreenerisnotdirectly relatedtoremediatingproblemscausedbythenaturalgasindustry.Theprogramsubsidizesawiderangeofprojectsfrom alternativeenergytodowntownredevelopment. 3. Any fee/tax rate should be established in the context of what businesses are already paying in taxes, fees, and contri- butions to local communities and the state, setting thefee/taxrateata level toonlycover thoseuncompensatedcosts ofgovernment. 4. Any fee/tax should be imposed at the county or municipal level, not at the state level.Thisensuresfee/taxcompetition betweenlocalgovernments,discouragesexcessivefeeortaxrates,andreducesthethreatofcross-subsidizationandredistri- butionofadditionalfee/taxrevenuestounrelatedgovernmentpurposes. 5. Beforeimposinganewfee/tax,electedofficialsshouldconsiderifcurrentlocaltaxesandfeesshouldberevisedto cover any uncompensated costs of government.Forexample,woulditbeappropriatetoadjustlocalhotelandemergency servicestaxestobetteraddresstheinfluxoflargenumbersofworkersintosparselypopulatedareasofPennsylvania?Or,are thereotherfee/taxmechanismsthatcanbemoredirectlytiedtoanyuncompensatedcostsofgovernment?
Is the natural gas industry avoiding taxes?No.There’snotaxloopholefordrillers.Theindustrypaysthesametaxesaseveryotherbusinessinthestate,includingthesecondhighestcorporatetaxrateinthenation.Theindustryhaspaidmorethan$1.2billioninstatetaxessince2006.
Are drilling companies paying their “fair share”?Thegasindustryshouldpayfortheirenvironmentalandinfrastructureimpactsorgovernmentservicesused.Directfeesforservices,roadmaintenanceagreements,andinsurancerequirementsforenvironmentalcostsareproperwaysofdealingwithdrilling’simpacts.
Actualimpactsshouldbemeasuredagainstwhattheindustryisalreadypayingintaxesandfees.Inadditiontotaxesandfees,gascompaniesput$200millionintoimprovinglocalroadslastyear.Drillingcompaniesareprovidingtransportationfundingfarabovewhatdrillingcommunitiesreceivefromthestate.Andstateoversightfordrillingisentirelyfundedthroughnaturalgaspermits.Drill-erspaymillionsinpermittingfeestocoverthecostofinspectioneachyear.Inaddition,thestateisexpectedtoreceive$60millioninroyaltiesfromdrillingonstate-ownedlandsnextyear.
Theindustryhaspaidoutanestimated$7billioninleaseandroyaltypaymentstoresidentssince2006.Butthat’snottheonlywaycountiesbenefiteconomically:Localgovernmentsarereceivingincreasedrevenuesfromlocaltaxesandprocessingfees.Forexample,in2010,BradfordCountyreceivedanestimated$1millionfromthedrillingindustrythroughminorrevenuestreamslikerecordingandcopyingfees.
Doesn’t every other state have a natural gas tax?That’sonlypartof thestory.Stateswithnaturalgas taxeshavefriendlierbusinessclimates—forinstance,TexasandWyominghaveneitherincomenorcorporatetaxes.Pennsylvaniaalreadyhasthe10thhighesttaxburdeninthenation.Moststateswithsimilarlydifficult-to-drillnaturalgas,likeArkansasandLouisiana,havereducedordelayedtheirseverancetaxestoallowdrillingcompaniestorecouptheirup-frontcosts.Pennsylvaniaiscurrentlyoneofthemostexpensivestatesinwhichtodrill;itcost25percentmoretodrillawellinPennsylvaniathanTexas,acostof$1millioninadditionalcosts.
The drilling companies won’t leave because the gas is here, right?Whilethedrillingindustrywon’tdisappearifaseverancetaxisenacted,therewillbeanimpact—it’sthroughreducedinvestmentinthestate,lowerwages,reductioninjobgrowthorareductioninspendingonthingslikeroadimprovements.AseverancetaxwouldhurtPennsylvanialandowners,becauseatypicalleasesplitsseverancetaxobligationsbetweendrillingcompaniesandlandowners.
Does Marcellus Shale exploration harm the environment?No.Pennsylvanialawsensuredrillingcompanies,andnottaxpayers, areheldresponsibleforenvironmentalandinfrastructuredamages.Forexample,whenEOGResourceshadanaccidentinClearfieldCounty,thecompanypaideighttimesinfinesthecostoftheinvestigationandcleanup.
tranSportation FundinGDoes Pennsylvania need more money for transportation?Pennsylvaniaroutinelyfinishesamongtheworststatesinrankingsofroadconditions,andamongthehighestinthenumberofstructurallydeficientbridges.YetPennsylvaniaalsorankshighamongstatesintermsofspendingonroadsandbridges(2ndhighestintotalinvestmentin2009),bothintermsofspendingpercapita(9thhighest)andspendingperhighwaymile(7thhighest).
Morefundingfortransportation—meaninghighertaxesorfeesonresidentsandmotorists—shouldonlyoccurwithsignificantre-formstotransportationfunding.Itiscriticaltoensurethateverysingletaxpayerdollariswell-spentbeforeaskingtaxpayerstopartwithmoreoftheirhard-earneddollars.
In2006,Gov.Rendell’sPennsylvaniaTransportationFundingandReformCommissionwrote:“TheCommissionconcludesthatnoadditionalfundingshouldbeprovidedforhighways,bridgesandtransitunlessaseriesofparallelactionsaretakentoreformfundingstructureandanumberoftransportationbusinesspractices.”Yetlittletonoreformhasoccurredtodate.
How is drilling impacting the economy?DozensofdrillingcompaniesareinvestinginPennsylvaniaandboostingtheeconomybycreatinghigh-paying,permanentjobsforlocals.CommunitieswithMarcellusShaledevelopmenthaveseenincreasesinsalestaxcollections,jobgrowthandincreasedpropertyvalues.In2009alone,PennStateeconomistsestimateMarcellusactivityspurredmorethan24,000newjobsinPennsylvania.
Howdoresidentsintherestofthestatebenefit?Pennsylvaniaconsumershavebenefitedfroma70percentreductioninnatural-gaspricessince2008,inlargepartduetothedramaticgrowthinshalegas.Lastyear,MarcellusgasproductionsavedPennsylvaniansanestimated$633millioninutilitycosts,orabout$200foreveryfamilyoffour.Thesesavingshavebeenespeciallybeneficialforlow-incomefamilies,whospendalmostaquarteroftheirafter-taxincomeonenergy.Anattackonaffordableenergyisanattackonlow-incomefamilies’abilitytoheattheirhomes,runhotwater,andcookfood.
Est. Cost of Power for Electricity Generation by Source (per kWh)$0.70
$0.60
$0.50
$0.40
$0.30
$0.20
$0.10
$0.00Solar PV Wind Waste Coal Natural Gas
Source: Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, “The 2010 AEPS Annual Report”
How can the state prioritize spending?Hundredsofmillionsoftaxdollarsarespenteachyearonlesspressingprioritiessuchasbiketrails,beautificationefforts,corporatewelfare,hockeyarenas,conventioncenters,filmproductions,lobbyists,newroadsnamedforpoliticians,orflexingofhighwaymoneytomasstransit.
Moreover,transportationfundingmustbeconsideredinlightofallstatespendingpriorities.Itisinconsistenttosuggesttaxpayersmustpaymoreforbridgeandroadconstructionwhenthecommonwealthcanspend$200millioneachyearonRedevelopmentAssis-tanceCapitalProgramprojectsfromsportsstadiumstonewcorporateheadquarterstotheArlenSpecterLibrary.FundingforagenciesliketheCommonwealthFinancingAuthorityshouldberedirectedtofinanceinfrastructurewhichbenefitsallPennsylvaniansinsteadoffinancingcorporatewelfare.Transportationinfrastructureisalegitimatefunctionofgovernment,andshouldbeprioritizedassuch.
Can private-sector funding and innovation be used?Legislation toenable theuseofpublic-privatepartnerships (P3s)onnewconstructionseemstohavebeenahighpriorityforyears,buthasyettobeenacted.P3saretheemergingparadigmintransportationfunding.ImmediatelyimplementingP3sonnewconstructionofexpresslanes,highoccupancylanes,highways,andbridgescouldreducecoststotaxpayersandcommuters.
How can we improve roads and bridges without spending more money? Prevailingwagelawsdriveupthecostofroadconstruc-tion,makinggovernmentconstructioncontractsmoreexpensivebyforcingcontractorstopayhigherwagesthanthosepaidbytheprivatesectorforthesamejob.State-mandatedwagesforgovernmentprojectsare40percenthigher,onaverage,thanprivatesectorpayforthesamework.
Ten states have repealed prevailingwagemandates since 1980 tomaximize their transportation dollars. Forcing state and local governmentstooverspendonlaborcostsjusttoenforceamandateoriginallycreatedtopreventAfrican-Americanworkersfromthesouthfromtakingconstructionjobsdefiescommonsense.Tostretcheachtaxdollarfurther,wemustbeginwithredefiningprevailingwagerules.
If more funding is still needed, where should it come from?Totheextentpossible,additionaltransportationfundingshouldcomedirectlyfromtheuserswhobenefit.Thismayincludeadditionaltollroadsortolllanes,solongastollsflowsolelyintoimprovingtheroadbeingused,ratherthanbeingredirectedelsewhere.Tollingexistingfreewaysshouldnotbepursuedsimplytoredirectfueltaxes—thisincreasescross-subsidizationandwouldimposenewcostsondriverswhowouldnotbenefitfrominfrastructureimprove-ments.Likewise,ridersshouldbeartheprimaryburdenforfinancingthecostofmasstransit.
Pennsylvania State Transportation Budget(thousands of dollars)
$8,000,000
$7,000,000
$6,000,000
$5,000,000
$4,000,000
$3,000,000
$2,000,000
$1,000,000
$01995-
962003-
041997-
982005-
061999-
002007-
082001-
022009-
101996-
972004-
051998-
992006-
072000-
012008-
092002-
032010-
112011-
12
charter School reFormShould Pennsylvania make changes to its public charter school laws? Charterschoolsareself-managedpublicschoolsthatreceiveachartertooperatebylocalschooldistricts.Cybercharterschoolsarefull-timeonlineinstitutionsdirectlyapprovedbythePennsyl-vaniaDepartmentofEducation.
Schooldistrictscurrentlyauthorizecharterschools,whilesimultaneouslycompetingwithcharterschoolsforstudents.Thisisakin tohavingMcDonald’sapprove theopeningofanewWendy’snextdoor.Allowingalternativeauthorizers, including thestate (as isdoneforcybercharterschools)oruniversities,asmanyotherstatesdo,wouldincreasetheopportunitiesfornewandinnovativecharterschools.
Do parents want charter schools?SincecharterschoolswereestablishedinPennsylvaniain1997,theirenrollmentshaveskyrock-eted,demonstratingtheirpopularityamongfamilies.Parentsvaluetheabilitytochoosewheretoeducatetheirchildren.Today,thereare145charterschoolsserving91,000students.Theyinclude12cybercharterschoolswithalmost28,000students,andofferparentsanalternativetotheirlocaltraditionalpublicschools.
How are charter schools funded?Fundingforcharterschoolsfollowsstudentswholeaveaparticularschooldistrictandenrollinalocalcharterschool.Chartersreceiveaportionoftheper-studentspendingofthedistrictoforigin,whileschooldistrictsretaintherest.Onaverage,charterschoolsreceiveandspendonlyabout83percentofwhatschooldistrictsspendforeachstudent.Intotal,charterschoolsreceived$945millionin2009-10,about3.7percentoftotalpubliceducationspendinginthecommonwealth.
PA Charter School Enrollment
80,000
90,000
100,000
70,000
60,000
50,000
40,000
30,000
20,000
10,000
$01997-98 2001-02 2005-061998-99 2002-03 2006-071999-00 2003-04 2007-08 2009-102000-01 2004-05 2008-09
Source: Pennsylvania Department of Education, “Public School Enrollment Reports,”http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/enrollment/7407/public_enrollment_reports/620541.
2010-11
9825,563
11,413
18,981
28,45332,862
41,114
48,212
55,63059,976
67,275
73,054
79,167
90,616
Do charter schools drain public schools of desperately needed funding? Charterschoolsreceiveonlyafractionoftheper-studentfundingallocatedtopublicschools—3.7percentoftotalpublicschoolspending.Theportionthatpublicschoolsretain—forchildrentheynolongerhavetoeducate—effectivelyraisestheamounttheycandevotetoeachstudent,orcanbeusedtolowerlocalpropertytaxes.Forexample,thePhiladelphiaSchoolDistrictspent$13,272perstudentin2009-10.Thedistricthadtopay$8,184foreverynon-specialneedscharterschoolstudent,retaining$5,089foreverychilditwasnolongerresponsibleforeducating.
Eveniftwo-thirdsofstudentsleftforcharterschools,thedistrictwouldretain60percentoffundingtoserveone-thirdthenumberofchildren—drivingspendingperstudentto$22,200perstudentforthosewhoremaininthedistrict.
Are charter schools accountable? Charterschoolsareevaluatedbythesamestandardsasdistrictschools.Butunliketraditionalpublicschools,failingcharterschoolsrisklosingtheircharterandbeingshutdown.Publicschoolsshouldfacethesameaccountabil-itymeasurescharterschoolsdo—withaperformancecontractthatisregularlyreviewed,whichisusuallyeveryfiveyears.Moreover,chartersfacethehighestaccountabilitystandard—parentalchoice.Nocharterschoolgetsanyfundingunlessparentschooseitfortheirchild.
Total Public School Spending, 2009-10
School Districts
Charter Schools
Pennsylvania Department of Education,“2009-2010 Expenditure Data for AllLEAs,”http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/ community/summaries_of_annual_financial_ report_data/7673/afr_excel_data_files/509047
noteS
Matthew Brouillette, President and CEOEmail:[email protected]
Richard Dreyfuss, Senior Fellow for Pension & Health Care PolicyEmail:[email protected]
NathanBenefield,Director of Policy AnalysisEmail:[email protected]:Budget,Taxes,Education,Unions&CollectiveBargaining,Welfare
Hon. Robert O’Donnell, Senior Fellow for Education PolicyEmail:[email protected]
Priya Abraham, Senior Policy AnalystEmail:[email protected]:Unions&CollectiveBargaining,Charter&CyberSchools,EducationFunding
Hon. Jeff Coleman, Senior FellowEmail:[email protected]
Katrina Currie, Policy AnalystEmail:[email protected]:NaturalGas&Energy,LiquorStoresandPrivatization
Dawn Meling, Deputy Director of Public Affairs, Community LiaisonEmail:[email protected]
Elizabeth Stelle, Policy AnalystEmail:[email protected]:WelfareandMedicaid,NaturalGas&Energy,Privatization,Taxes
Jay Ostrich, Director of Public AffairsEmail:[email protected]
Pearre Deane, Deputy Director of Public Affairs, Legislative LiaisonEmail:[email protected]
coMMonwealth Foundation legiSlative contactS