Blog

Third and State is a joint blog of the Keystone Research Center and Pennsylvania Budget & Policy Center, providing a progressive view of the state economy, budget, and other policy matters. For older blog posts, click here.

Despite a claim to the contrary, the Commonwealth Court’s decision precisely said Pennsylvania needs to provide additional resources to low-wealth school districts

Diana Polson | 10/11/2023

The Basic Education Funding Commission (BEFC), a bipartisan group made up of 12 legislators and three members of Governor Shapiro’s administration, is charged with reviewing the state’s distribution of funding

GUEST POST — Getting Unions Connected to Orphaned Well Clean Up: A Second Bite at the Apple

Ted Boettner | 08/22/2023

Last month, the Department of Interior (DOI) released its  application guidance for Phase 1 state formula grants for orphaned well...

ANALYSIS: Raising PA’s Minimum Wage Via HB1500 Would Benefit 1.34 Million Pennsylvanians

Claire Kovach | 06/28/2023

On June 20th, 2023, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed H.B.1500. This bill is now under consideration in the...

Despite Contractors’ Claims, Outsourcing School Food Programs Does Not Save School Districts Money

Diana Polson, Claire Kovach, Stephen Herzenberg | 06/23/2023

Meeting students’ basic food and nutrition requirements is an essential role of public schools and critical to student learning....

PA House Budget Makes Vital Upgrades to the 2023-24 Budget Proposal for Higher Education

Diana Polson and Stephen Herzenberg | 06/15/2023

In our analysis of Governor Shapiro’s first budget proposal, we highlighted the governor’s recognition that higher education in Pennsylvania...

When Low-Wage PA Border County Workers Want a Living Wage Job, What Do They Do? Cross Over Into New York or New Jersey.

Claire Kovach and Stephen Herzenberg | 06/15/2023

The US and Pennsylvania minimum wages are currently $7.25 per hour and have not been changed since 2009. Meanwhile,...

New PA Jobs Report Shows Another Month of a Strong PA Economy

Maisum Murtaza and Stephen Herzenberg | 05/19/2023

With the release of April job numbers for Pennsylvania by the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry this morning,...

Previous Next