MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTORAs the close of the state’s fiscal year draws closer, we are releasing analyses of different proposals from legislators and the governor’s office. Take a look below at our analysis of the governor’s education funding proposal. Thank you for supporting our work, Stephen Herzenberg Analysis of Governor Wolf’s 2022-23 Education Budget ProposalReport | Diana Polson and Marc Stier | 5/31/22
Pennsylvania’s education system consists of 500 school districts and 2,900 schools and early childhood centers. Governor Wolf has made education a focus of his administration, making strong investments in pre-K and K-12. While in many cases these investments have been significant, they have not been enough to solve the underfunding and great inequities our education system faces. Governor Wolf proposes a bold education budget in the 2022-23 Executive Budget.
IN THE NEWSHow the pandemic, progressives, and property assessments are fueling a debate over Philly’s taxesThe Philadelphia Inquirer | 6/6/22
“But progressives are now challenging that assumption. Marc Stier, director of the left-leaning Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center, in April published an analysis in the Philadelphia Citizen showing that the city’s overall tax burden is in the middle of the pack when compared with peer cities.At $4,302 per person, Philadelphia’s annual tax burden ranked 13th out of the 30 largest U.S. cities, Stier found. Past analyses showing Philly with extraordinarily high tax collections, he wrote, failed to take into account Philadelphia’s status as both a city and county.” The Secretary of Labor and Industry visits a small business in York to advocate for legislative action to increase Pennsylvania’s minimum wageThe York Daily News | 5/31/22
“During a visit with state Rep. Carol Hill-Evans to the York City Pretzel Company, a business that supports Governor Wolf’s proposal to raise Pennsylvania’s minimum wage to $12 an hour with a pathway to $15 by 2028, Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) Secretary Jennifer Berrier today called for long overdue action by the General Assembly to raise the commonwealth’s abysmal minimum wage.” |