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:matt@cfpolicy.org

Richard Dreyfuss, Senior Fellow for Pension & Health Care PolicyEmail:rick@cfpolicy.org

NathanBenefield,Director of Policy AnalysisEmail:nate@cfpolicy.orgPrimaryIssues:Budget,Taxes,Education,Unions&CollectiveBargaining,Welfare

Hon. Robert O’Donnell, Senior Fellow for Education PolicyEmail:bob@cfpolicy.org

Priya Abraham, Senior Policy AnalystEmail:priya@cfpolicy.orgPrimaryIssues:Unions&CollectiveBargaining,Charter&CyberSchools,EducationFunding

Hon. Jeff Coleman, Senior FellowEmail:jeff@cfpolicy.org

Katrina Currie, Policy AnalystEmail:katrina@cfpolicy.orgPrimaryIssues:NaturalGas&Energy,LiquorStoresandPrivatization

Dawn Meling, Deputy Director of Public Affairs, Community LiaisonEmail:dawn@cfpolicy.org

Elizabeth Stelle, Policy AnalystEmail:liz@cfpolicy.orgPrimaryIssues:WelfareandMedicaid,NaturalGas&Energy,Privatization,Taxes

Jay Ostrich, Director of Public AffairsEmail:jay@cfpolicy.org

Pearre Deane, Deputy Director of Public Affairs, Legislative LiaisonEmail:pearre@cfpolicy.org

coMMonwealth Foundation legiSlative contactS