Welcome to Common Sense Weekly! This is the Commonwealth Foundation's weekly news roundup of policy issues being debated in Harrisburg and across Pennsylvania.
We have a new X handle! Follow @MyCommonwealth for the latest news and analysis.
Josh Shapiro Keeps Betraying Poor Pennsylvania Children
Immanuel Christian School is in dire straits, but not for lack of students who want to go there. Demand is high for the K-12 school’s limited number of seats, reflecting the sorry state of nearby public schools. Yet in this predominantly low-income and nonwhite eastern Pennsylvania community, many families struggle to afford tuition, and the school nearly shut down permanently in December.
Not long ago, Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro promised to pass a scholarship program to help students in struggling communities afford schools like Immanuel. Now the governor seems willing to abandon these students and this school to run for president.
Josh Shapiro’s Taxpayer-Funded Self-Promotional Horror Show
National Democrats are embarrassing themselves on social media.
Look no further than the awkward lip-syncing and “Mortal Kombat” spoofs from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and her fellow liberals in Congress over the past few weeks. It’s not just them. One of the Democratic governors most touted as a possible presidential contender in 2028, Pennsylvania’s Josh Shapiro, is doing the same cringey thing. Yet, unlike Democrats in Congress, Mr. Shapiro is building a social media empire to promote himself on the taxpayer dime.
Report: Pennsylvania Energy Affordability Lagging Behind Other States
Even as a natural gas haven, Pennsylvania ranks only 32nd in energy affordability in the Energy Affordability 2025 report from the American Legislative Exchange Council. ALEC says existing policies, such as a renewable portfolio standard and net metering, that are meant to wean the state off fossil fuels have made affordability worse.
Pennsylvania is one of the nation’s top power exporters and natural gas producers and the complex debate among policymakers to move the industry forward is fraught.
The acceleration of fossil fuel plant retirements, coupled with long construction timelines for cleaner alternatives, means Pennsylvania needs to find a way to bridge the gap amid a projected 20% rise in energy demand over the next four years.
Rural Pennsylvanians Deserve School Choice, Too
Education reform fixates on Pennsylvania’s urban centers (i.e., Philadelphia and Pittsburgh). Yet, the state’s troubled education system isn’t only a big-city problem; rural families also struggle to find the right schools.
Rural Pennsylvania faces unique challenges that limit families’ access to great schools. Lower population density, transportation challenges, and fewer schools narrow their educational options. For many Pennsylvanian families, charter schools and cyber charter schools are the only tuition-free alternatives. Yet, these schools face persistent threats from Harrisburg.
And the Winner Is...
In a landslide victory, "He's a Barbie Guy" won Shapiro's Self-Promotion Madness. Thank you to everyone who voted during the competition. You can view the winning video here.
During the course of the voting, we got to see a lot of cringeworthy videos put out by Shapiro's nine-person, million-dollar, taxpayer-funded digital strategy team. This team doesn't exist to serve the taxpayers. It exists to serve Shapiro's political ambitions, and it's just one example of Shapiro's wasteful spending on himself. Stay tuned as we expose more examples of his irresponsible spending.
Shapiro's Self-Promotion Madness, Illustrated
