Welcome to Common Sense Weekly! This is the Commonwealth Foundation's weekly news roundup of policy issues being debated in Harrisburg and across Pennsylvania.
Election highlights Pa. role as battleground state
Andrew Lewis, Commonwealth Foundation President and CEO, stated that the voters’ desire for change shaped Pennsylvania’s position in the 2024 election.
“Pennsylvania has cemented its role as the nation’s most consequential battleground state,” said Lewis. “Voters sent a clear and strong message that it’s time to get the country and commonwealth back on the right path by reining in out-of-control inflation, making energy more affordable, and restoring economic stability.
“Of note, President Trump made significant inroads with Black and Hispanic voters with his message of economic opportunity and support for universal school choice. This election result should encourage elected officials to listen to the concerns of their constituents and embrace these popular policies.”
Democrats hold onto slim state House majority
Pennsylvania Democrats will return to the state House in January with a one-seat majority intact.
This, after incumbent Rep. Frank Burns staved off Republican challenger Amy Bradley in the state’s 72nd district, nestled in deep red Cambria County. It’s the very same county that extended voting hours Tuesday after a ballot printing issue derailed counting.
Fracking Is Key in the Keystone State — in 2024 and Beyond
Fracking was front and center in this year’s election, especially in the energy-producing swing state of Pennsylvania. But it is more than a wedge political issue unique to the Keystone State.
Indeed, it’s a critical component of American energy that has multiplier effects on our economy, grid reliability, and national sovereignty. Fracking is also inextricably linked to the cost-of-living concerns that drove voters to the ballot box, and, in an age obsessed with “carbon footprints,” fracking has done more to help reduce emissions than have electric vehicles, solar panels, and wind turbines combined.
Here's how Trump's 2nd term could impact Pennsylvanians
Andre Beliveau, senior manager for energy policy at the pro-fracking Commonwealth Foundation, said he expects Trump to make good on that promise.
Beliveau said Trump likely will pursue a regulatory environment that will make it easier to drill and build pipelines to transfer natural gas.
Trump also has vowed to lift a temporary freeze aimed at pending applications to export liquid natural gas to countries that lack a free trade agreement with the U.S. The freeze began in January, and the Biden administration has said it expected the pause to end in March 2025.
Charter Schools Continue to See Enrollment Increases Post-Pandemic
Enrollment at charter schools increased by 83,000 students last year, making them the only type of public school to experience consistent growth since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Five-year trend data beginning in the 2020-21 school year shows traditional district public schools lost roughly 1.75 million students, while enrollment in charters grew by nearly 400,000 students.
The figures, included in a new report from the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, come as America’s K-12 system struggles to forge a comeback in the wake of the pandemic, beset by slow academic recovery, rising rates of absenteeism and perhaps the stickiest wicket of all, enrollment declines.
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