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Plain-language guides to the structures, offices, and processes that shape decisions in Greater Pittsburgh: from your school board to Congress.
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- EducationWho Decides If Pennsylvania Joins the Federal Scholarship Credit, and When?
The Governor or the legislature can opt Pennsylvania into a new federal tax credit for scholarship gifts, and the deadline for doing so is January 1, 2027.
Oct 30, 2026 · 3 min - EducationIf Pennsylvania Joins, a Couple Could Send $3,400 of Their Federal Taxes to Scholarships
Pennsylvania's scholarship tax credit reaches givers through businesses, and a draft federal rule may shut that route out of the new federal credit.
Oct 29, 2026 · 4 min - EducationCould Your Child Get a Scholarship? How Pennsylvania's Tax-Credit Scholarships Work
How Pennsylvania's tax-credit scholarships help families pay private-school tuition, and what a federal program the state hasn't joined would change.
Oct 29, 2026 · 4 min - LegislativeHow Pennsylvania Amends Its Constitution: A Simple Majority, Twice, With an Election in Between
The bar is lower than most people think, but it has to be cleared in two successive legislative sessions.
Oct 12, 2026 · 3 min - LegislativeThe One-Vote House: How a Pennsylvania Amendment Died Without Anyone Voting It Down
SB 106 to amend the PA Constitution passed both chambers in 2022, then expired because the legislature flipped by one-seat, and the majority never scheduled its second vote.
Oct 7, 2026 · 4 min - School BoardsWho Actually Runs Your School Board? What It Controls and What It Doesn't
School boards in Pennsylvania are elected in low-turnout, odd-year elections, yet they hire the superintendent, set curriculum, and set your property tax rate. Below presents exactly what a school board controls, what's actually decided in Harrisburg, and three regional exceptions worth knowing before you vote.
Sep 15, 2026 · 7 min - School BoardsQuestions to Ask Any Local Candidate Before You Vote
Good questions to pose to local candidates may be about whether they understand the job. This piece gives six questions that work at almost any local candidate forum, genericized from a school board race, with one exception flagged for races where it doesn't apply.
Sep 15, 2026 · 2 min - School BoardsFour Public-Accountability Tools You Already Own
Pennsylvania's Sunshine Act and Right-to-Know Law give residents real access to any local public body's agendas, meetings, and records with no attorney or lawsuit required. Here is an overview of the four tools every Pennsylvanian already has, using school boards as an example.
Sep 15, 2026 · 2 min
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