Pennsylvania’s Prevailing Wage Law was enacted in 1961, mandating that state and local governments pay construction contractors wages that “prevail” in each region on projects costing $25,000 or more. This anachronistic mandate limits the number of construction jobs in the state and unnecessarily increases costs for state government, local governments, and school districts.

Since Gov. Corbett's budget proposal, those who profit from Pennsylvania's $26 billion a year public school system have been gnashing teeth over what they claim is an "underfunding" of the public schools. This misinformation campaign builds on the faulty premises that education spending in Pennsylvania has been cut to the bone and more money will improve student learning. Unfortunately, this narrative distorts reality and omits key facts. As the late Paul Harvey would say, it is time you know th