RethinkErie

Erie school, county, business leaders hear community college update

Erie school, county, business leaders hear community college update
School district mulls sponsorship

By VALERIE MYERS
valerie.myers@timesnews.com

No one has signed on the dotted line yet, but the Erie School District remains interested in co-sponsoring a community college.

School officials met Friday with Erie County Executive Barry Grossman and Rethink Erie leaders to find out what the district's cost might be if it signs on to co-sponsor and help pay for a community college.

It will get the answer, along with a projected return on its investment, when Rethink Erie -- a partnership of business, economic development, government and philanthropic interests looking at community college needs -- completes its community college business plan and economic-impact study in spring.

Then the district and other Erie County school districts will consider joining Erie County as co-sponsors.

"We're not looking to add more financial tumors to the community," Erie schools Superintendent Jim Barker said. "But if we work together and do this right, I think that the cost to sponsors, especially if there are a number of sponsors, will be little or nothing."

A percentage of gambling revenues from casino table games at Presque Isle Downs & Casino has been earmarked by the Legislature for the proposed community college and is expected to raise at least $1.5 million annually.

Private grants, foundation funding and other revenues additionally could help pay community college costs, Rethink Erie project coordinator Judy Miller said.

Cost is the only real hurdle to whether the proposed community college will become reality, Barker said. "The need for a community college is very clear."

The community college would serve students who cannot afford tuition to traditional four-year colleges. It would also provide job training required by local industries, said Erie Regional Chamber and Growth Partnership President Jim Dible.

"There are jobs that go unfilled in Erie County because employers are not able to find the skilled work force that they need," Dible said.

The Erie Regional Chamber and Growth Partnership launched Rethink Erie after determining that community colleges in other areas helped increase education levels, lower poverty rates and raise per capita income.

Grossman welcomed the School District's interest in co-sponsoring the community college and called not having one in the county a "disgrace."

"People think that we're doing something innovative, when really we're just trying to catch up with what everyone else has been doing for years," Grossman said. "If we put up a map of the U.S. showing all of the community colleges, northwestern Pennsylvania would look like the Mojave Desert. And it's a disgrace. It's an absolute disgrace."

Erie School Director Gary Horton called the community college "an idea whose time has come," but said that neither the county nor school district can take on the entire financial responsibility.

"Together, and together with other school districts, it is something we can do," Horton said. "I believe that we have both the political will and the financial ability to do this."

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