New college may be in Pa.'s future

Funding for community college must come from three sources.
HARRISBURG (AP) -- Vocational school director Kevin O'Donnell sees central Pennsylvania's Juniata River Valley as a no-man's land when it comes to community college access.
O'Donnell's office at the Mifflin-Juniata Career and Technical Center in Lewistown, the Mifflin County seat, is 65 miles from Harrisburg Area Community College -- a commute of an hour or more. The next-closest, Pennsylvania Highlands Community College in Johnstown, is more than 100 miles away.
"Geographically, I certainly feel we're excluded," O'Donnell said. "I don't think our residents and the kids who graduate from the school I run are in a position to further themselves. They're trapped, and there's a real need for affordable education."
O'Donnell is among a local group of education, business and community leaders who are thinking about doing something that has not been done in Pennsylvania for a decade -- opening a new community college. But the financial realities may be overwhelming.
State law requires funding for community college to come from three sources: state aid, tuition, and a property-tax contribution from a local sponsor -- either a county, a school district or any combination of the two.
Obstacle
Diane Bosak, executive director of the Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges, believes the local-sponsorship requirement poses the greatest obstacle to expanding the number of community colleges.
"It's a significant commitment by a sponsor, with a lot of unpredictability, because you just don't know how much a college is going to grow," she said.
Counties and school districts already face pressure to hold the line on property taxes in tight economic times.
Last year, more than half of Pennsylvania's 67 counties had to raise taxes to keep pace with operating expenses, said Doug Hill, executive director of the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania.
The Juniata Valley study is being spearheaded by the Tuscarora Intermediate Unit, a regional education agency, with the help of an $80,000 state grant. The study is to be completed in June.
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