RIDGWAY – Like the Grinch, the North Central Pennsylvania
Regional Planning and Development Commission’s executive board
stole Christmas away from students at ITEC by deciding to close the
doors at the technical school during its final meeting of the
year.
Following a lengthy executive session, a surprise motion was
made by Bill Bogart: “Given the results of our year-long
investigation into the feasibility of maintaining ITEC in its
current capacity, I would recommend that the board give notice of
its intent to close ITEC to the Board of Education as required and
thereafter immediately pursue the sale of ITEC, preferably to an
existing education/training facility that will hopefully continue
its operation to the benefit of all communities involved.”
The vote was 10 to 2 to close the school and try to sell it,
with Elk County Commissioner Christine Gavazzi and Cameron County
Commissioner Tony Moscato opposing the motion.
ITEC is a tuition-based education facility with headquarters in
Ridgway. It is fully licensed through the Pennsylvania Department
of Education’s Division of Private Licensed Schools, accredited
through the ACCSC and degree-granting through the Department of
Education’s Division of Program Services. It has also been approved
under Title IV Funding from the U.S. Department of Education.
Three ITEC programs offer an associate in specialized technology
degree.
The board has been debating the issue of what to do with ITEC
for the better part of a year and the financial condition has
continued to deteriorate since then. The building is worth an
approximate $3 million. The school has been operating in the red
for quite a while.
“We want to do the right thing for the students’ welfare. We
want to make it as easy as we can,” ITEC Director Jim Nelson
said.
Gavazzi had no comment on her vote, except that she will support
the board’s decision. Moscato explained his reasoning following the
meeting.
“I guess my first thought was I felt that other ways needed to
be investigated as opposed to going to the final solution of
closing the facility,” Moscato said. “I offered a few of my
solutions in executive session that were apparently not taken.”
For his part, North Central Executive Director Eric Bridges said
in a prepared statement that “In my mind the board’s decision,
although not easy, was the right one to make. There were many
factors involved and the board considered them all. Their decision
to seek out and turn the day-to-day operations of ITEC over to an
entity with appropriate higher education acumen is in the best
interest of our students, our industry and public sector partners
and North Central.”
McKean County Commissioner John Egbert said following the
meeting that ITEC will be closed within 30 days of notification of
the Department of Education.
The department will be notified within the next couple of days,
so the school will be closed by the end of January, unless it’s
sold first.
The school began in 1986 and was called the Six County Regional
Skill Center and had only one machinist program. In 1989, powdered
metal was in demand with die setting. In 1997, the school submitted
for accreditation and became ITEC. They moved into the current
building in 1998 and since then have added welding and electronics
programs. An LPN program was also recently added.
“ITEC has educated and trained thousands of individuals through
its short and long programs to the support and assistance of the
manufacturing industry throughout the North Central region,”
Bridges said. “Our intent is to do everything we can to ensure that
service continues.
“The decision to make the sale now is timely in that it will
give the new buyer an opportunity to continue the operation in as
seamless a manner as possible in advance of the upcoming fall
semester.”
