Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) today awarded more than $56 million to help fund short-term and long-term debt service projects, capital leases, and cash capital projects that will enable 13 Pennsylvania community colleges to improve campus life for their learners, building on PDE’s work to support higher education across the Commonwealth.
“Pennsylvania’s community colleges offer affordable pathways for learners to pursue higher education, earn credentials, and enter the workforce on their own terms,” said Secretary of Education Dr. Carrie Rowe. "This funding ensures that our Commonwealth’s community college campuses are safe, welcoming, and state-of-the-art, creating flexible and innovative 21st Century learning environments for all students.”
Today’s funding will support community colleges across the Commonwealth invest in new facilities to serve emerging or current growth populations and/or to meet high priority workforce facility needs; major repairs and critical deferred maintenance; renovations to and replacement of existing aging facilities, which no longer meet programmatic demands; and ADA compliance projects based on a formal action plan, code compliance and life safety repairs.
The awardees are as follows:
- Bucks County Community College: $12.5 million for deferred maintenance needs
- Butler County Community College: $1.2 million for HVAC and electrical upgrades
- Community College of Allegheny County: $2.9 million for Biology Lab renovations on the Boyce Campus; $3 million for roof renovations on the Boyce Campus
- Community College of Beaver County: $225,000 for a parking lot project; $1.4 million for HVAC replacement
- Community College of Philadelphia: $10 million for mechanical, electrical, and plumbing infrastructure upgrades
- Erie County Community College: $188,500 for a West Campus roofing project; $60,000 for an electrical and lighting project on the Erie County Technical School campus
- Harrisburg Area Community College: $5.8 million for deferred Guaranteed Energy Savings Act (GESA) maintenance; $620,000 for roof restoration
- Lehigh Carbon Community College: $450,000 for renovations to Berrier Hall; $1.5 million for campus-wide HVAC renovations
- Luzerne County Community College: $1.6 million for a multi-roof project on Main Campus; $521,000 for facade replacement on original buildings
- Montgomery County Community College: $3.6 million for deferred maintenance needs
- Northampton Community College: $5 million for renovations to the Learning Commons; $600,000 for the expansion of Luthier Lab
- Reading Area Community College: $2.1 million for expansion of the Student Union Center; $1.5 million for HVAC upgrades
- Westmoreland County Community College: $750,000 for HVAC replacement in the Advanced Technology Center; $1 million for deferred maintenance needs
Community colleges are responsive to the educational needs of their local communities, providing a wide range of two-year associate degree and certificate programs in occupational and technical areas and enabling students in the arts, sciences, and other professions to easily transfer to four-year institutions. Community colleges are at the forefront of developmental education, offering dual enrollment opportunities for high school students, workforce development, and public safety training. Within their regional service areas, these institutions have expanded educational opportunities for individuals from all walks of life and contribute significantly to the economic, social, and cultural development of their region.
Governor Shapiro has championed strategic investments that uplift all Pennsylvanians and break down barriers to opportunity – helping Pennsylvanians of all ages and backgrounds to chart their own course and succeed. Under the Governor's leadership, Pennsylvania has increased funding for public education by almost $3 billion in just three years, and in nearly all facets of public education. This includes nearly $2 billion more for Basic Education Funding and the Ready to Learn Block Grant, $190 million more for Special Education, $65 million more for Career and Technical Education, and $52 million more for higher education.
Gov. Shapiro’s proposed 2026-27 budget includes $54 million to improve facilities and equipment at Pennsylvania’s community colleges. Over the past three years, the Shapiro Administration has awarded more than $111 million to fund 44 projects on community college campuses across the Commonwealth.