Allegheny Intermediate Unit

The Allegheny Intermediate Unit (AIU) is a branch of the Pennsylvania Department of Education, and is the largest of the 29 intermediate units in Pennsylvania. It was created by the state’s General Assembly in 1971, and is headquartered in Homestead.

Address
475 East Waterfront Drive

Homestead
,
Allegheny County
,
Pennsylvania
15120
Information
TypeIntermediate Unit
Established1971
InformationLocated at 402 sites throughout Allegheny County
Websitehttp://www.aiu3.net 412-394-5700

The AIU provides specialized education services to 42 suburban public school districts and five career and technical centers in Allegheny County. The agency, which has about 1,200 employees at 402 sites throughout the county, also operates 11 family centers and three schools for exceptional children. Funded by federal, state, county and private grants, the AIU coordinates more than 130 programs designed to help infants, young children, students and adults. In 2019, the programs offered by the AIU served 113,555 students in public schools. AIU also operates a high school for youth charged as adults within the Allegheny County Jail;[1] "An officer keeps watch over the students' movements, and in the classrooms, a red tape barrier separates them from the teacher's desk."[1]

Leadership and Governance
AIU Headquarters, Homestead, PA

The AIU's Board of Directors has 13 members, elected from Allegheny County's 42 suburban public school districts. Ms. Rosanne Javorsky has been the organization's interim executive director since 2018.

Public School Districts served

Career and Technology Centers Served
  • A.W. Beattie Career Center
  • Forbes Road Career & Technology Center
  • McKeesport Career & Technology Center
  • Parkway West Career & Technology Center
  • Steel Center Career Technical School

The Role of Intermediate Units

Pennsylvania’s intermediate units were created in 1971 in an effort to help school districts operate more efficiently and meet the specialized needs of their students. Since then, these education agencies have evolved into an important resource on which school districts rely.

School districts and intermediate units are separate legal entities. Intermediate units have no legal jurisdiction over school districts and do not control school districts. On the contrary, intermediate units exist to serve school districts and provide leadership which will improve local operations. Although intermediate units are an extension of the Pennsylvania Department of Education, they differ greatly from local school districts in several ways.

School Districts Intermediate Units
Gain revenue from local real estate taxes Have no taxing powers
Can own property for a variety of uses Can own property for office use only
Have one yearly budget which is adopted based on approval of its local board Have several budgets, all of which must be passed by its local board. IUs receive funding for individual programs and these funds cannot be co-mingled. In addition, IUs develop a yearly Program of Services Budget which requires approval from a majority of its member school districts
Serve students in a predetermined geographic area Serve a very diverse population of students who often reside beyond IU boundaries

References
  1. Herring, An-Li (September 5, 2019). "In Pittsburgh, Juvenile Offenders At The Local Jail Go Back To School, Too". NPR.

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