Celebrating 50 Years of IU13!

“Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.”
-Theodore Roosevelt

People frequently ask, “What is an IU?,” or they think of an IU classroom they remember from their childhood. What most people are not aware of is that there are 29 intermediate units across Pennsylvania, each operating independently yet working collaboratively to meet the needs of all students and to ensure that all schools have the tools and resources to help students reach their fullest potential. Intermediate Units are entrepreneurial, highly skilled, technology-rich, and agile providers of cost-effective, instructional, and operational services to school districts, charter schools, and nonpublic/private schools.

As IU13 celebrated the 50th anniversary of the founding of intermediate units in 1971, we seized the opportunity to reflect on our long, proud history of supporting education in Pennsylvania. This was a great time to honor the foundation of IU13 and the culture of innovation that help us develop new solutions in support of education.

Please keep reading to learn more about the History of Intermediate Units (IUs), our purpose, who we serve, and how we are funded. Then, keep scrolling to read some fun milestones and highlights of our past. Please enjoy.

50th Anniversary Celebration!

On June 9, 2022, IU13 welcomed the community to explore our services through interactive displays, games, & conversations with staff. Many thanks to all who made the event a success!

Check out some of the event highlights!

Cupcakes served by Manheim Township Caterer

What is IU13?

Lancaster-Lebanon Intermediate Unit 13 (IU13) is an education service agency dedicated to delivering services to schools and communities across the state and beyond.

Over the years, we have expanded our reach—using our expertise to provide products and services not only to Lancaster and Lebanon counties’ 22 public school districts, but also to nonpublic schools, education agencies, parents, preschoolers, adult learners, businesses, municipalities, and more. Despite this growth, everything that we do supports our core mission of improving student learning.

We invite you to explore this program from our 50th Anniversary Celebration to discover how we might be able to help you—perhaps in ways you never imagined!

The History of Intermediate Units

In 1965, the Pennsylvania General Assembly mandated that the State Board of education prepare a plan for the development of intermediate units to replace the county superintendent of schools' offices. This meant that 67 county offices would be consolidated into 29 intermediate units. Five years later, on May 4, 1970, intermediate units came into existence under Act 102.

In July 1971, intermediate units across Pennsylvania opened their doors for the very first time.

The Purpose of Intermediate Units

While united in their effort to serve the needs of school districts and students, each of the 29 intermediate units is independent and tailors services to meet the needs of their local school districts and community. They use their expertise to design instructional programs and utilize new technologies to meet the unique needs of students and their families, and to create and expand educational options and opportunities.

Intermediate units form collaborative partnerships with schools and business partners statewide to leverage economies of scale and maximize efficiencies. They generate savings for their member districts by leading joint purchasing efforts for high-cost items such as health insurance, school supplies, and instructional resources/materials.

Who IUs Serve

Every year, Intermediate Units collectively serve 175,000 students through direct and indirect services and 50,000 educators through professional development, as well as 500 school districts, 170+ charter schools and 3,000+ nonpublic schools with behind-the-scenes instructional, technological, and business/operational solutions.

For 50 years, IUs have provided specialized services to school districts based on their unique needs. While each IU operates independently, they are united in their mission to serve education. Services are flexible, nimble, and have adapted over time. IUs apply their expertise to design instructional programs and utilize new technologies to meet the needs of students and their families, and to create and expand educational opportunities. While many of these services start locally, they are available for use statewide.

IUs also enhance school operations by providing administrative and management supports in the form of instructional programs, technology infrastructure, and business/operations.

1987-88 - Natural Gas Consortium Formed

The 1987-88 school year marked IU13’s formation of a Natural Gas Consortium for 14 local school districts. The new venture anticipated approximately $75,000 in combined year-one cost savings as “well head” gas was acquired and transported through broker-arranged agreements. Today, IU13 manages consortia for Natural Gas, plus Bulk Fuels and Electricity, with estimated total savings of nearly $1.5M this year!

Learn more about IU13 Collaborative Purchasing Solutions at cps.iu13.org.

1989 - Lebanon Flagship Building Purchased

Our Lebanon flagship building at One Cumberland Street became part of IU13 in 1989. Its history, however, harkens back to 1907 when it was originally built to serve as the main office to the American Iron and Steel Manufacturing Company – the “largest manufacturer of bolts, nuts, rivets, and kindred articles in the world” – then purchased by Bethlehem Steel Corporation in 1916, with the building serving as its main office through 1986. Now a hub for IU13 services in Lebanon County, the site is filled with students of all ages, from children in Lebanon County Head Start and Preschool Early Intervention through adults in Community Education classes … yet the Bethlehem Steel teller’s window and safe remain!

Learn more about IU13 services and sites at https://iu13.org/publications.

1991 - Job Training Program Launched

Preparing students with disabilities for a successful transition to life after school is key to IU13’s Job Training Program. Launched 30 years ago with a grant awarded to IU13 and Willow Valley to provide on-site employment skills training for high school students with disabilities, this partnership continues today and has grown to include hundreds of businesses through the two counties and served over 2,300 students last year alone!

Learn more about this program and partnership opportunities at iu13.org/JTS.

1996 - IU13 Selected to Promote Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness

Educating yourself and others on the importance of Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness (OTDA) can be, quite literally, life-changing. Over 20 years ago, IU13 was chosen by the Pennsylvania Department of Education to carry out former Governor Robert P. Casey’s wish to do just that. Through yearly grant funding, administrators, educators, and nurses throughout Pennsylvania are given the opportunity to teach our youth the facts, as well as give them the tools they need to make educated decisions surrounding organ and tissue donation.

To learn more about this all-important mission, please visit us at iu13.org/OTDA.

2000 - IU13 Pilots Virtual Learning

Online learning in 2000? Yes! IU13 partnered with Manheim Township SD 20+ years ago to pilot a virtual high school program allowing students to learn “any time/any place.” IU13 now offers Lancaster-Lebanon Virtual Solutions (LLVS) to participating local schools, providing access to an extensive portfolio of online courses, along with technical assistance and computer support. In 2020-21, IU13 LLVS had 59,000+ course enrollments!

Learn more at iu13.org/educators/instruction/instructional-technology/llvs.

2003 - Lancaster-Lebanon Education Foundation Established

The IU13 Board approved the establishment of the Lancaster-Lebanon Education Foundation (LLEF), an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization supporting the IU13 community. With its purpose of providing support for learning opportunities, innovative programs, and existing programs that benefit children, students, and adult learners within IU13 and/or its member school districts, LLEF’s valuable work ranges from providing mini-grants for classroom teachers to assisting families in need.

Learn more about LLEF, and how you can support its efforts, at llefoundation.org.

2015 - Refugee Center Opens

The Refugee Center opened at Reynolds Middle School (School District of Lancaster) with its focus on aiding refugees and immigrants both within and outside the district to provide education, integration, wellness, and work leading to self-sufficiency. The Center opened in 2015 with IU13 as the lead agency in partnership with School District of Lancaster, and with support from the Rotary Club of Lancaster.

Learn more at iu13.org/community/community-education/refugee-center/.