Crawford Tech was among 58 schools and school districts to receive funding through a competitive grant program administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE), the department has announced.
The county’s only career and technical school will receive $85,000 to purchase a new compact machining center for its precision machining technology program, part of the school’s overall effort to meet manufacturing demands in the region.
With a current enrollment of 583 students and a projected enrollment of more than 600 next year, the equipment addition comes at an exciting time for the school, according to Executive Director Kevin Sprong.
“We’ve been working on increasing enrollment,” Sprong said Thursday. “Northwestern PA is unfortunately not growing in size, so we’re losing the potential number of students but increasing the number that comes here. I think that shows the community support and parental support for tech ed.”
The school has benefited from increased state support over the past couple of years as well, according to Sprong, most recently in the form of the grant that will pay most of the cost for two Haas computer numerical control mini mills. The mills are expected to cost about $49,000 each. The school included approximately $15,000 in its 2024-25 budget to pay for the portion of the expense not covered by the grant.
PDE’s competitve equipment grants program awards up to $85,000 for school entities to update or purchase equipment used in the training of students in certain career and technical education programs. The equipment must be aligned with the needs of employers, and programming must provide students with hands-on use of the equipment as part of the curriculum.
“Pennsylvania’s schools and career and technical centers are providing today’s learners with the tools, skills, and knowledge for the jobs of tomorrow, and these grants enable students to learn on the most up-to-date industry equipment,” interim acting Secretary of Education Angela Fitterer said in announcing the awards. “The Shapiro administration is committed to offering students multiple pathways to career success, and this funding will give them a jump start on whichever pathway they choose.”
Other grant recipients in the state’s northwestern region included Corry Area School District, $83,000; Erie City School District, $82,152; Mercer County Career Center, $85,000; Venango Technology Center, $85,000; and Warren County Career Center, $9,870.