The Berks County Intermediate Unit (BCIU) is celebrating its 50th year of service to residents of Berks County and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Intermediate units (IUs) were established on July 1, 1971, by the Pennsylvania General Assembly to replace the County Offices of the Superintendent, consolidating 67 offices into 29 intermediate units across the state operating as regional educational service agencies to provide cost-effective and management-efficient programs to Pennsylvania schools. The BCIU, along with the other intermediate units, will continue to celebrate this milestone anniversary through June 30, 2022.
The BCIU is acknowledging this significant moment in time through several initiatives, including a newly launched 50th Anniversary webpage on the BCIU’s public website. The webpage can be accessed at https://www.berksiu.org/about/50th-anniversary and highlights the following items:
- Special edition videos;
- Quotes regarding the organization from staff, school officials, and community partners;
- A timeline of notable accomplishments and events;
- Executive leadership;
- Fast facts and historical information; and
- Photos from the past 50 years.
In addition to the webpage, a dedicated social media campaign sharing historical facts can be viewed on the BCIU’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/berksiu.
In the BCIU’s 50th Anniversary message, Dr. Jill Hackman, Executive Director, stated, “Our growth and evolution over the past 50 years would not be possible without the outstanding leadership of our Board of Directors, the dedication of our staff members, and the support and collaboration of our constituent schools, elected officials, community partners, and other stakeholders.”
The history of intermediate units lies in the roots of Act 102 of 1970. IUs were mandated to create a broad program of essential educational services to be offered to public and nonpublic schools, including curriculum development and instructional improvement services; educational planning services; instructional materials services; continuing professional education services; special education and pupil personnel services; state and federal agency liaison services; and management services. These same essential educational mandated services continue today.
