24 Pa. Stat. § 19-1914-A

Current through P.A. Acts 2023-32
Section 19-1914-A - Dissolution of certain community colleges
(a) Notwithstanding the provisions of section 1910-A, any community college that was approved as a community college by the State Board of Education after January 1, 1990, may be dissolved after a determination by the Secretary of Education that the majority of the education and training programs operated by the college are nonacademic in nature and upon notice of said determination to the community college.
(b) Upon the Secretary of Education's notice as described in subsection (a), a dissolved community college shall cease to be a public instrumentality. If the dissolved community college desires to continue to offer degree programs, provide specialized job training or provide professional development training, those programs must be transferred to a corporate successor organized as a nonprofit corporation under 15 Pa.C.S.S (relating to corporations and unincorporated associations).
(c) The corporate successor of a dissolved community college shall continue to have the authority to grant associate degrees and certificates in those programs in which the dissolved community college had the authority to grant degrees during the last complete school year of operation as a community college. If a corporate successor desires to offer additional associate degree programs, it must apply to the Department of Education to obtain approval in accordance with applicable regulations. If a corporate successor desires to offer additional certificates, it shall apply for licensure to the State Board of Private Licensed Schools. A corporate successor of a dissolved community college is not authorized to award baccalaureate degrees.
(d) All indebtedness of any community college dissolved under this section shall be transferred to and become the responsibility of its corporate successor. Nothing in this section shall be construed so as to waive the obligations or debts of any dissolved community college to any entity other than the Commonwealth. Any indebtedness of a dissolved community college to the Commonwealth or to the department, determined pursuant to audits of the dissolved community college conducted under section 1913-A(k) , shall be deferred for one fiscal year subsequent to dissolution. Thereafter the amount and terms of repayment of the indebtedness to the Commonwealth shall be determined by the Secretary of the Budget.
(e) Any Workforce Development Challenge Grant awarded to a dissolved community college prior to dissolution shall be transferred to and become an asset of its corporate successor.
(f) The Commonwealth shall retain the right to have access to and the authority to review financial records of any community college dissolved under this section, including records created up through dissolution until such time as all information required to be reviewed under section 1913-A(k) has been reviewed and any indebtedness owed to the Commonwealth has been repaid. Any audits prepared as a result of the review conducted under this section must be completed and issued to the corporate successor of a dissolved community college within one year of dissolution.

24 P.S. § 19-1914-A

1949, March 10, P.L. 30, No. 14, art. XIX-A, § 1914-A, added 2001, June 22, P.L. 530, No. 35, § 23, imd. effective.