Boyce Campus Middle College in State of Flux

With local school districts being forced to tighten their belts for next school year, some are left wondering about the fate of the Boyce Campus Middle College (BCMC) High School program, located on the Community College of Allegheny County campus in Monroeville.

BCMC is a guidance-based program that provides at-risk students with facilitators, counselors, mentors, student advocates and focus group leaders. The program is specifically geared toward students who need more personal attention or function better in small groups.

The 186 students who attend BCMC come from four local school districts. As these districts face , there is some debate over how much they will be able to financially support BCMC. CCAC also provides support.

"Each school in the consortium that makes up BCMC—which is Penn Hills, Plum, Gateway and Woodland Hills—is required to supply teachers for the program," said Teresita Kolenchak, communications consultant for Penn Hills School District. "At this point in time we are not looking at taking ourselves out of the program. That was what I understood last time I spoke with our director of business affairs."

However, according to Michele Markiewicz, director of BCMC, support from the schools changes "from minute to minute," as she talks with school board members.

"I'm hoping to know something by June 30," Markiewicz said. 

"Michele accurately describes the situation," said Dr. Lillian Naccarati, superintendent of the Plum School District, adding that "the issue surrounding (the decision) deals with budgetary concerns, not the value of the program."

"How sad that is," said Marsha Orowetz of Penn Hills, whose son Evan attends BCMC, "to say that a program put in place to provide an alternative—and is working —will be broken without regard to its value."

Orowetz placed Evan in the program when the "zoo-like behavior in the Penn Hills schools" was preventing him from performing to his potential.

"Going to Boyce was an amazing experience," Orowetz said. "With the smaller class sizes it was a whole different ball game." Evan is now an "A student," thanks to the environment at BCMC.

However, Orowetz noted that Woodland Hills did not include BCMC when putting together its budget, indicating "they're pulling out.

"That said, it's very likely the program will not survive without finding alternate funding."

Other participating districts, such as Gateway, is struggling with bigger problems, like the closure of Pitcairn Elementary School.

“Right now, Gateway is still looking at their budget,” said Cara Zanella, Gateway School District spokeswoman. “We don’t yet know if there will be furloughs or how deep the furloughs will go, if we go down that road.”