FOXBURG, Clarion County — A movement to start a technical community college for seven northwestern Pennsylvania counties is seeking the support of school districts.

High school vocational technical and career centers would host the college, which would provide instruction customized to that area.

The Allegheny-Clarion Valley School Board on Monday will consider a resolution approving a study looking into the college.

Bill Powell, executive director of Clarion County Career Center, said he and officials from the Erie County Technical School are spearheading the effort.

"We're underserved north of I-80," Powell said.

He said Butler County Community College used to serve Clarion County students and the Community College of Allegheny County is offering some classes at the career center in Clarion County.

BC3 is the farthest north of all 14 community colleges in the state.

The technical community college has been a topic of discussion in Erie County since 2003.Now, the college idea has the support of the Manufacturers' Association of Northwest Pennsylvania, the Erie County Technical School Joint Operating Committee and a number of school boards in the region.

The college would operate without a main campus. Classes would be given at vo-tech buildings in the counties served. Buildings such as the Clarion County Career Center would be a branch campus to the technical community college.

School districts in Erie, Clarion, Crawford, Forest, Mercer, Warren and Venango counties would sponsor the college. Sponsors of community colleges provide a third of the funding under the state's community college act. For example, BC3's sponsor is Butler County. The remaining two-thirds come from tuition and the state.

Four of the community colleges in the state are supported by school districts. The remaining colleges are supported by counties or other municipalities.

For the technical community college, the funding from the school districts may be an in-kind donation of space and services at the technical schools where classes are taught.

Additionally, this community college would be different from other state community colleges because it would not have a mission to prepare students for a four-year school. According to documents from Erie County Technical Center, a report by FutureWorks in 2003 found that "this institution would be sharply focused on career, technical and occupational education and would focus on credentials that have an application in the work place."

The courses taught at the community college aren't fully developed, but Powell said they would draw on the needs of the area. For example, Erie County could focus on manufacturing job skills while Crawford County could teach tool and die, he said.

Powell said the group has applied for a grant to study how the costs of the college would be covered and what services would be offered.

Before the group gets too deep into the process, it is surveying the school districts to see if the support is there, he said.