The North Central PA Regional Planning and Development Commission is facing the possible elimination of 19 jobs, or one-third of its staff, effective July 1.
Eric Bridges, executive director of North Central, explained Friday that the commission received correspondence on April 4 that notified of a change in contractor for certain programs the commission handles for a six-county area.
“What that means is come July 1 we will no longer be the funded contractor for the EARN Program and the WIOA (Workforce Investment and Opportunity Act) youth and adult contracts,” Bridges said. “The immediate implication is that puts into jeopardy 19 full-time positions. I say ‘puts into jeopardy’ because those positions are funded by those three funding sources. That puts those positions into a precarious position.”
Bridges noted that these employees are all residents of the commission’s coverage area — McKean, Potter, Elk, Jefferson, Clearfield and Cameron counties.
The commission has been the chosen contractor for these three programs in the area for years. Therefore, this announcement is significant in itself.
“Personally and professionally, I was somewhat stunned by the announcement,” Bridges said. “At the end of the day, I would say we are disappointed in the conclusion that ultimately the Workforce Development Board arrived at. That being said, I respect the right of the board to make that decision. I can only hope that the process of determining the RFP and the process put in place to manage the RFP process was sound and robust. I have no reason to believe that it wasn’t.”
Meanwhile, Bridges noted that the decision to award the contract elsewhere may paint an unfair picture of those currently handling the contract and overseeing the programs.
“We have never gotten any indication that this was motivated by performance concerns or compliance concerns,” he said. “With a situation like this, people start questioning what’s going on, whether or not they could have done something different. That’s natural.
“We are disappointed that the powers that be decided that the North Central Commission could no longer provide the services that have been provided for more than three decades,” Bridges said. “A decision like this is difficult, with emotional connotations. Suffice to say that we were disappointed.”
Going forward, Bridges noted the goals for the commission — and the staff who potentially may be unemployed by July — are twofold: to continue to do the same quality of work as they always have and complete the contract currently held and to work collaboratively to ensure as seamless a transition as possible.
“Presumably, (the Workforce Development Board) are looking to pick up the ball and make sure the transition is seamless,” he said.
For Bridges and the commission, the goal between now and July 1 is to complete an internal assessment and determine if it will be possible to retain any of the employees who hold those positions.
“We have circled the wagons and are having a lot of very intense, high level conversations with our management staff and board on just those points,” Bridges said. “Now that we have a better understanding of what we’re dealing with, we are at a better point to understand triages.”
Meanwhile, the focus will also be on the well-being of the people who hold these positions and face the unknown.
“This is not a time for us to look at those staff as anything other than they are – part of the North Central family. Staff support is going to be important,” Bridges said. “We need to hold firm in expectations of contract work, but we also need to be mindful of difficult personal decisions and anxieties.
“Our organization cares deeply about that. We invest a lot of time and effort into our employees, and we are proud of what our employees can do.”
