The History of Intermediate Unit 1

Fayette, Greene, and Washington Counties served as a pilot site in the development of the Intermediate Unit concept. The three counties experimented with the idea of conducting joint meetings and staff development activities to serve educators in the tri-county area.

In October of 1970, the county school boards of the three counties met to plan a convention to elect thirteen directors who would become the first Intermediate Unit 1 Board of Directors. During its first year of operation, Intermediate Unit 1 (IU1) rented space in California, Pennsylvania, and employed a total of 245 people.

Southwestern Pennsylvania, or specifically the counties of Fayette, Greene and Washington, was selected to serve as a model or pilot program in the pre-planning and development of the intermediate unit concept of education in Pennsylvania. The county school offices in the three counties served as the facilitator for this study and conducted meetings and workshops involving the staff members of the three county offices and the chief school administrators of the twenty-five school districts.