By Jennifer Edwards
The Cincinnati Enquirer

LEBANON - After initially being cool to the idea, Warren County Commissioners Thursday threw their support behind a pilot program that - if it receives state approval - could bring college credit courses to the county's high schools and career center and result in a community college.

Warren County can more than support a community college, and one should be built as soon as possible , officials of the Area Progress Council of Warren County told commissioners Thursday.

The progress council, an organization made up of business leaders in the county, has been conducting an educational survey on the need for college courses in Warren, which ranks near the bottom in the state in terms of adults aged 18-39 who have any level of college education.

If a college isn't eventually built, Warren County students will continue seeking schooling elsewhere - and ultimately the county and the state will continue losing talented youth to other communities, Area Progress Council officials warned commissioners.

"It's happening on a small scale in Warren County and it's happening on a larger scale in the state of Ohio," said Mike Geygan, chairman of the progress council's college task force. "Ohio is losing companies at a rapid rate because manufacturing jobs are disappearing.

"This would be an exciting thing for Warren County. It's important for economic development and company retention and attracting companies."

If the county receives state Senate approval, the pilot program could begin to offer college credits through the Warren County Career Center north of Lebanon. The center offers vocational classes to about 7,000 adults and 1,000 high school students.

The center could contract with nearby colleges or universities to offer college-level classes and instructors in Warren County.

The Ohio House of Representatives already has approved a bill proposing the plan that was backed by State Rep. Tom Raga, R-Mason.

Because there is no need for new buildings, advocates say the new school would need only 80 percent of the money the state normally spends on community college students.

The soonest classes could be offered would be fall 2004, at area high schools, the Warren County Career Center and/or a central facility that could acquired, Geygan said.

"Part of the beauty of this thing is to bring college credits to area high schools," Geygan said. "Right now, high school students can get college credits while in high school but they have to leave the county to attend classes."

Commissioners Mike Kilburn and Larry Crisenbery initially expressed concern over the setup and other issues related to the pilot program. But they relented after more than two hours of discussions and input from local school officials and others.

"I don't know that a community college is absolutely necessary," Kilburn said. "But it's a two-year pilot program with its own funding and it will either make it or break it on its own accord. The downside to this is I know there are school superintendents who have a concern that the day-to-day population of the career center would suffer from a new focus of higher education at the career center."

But Ralph Shell, superintendent of Little Miami's school district, urged commissioners Thursday to support the pilot program because it permits local control of college courses.

"If you have another institution or one that's existing come in and set up their program, you don't have any control over it," he said. "They may not be offering the courses you need for economic development and workforce development training."

E-mail jedwards@enquirer.com.