Erie, Pa., symposium focuses on education

Oct 25, 2008 (Erie Times-News - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- GE | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating -- GE Transportation Chief Executive Lorenzo Simonelli has stopped watching the roller coaster that is the stock market.

"If anyone can predict GE's stock price at the end of the day, let me know," Simonelli said, prompting laughter from a crowd of educators and community leaders gathered to hear him speak at the Bayfront Convention Center on Friday.

GE Transportation can't control the volatility of the market or General Electric's stock price, Simonelli said.

What it can do is continue to produce quality products through a tough economy -- and for that, he said, GE needs a pipeline of highly educated students.

How to build that pipeline was the focus of "The Business of Education," an education symposium sponsored by the Erie School District and the Erie School Board.

About 100 people -- including teachers, college administrators, local legislators, and business and community leaders -- were invited to attend the symposium to discuss the current state of education in Erie County, and the skills students need to compete globally.

Simonelli, the keynote speaker, said the answer lies in collaboration between local businesses, schools and colleges.

"It requires combining the (assets) of GE and the community, working together to make sure we have the right jobs and the right employees for those jobs," he said.

He also pointed to a $15 million grant the Erie School District received from the GE Foundation in April 2007 to help increase scores in math and science, two subjects in which American students fall dramatically below their international peers.

Being globally competitive requires investing in those critical skills, he said.

"The stress we place on science and math is because it's at the core" of what GE does, Simonelli said.

Mercyhurst College President Tom Gamble, who served as a panelist along with administrators from all the other Erie-area colleges, agreed that colleges need to do a better job working with schools and local businesses to boost achievement in those subjects.

But he said an increased focus on standardized testing might be backfiring.

"If we keep narrowing the curriculum and focusing only on a test, ... we're going to cease inspiring people," Gamble said. "If we do that, we're going to drive them out of school and do much more harm."

Some students want to pursue higher education or stay in school, but don't have the means, Erie County Executive Mark DiVecchio said. That's why he said he's supporting the creation of a local community college.

There are companies that would like to move to Erie and companies that would like to grow but can't because of a lack of a highly skilled work force, DiVecchio said.

A community college that would provide those skills could "possibly be the biggest project we will do in Erie County," he said.

"We have great institutions" of higher education, he said. "But are they accessible? Are they affordable? There's a big gap between high school and college in Erie County."

Audience member Dave Tullio, chief executive of Custom Engineering, said he sees the skill gap every time he tries to fill open positions that require an understanding of algebra and geometry or the scientific properties of metals.

The consequences of not finding a better way to prepare tomorrow's work force are simple, said Tullio, who also supports the creation of a community college.

"If we don't fix this, we won't see growth," he said. "And business will go elsewhere."

ERICA ERWIN can be reached at 870-1846 or by e-mail.

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