About the CSIU, where education and entrepreneurship combine for exemplary support services to schools across the nation

The Keystone Purchasing Network (KPN) is a program of the Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit, also known as IU 16, located in the heart of Central Pennsylvania, near the communities of Milton and Lewisburg.

In Pennsylvania, Intermediate Units are service agencies created by the Pennsylvania Legislature (Capitol photo above) in 1971 to provide school districts with services that are more efficiently scalable when offered centrally with specialized personnel.

Intermediate Units are similar to education institutions in other states often called boards of cooperative services or county offices of education. Intermediate Units are public education agencies, also defined as political subdivisions of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

The difference in Pennsylvania is that the state’s Intermediate Units receive no routine tax or program dollars from state coffers. Instead, the IUs charge schools a fee for their services. Therefore, each IU must remain sharp and competitive while offering quality programs. Otherwise, schools may choose other options for the services they need.

Intermediate units cross boundaries when it comes to offering their services, but the law also defines a set geographic of areas in which respective IUs provide some primary services.

The CSIU’s primary service area consists of Columbia, Montour, Northumberland, Snyder, and Union counties in central Pennsylvania. The area includes 17 school districts, three career and technical centers, 69 non-public schools, 36,945 public and non-public school students and, 3,905 district instructional, administrative and support staff.

Public agency clients throughout Pennsylvania and the United States determine the scope and type of program services offered by the CSIU. Public market forces drive participation based, not only cooperative needs, but the quality of services returned to participating agencies.

Each school district in CSIU’s primary service area provides a board member to sit on the CSIU Board of Directors, a body comprising 17 members who oversee budgets totaling more than $77 million.

In addition to serving its local schools, the CSIU also offers services that cross local and state boundaries. For example, it has engineered an enterprise suite of business and accounting software that is the predominant school financial package used in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Its two purchasing cooperatives, the PEPPM Technology Purchasing Cooperative and the Keystone Purchasing Network, cross state boundaries. They are nationwide leaders in cooperative procurement, contract development, and contract administration.

To guide its operations and services, the CSIU Board of Directors and team have developed the CSIU Mission Statement. It reads, “The Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit... 

BUILDS partnerships with schools and communities 
SERVES established and emerging constituencies 
INSPIRES individuals and organizations to reach their highest potential 
ENCOURAGES teamwork, cooperation, and diversity 
STRIVES for innovation and excellence

...to create the future.”

In formulating “beliefs” of the organization, the CSIU board, staff and constituents agreed that:

• Children are first and are the future
• Lifelong learning is vital
• Every individual has unique talents, perspectives, and contributions
• Diverse staff, clients, and programs build strength
• Teamwork and partnerships are essential
• Effective, open communication, and mutual respect foster trust
• Innovative, responsive, cost-effective, and client-centered services are paramount

For more information on programs and services, contact the CSIU:

Phone: (570) 523-1155

Fax: (570) 524-7104
Address: 90 Lawton Lane, Milton, PA 17847
Email: csiu@csiu.org