Duquesne+Schools+To+Stay+Open+1+more+Year

= Duquesne to operate K-8 school for 1 year = = =

=By Mary Niederberger,= =//Published in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette//= =//4/27/11//=

=The Duquesne School District will operate its K-8 program for at least one more year, according to officials of the state Department of Education who made that announcement at Tuesday's board of control meeting.= =The news came during an unexpected presentation by Amy Morton, executive deputy secretary of the state Education Department, and Carolyn Dumaresq, deputy secretary for elementary and secondary education, but was greeted with expressions of gratitude and relief from community members and staff.= =The women toured the school Tuesday and said they were impressed with the program being operated. However, Ms. Morton noted the dire financial straits in the state and the need for budget cuts to education.= =Last month, the audience at the board of control meeting was essentially told that because of a $4 million -- nearly 30 percent -- cut in state funding to the district, proposed in the governor's education budget, there was not enough money to run the Duquesne Elementary/Middle School next year.= =Finances forced Duquesne to close its high school in June 2007 and high school students are now assigned to either East Allegheny or West Mifflin Area high schools, which receive tuition for the students.= =Mrs. Dumaresq told the Duquesne audience that the education department will allow Duquesne to open the school for students in the fall and once school is in session, the state must fund it for the entire year.= =She said the department is not certain where the funding will come from but that an "adequate" program will be operated for Duquesne students next year. She said there simply was not enough time in this budget cycle to make alternate plans for Duquesne elementary and middle school students for next fall.= =In the meantime, Mrs. Dumaresq said education department officials are working with legislators to compose a bill that would allow for elementary students to attend other area schools on a tuition basis, possibly for the 2012-13 school year, although that is not a certainty.= =The other districts would be within a 10-mile radius and would not be financially or academically failing. The model would be similar to the way Duquesne sends its high school students to East Allegheny and West Mifflin, Mrs. Dumaresq said.= =Linda Hippert, executive director of the Allegheny Intermediate Unit, which manages the district, last month presented what she called a stripped-down program for 2011-12 that reduced the number of employees from 94 to 59 and increased class sizes from 14 to 17 students per class to 20 to 26. Even with those cuts, the district was short $2.8 million.= =After Tuesday's announcement, Mrs. Hippert said it's unlikely that program will be operated, but she warned that program and staff cuts are still likely to come for 2011-12.= =Mary Niederberger: mniederberger@post-gazette.com or 412-851-1512.= = = =Read more: [] = = = = = = =

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