Duquesne+school+funds+restored+-+AIU+cuts+ties+with+district

=By Patrick Cloonan= =//Published in the McKeesport Daily News//= =//6/28/11//= = = = = =On the eve of tonight`s 2011-12 budget vote by Duquesne City School District`s state-appointed Board of Control, the district may be gaining some of the money it would have lost in Harrisburg budget cuts.= ="We were able to restore quite a bit of money to Duquesne and some money to every school district in my (45th Senatorial) district and across the state," Sen. James R. Brewster, D-McKeesport, said late Monday after budget negotiations.= =However, DCSD also is losing Allegheny Intermediate Unit, which ran Duquesne Education Center`s day-to-day operations for the past four years.= =At a regular monthly board meeting Monday night in Homestead, AIU`s board of directors voted unanimously to end its inter-governmental agreement with the district, effective Thursday.= =The unit`s executive director Dr. Linda Hippert, who is Duquesne`s superintendent of record under that agreement, said it was an amicable separation.= ="It has been a privilege to serve the students in the Duquesne City School District," Hippert said in a statement issued by AIU.= =AIU is a state-related agency, a descendant of the old Allegheny County School Board, which offers supplemental education services to all 42 suburban Pittsburgh school districts within the state`s second-largest county.= =In a statement issued by AIU spokeswoman Sarah McCluan, the Homestead-based entity said the action "was thoughtfully taken as well as discussed" with the BOC and Pennsylvania Department of Education.= =However, as the statement also noted, "the AIU has requested a waiver to the 60-day notice to all parties as stipulated in the agreement."= =AIU pledged to "continue to be available to provide assistance as needed, and will work with the district to ensure a smooth transition."= =The BOC will meet tonight at 7 at Duquesne Education Center to take final action on a budget that, after preliminary approval last month, stood at $14.27 million in expenditures but only $11.75 million in anticipated revenues.= ="What we looked at is what`s required," state executive deputy secretary of education Amy C. Morton said after last month`s BOC vote. "What are the programs that are mandated?"= =Even if additional money was found, the budget would cut the teaching staff by 44 percent; eliminate all after-school programs, including tutoring; reduce the number of administrators at DEC to two; and necessitate an undisclosed reduction of support staff.= =Brewster could not give specific figures at presstime, saying "it is not as much as we wanted but it is progress and I think it is going in the right direction."= =He said he and state Rep. Marc J. Gergely, D-White Oak, made a commitment to seek that funding be restored to Duquesne, including a special $1.9 million payment given on top of the district`s basic subsidy.= ="Republican budget negotiators must meet the needs of Duquesne and provide answers to the students and parents about the future of the school," Gergely said in a joint statement he and Brewster issued last week.= ="We were able to lower that cut," Brewster said Monday night, "and in Duquesne`s case, that`s a special circumstance, and we worked extra hard to maintain basic education there."= =The AIU`s action stunned Brewster, who said he was not aware of it.= =It apparently did not come as a surprise in the city of 5,565 where AIU had run operations at DEC since July 1, 2007.= ="I heard they were going to do that," Mayor Phil Krivacek said. "It was just a rumor on the streets. I heard that last week."= =The state contracted AIU`s services as it was closing Duquesne High School and, under Act 45 of 2007, transferred secondary students from Duquesne to West Mifflin Area and East Allegheny high schools.= =AIU succeeded the Pittsburgh Public Schools system that had run Duquesne operations during the high school`s last year. Pittsburgh received $500,000 for its services, while AIU said it received $300,000 a year.= ="It is sad," Krivacek said. "When you lose your school, you lose your image. It is never going to be the same. There is so much pride in this city. They`re proud of what happened in that district for all those years."= =Hippert acknowledged that Duquesne youngsters "as well as all children in the commonwealth, deserve a high-quality public education, and it is important that students have access to equitable services and supports so that they may be competitive.= ="As educators, we must do all that we can to assure this occurs," she said. "I will always hold a special place in my heart for the children of Duquesne as I have seen first-hand what is needed in their school. The AIU will work with all involved to ensure a smooth transition."= =It is not clear if members of the elected school board were consulted about the decision.= ="I am unable to make a comment at this time," elected school director Sonya Chambers said.= =Other members of the elected board, as well as BOC members and the PDE`s chief spokesman, were unavailable for comment.= =Krivacek agreed the decision was done with a lot of thought, and said he had heard this would be the final year for Duquesne Education Center.= ="Anything that happens in the Duquesne City School District happens in Harrisburg first," the mayor said. "It doesn`t happen randomly."= = Read more: [|Duquesne school funds restored; AIU cuts ties with district - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review] [] = = = = = =News= =home=