While some of his colleagues seek answers to nuts-and-bolts questions, Pittsburgh school board member Randall Taylor hopes to build consensus around what he considers a moral responsibility -- taking in students from the beleaguered Duquesne City School District.

Three of Mr. Taylor's fellow board members said they're open to the proposal Mr. Taylor made last week. Four said they have so many questions they couldn't go even that far. One member, Theresa Colaizzi, called the proposal untimely.

Mr. Taylor plans to introduce a resolution tonight that would direct administrators to study the possibility. Some board members called the resolution unnecessary because Pittsburgh Public Schools Superintendent Mark Roosevelt already has discussed the matter with state officials.

Mr. Taylor, however, said he is determined to move the issue forward after hearing that another district turned away Duquesne students.

"To me," he said, "it's a moral issue."

Because of longtime financial and academic problems, the Duquesne district is clinging to existence.

Shawn Farr, chairman of the state Board of Control overseeing the district, last week said he wanted to move 60 students -- now eighth-graders -- out of the district as soon as fall. With only 195 high school students now, Mr. Farr said, the district can't provide them an adequate education.

The Pittsburgh district also has financial and academic problems, which Mr. Roosevelt is trying to turn around. Brian McDonald, spokesman for the state Department of Education, said he didn't believe Pittsburgh's shortcomings would bar the transfer of Duquesne students.

Mr. Taylor cautioned that Pittsburgh schools could accept the students only if the state promised to foot the bill, including special education and transportation costs.

He said the district, mulling Mr. Roosevelt's recommendation to close 20 schools to trim excess capacity and concentrate students in higher-performing schools, has space for Duquesne students. He said Pittsburgh's magnet schools and other special programs would be a huge improvement over Duquesne's offerings.

Floyd McCrea, Mark Brentley Sr. and Thomas Sumpter expressed more support than other members for Mr. Taylor's proposal.

"I'm open to the proposal," Mr. McCrea said. "I think it merits a lot of discussion. I feel for the Duquesne students because they lost their identity as a school district."

"I would not stop at Duquesne," Mr. Brentley said, suggesting the district offer to absorb financially troubled school systems on its borders. In 2000, Wilkinsburg School District considered and dropped a proposal to merge with Pittsburgh or another district.

Mr. Farr said the Board of Control, which also has a meeting tonight, has approached a number of districts about accepting Duquesne students and raised the possibility of giving students a choice of schools.

Mr. Roosevelt last week said he'd had "very preliminary" talks about bringing the students to Pittsburgh.

Board President Bill Isler and members Patrick Dowd, Jean Fink and Daniel Romaniello Sr. said they couldn't weigh in on the issue without knowing more about students' potential travel time, studies at Duquesne, state funding and other matters.

Until the district puts its own house in order, Ms. Colaizzi said, it would be "very foolish" to intervene in another district's problems.