At the request of the state education secretary, a team from the Pittsburgh Public Schools will visit the Duquesne City School District today to see whether Pittsburgh could help manage Duquesne schools this fall.

State Education Secretary Gerald Zahorchak asked Pittsburgh Superintendent Mark Roosevelt to study whether the Pittsburgh schools could provide management services to Duquesne.

The eight-member team visiting Duquesne includes Richard Fellers, Pittsburgh school chief of operations, and Lynn Spampinato, Pittsburgh deputy superintendent for instruction, assessment and accountability.

Duquesne, which is run by a state board of control, has built up a $3.3 million deficit. It faces financial problems so severe that it has proposed massive cuts, ranging from arts programs to the librarian and guidance counselor.

Also yesterday, Propel Schools, a charter school organization that has elementary schools in Homestead, McKeesport and Turtle Creek, filed an application to open a charter school in Duquesne in fall 2007 to serve kindergarten through 12th grade.

The proposed charter school would serve up to 400 students in K-8 and another 250 to 300 in high school, not all necessarily from Duquesne.

Duquesne's regular public school enrollment now totals about 850. An additional 113 Duquesne residents attend Propel schools in Homestead or McKeesport.

Charter schools are public schools that parents choose but for which they do not pay tuition. Home school districts pay a fee set by the state for each student.

Jeremy Resnick, Propel executive director and founder, said, "We think we can be part of a sustainable long-term program for providing education in the city of Duquesne."

The K-8 portion would offer the same program as Propel does in Homestead, including music and art. The high school would offer what Mr. Resnick described as a "nontraditional" program that would include internships, projects, skill development and online learning. It would also have activities, including one sport per season and school publications.

Mr. Resnick said a location hasn't been selected, but it could include a part of the current public school building.

He said the proposal calls for beginning with kindergarten through fourth grade and grades 9 and 10, but Propel is open to talking with the board of control and Duquesne families about it. It would be Propel's first high school.

A charter school would require approval by Duquesne's board of control, but even when school districts have rejected its requests, Propel has prevailed at the state appeal level.

In January, Shawn Farr, chairman of the board of control, said he was considering trying to move 60 students -- now eighth-graders -- out of the district as soon as this fall, saying they couldn't receive an adequate education in Duquesne.

Pittsburgh was the only district to give much consideration to taking the students, but it never came up for a vote after Duquesne parents said they wanted an education provided in their community.

Dr. Zahorchak said he wants to see whether academic achievement and operations would improve if Pittsburgh helped to manage the district.

He said the small district still needs to have "all of the operational functions of any other school district."

Duquesne currently doesn't have a business manager, and the preliminary $12.87 million budget calls for eliminating two more positions in the business office.

He said the analysis would determine whether Pittsburgh schools could become a service- provider to other districts.

It's unclear how the Pittsburgh district would be paid for the services, which are not in Duquesne's preliminary budget.

Dr. Zahorchak noted that his department is "really excited about the leadership and the direction of the school system in Pittsburgh."

He said the department would look for ways to increase math and reading scores among Duquesne students and increase the number of course offerings at Duquesne High School.

It's also possible the resources of the Pittsburgh Public Schools could be used at some point to restore the art and music classes that have been cut from the preliminary 2006-07 budget.

But, he said, it was too soon to get into specifics.

"We may see enhancements, but it won't be a big change in one year. But we will take steps and maybe big steps in future school years," the secretary said.

He said Duquesne teachers should not be worried about their jobs at this time. "We expect the Duquesne teachers to be the teachers in the schools going forward. We have no expectations that that is something that is going to change rapidly," he said.

Pittsburgh itself is under pressure under the federal No Child Left Behind Act to improve its academic achievement, and the school board has approved a series of initiatives, ranging from closing schools to revised curriculum, for Pittsburgh schools this fall. Duquesne is farther along the continuum of sanctions under the federal law.

Even with so much change under way in Pittsburgh, "the secretary says [Duquesne has] a need, and it's an urgent need. We're certainly going to consider that seriously," said Lisa Fischetti, chief of staff for the Pittsburgh district.