Duquesne City School District is on its way to getting help from Pittsburgh Public Schools in solving its financial and academic hardships.

Duquesne's state-appointed Board of Control voted last night in a special meeting to approve a one-year management contract in which Pittsburgh Superintendent Mark Roosevelt and his top aides will work as consultants for the troubled school district.

"I look at this as a partnership, not a master and servant relationship," said Stanley Denton, a Duquesne Board of Control member. "We're not asking Pittsburgh to run Duquesne. We're asking them to help us."

Although a one-year agreement, the contract has provisions to be extended up to four years. Duquesne board members will have the option of deciding whether to renew the consulting contract each year.

Pittsburgh Public School board members will vote tonight on whether to approve their part of the contract.

Not all parents who attended last night's meeting in Duquesne were thrilled with the decision to let Pittsburgh guide their district through these turbulent times.

"It's silly. It makes no sense," said Marcel Smith, a Duquesne parent. "You're looking at Pittsburgh with $43 million worth of debt and Duquesne with $3.3 million. Who should be schooling who?"

The state Legislature is providing $1.7 million to the poor, academically struggling and predominately black school district to pay for the outside management services.

The money will also allow Duquesne to keep positions that it had planned to cut in it a preliminary budget, such as the librarian and guidance counselor.

"We wanted to minimize cuts in positions where staffers worked directly with children," Mr. Denton said.

"If we make cuts that are too deep it's like cutting off the lights or turning off the heat in the winter."

There was no mention last night concerning the fate of Duquesne Superintendent Jacquelyn Webb. However, Shawn Farr, chairman of the Duquesne Board of Control, did say "decisions will have to be made regarding certain senior administrative officials."

Board of Control members reassured parents and teachers in the audience that current teachers in the Duquesne district will keep their jobs and new teachers will be recruited.

"We are looking to benefit from work Pittsburgh Public Schools is doing to their curriculum and their professional development support and comprehensive programs," Mr. Farr said.

Mr. Roosevelt has said that he will spend as much as 5 percent of his time guiding the Duquesne district.

During the 2006-07 school year, Duquesne would pay the Pittsburgh district as much as $500,000 for time Mr. Roosevelt and other Pittsburgh administrator spend working with Duquesne.