One step forward, two steps back. That appears to be the momentum in the Duquesne schools, where state and local officials are trying to move the financially and academically troubled district of 756 students onto solid ground.

When school started Aug. 21, it marked the beginning of an era, one in which the district, through an agreement with the state Education Department, would be led by the Pittsburgh Public Schools. The agreement is designed to share the Pittsburgh district's expertise and management in hopes of turning the troubled district around.

Just before school started, Duquesne received word that its elementary pupils, for the first time, had made adequate yearly progress on the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment tests and that the elementary school would be taken off the state's corrective action list.

The news came as most of the administrative team that had led the pupils to that accomplishment was being dismantled. Gone are the superintendent, the high school principal and the director of curriculum. Remaining is elementary Principal Barbara McDonnell. The others have been replaced by educators chosen by the Pittsburgh schools.

Since the start of school, however, other developments have occurred that could slow progress. Among them are a slew of staff resignations that administrators are scrambling to replace and the revelation that the district's deficit is $597,000 larger than expected.

Despite the obstacles, Vernon Tipton, who was named executive director of the district in July, said the school system was chugging along.

He acknowledged that last week's board of control meeting, which lasted more than three hours, appeared to be fraught with confusion over a variety of issues, including exactly what Pittsburgh's role is supposed to be in running the Duquesne schools.

There were also questions about why no one from the Pittsburgh schools attended the meeting. In particular were questions about contracts for special education services the board was being asked to vote on. A parent asked why the district was still contracting the services and not using the Pittsburgh schools' special education department.

"What are we getting for the $1.7 million?" asked Lorrine Rue, in reference to the amount the state is paying Pittsburgh schools to assist Duquesne.

Later in the meeting, board of control member Stanley Denton posed a similar question when the board was asked to approve an agreement with the Auberle Education Center to operate a special education classroom in the Duquesne Education Center at a cost of $115,000. The program would include on-site mental health counseling and drug and alcohol services. Action on that proposal was delayed.

In response to the queries, J. Kaye Cupples, executive director of support services for the Pittsburgh Public Schools, will attend the Oct. 24 meeting, Dr. Tipton said.

At last week's state board of control meeting, the board accepted the resignations of four teachers and the district's technology coordinator. These resignations came on the heels of the resignations of several teachers over the summer.

Dr. Tipton attributes the resignations to the fact that so much uncertainty about the future of the Duquesne schools has existed since early in the year, when there was talk of disbanding it and busing students to other districts, including Pittsburgh.

Dr. Tipton said the Duquesne district was hiring teachers as quickly as it could find qualified candidates and using substitutes in the meantime.

The board of control agreed to pay John Vehec, the technology teacher for grades 6-12, a $5,000 stipend to fill in as a temporary technology coordinator for the district during his off periods and after school until a new technology coordinator can be hired. The Pittsburgh schools also are providing some technology assistance to the district.

Financial Manager Joseph Zupan informed the board that the district's deficit was actually $597,000 larger than expected, bringing the total to $3.95 million. That increase in the deficit came despite an extra $875,000 in state funds last year and severe cuts to the academic and extracurricular programs.

Mr. Zupan called the deficit figure preliminary and planned to have his numbers checked by the Pittsburgh schools finance staff.

At last week's meeting, even before the increased deficit was announced, there was not enough money to hire middle school and high school student council sponsors, a cheerleading sponsor or class sponsors for grades 9-12.

One notably large expense at last week's meeting is $43,375 for English as a second language services for two students who don't speak English. All public districts must provide ESL services to students who need them.

Such expenses are what prompted Cheryl Nemerovksy, an elected school board member from Duquesne, to encourage the board of control to approve an application from the Propel charter school organization to open a K-12 charter school in Duquesne.

Mrs. Nemerovsky pointed out that Propel's $8,000 per pupil cost was far lower than spending more than $16 million, the amount of Duquesne's budget, to educate 756 pupils.

The two-member board did not take action on the application.