HARRISBURG -- State Education Secretary Gerald Zahorchak ran into a bipartisan buzzsaw today before the Senate Appropriations Committee, as he was assailed for trying to reduce the state's 501 school districts to just 100 and for pushing to develop a new high school graduation test.

Democratic Sens. Sean Logan of Monroeville and Andrew Dinniman of Chester questioned Gov. Ed Rendell's controversial idea of consolidating school districts.

Mr. Logan said it had been tough enough just to close Duquesne High School and transfer those 135 students to nearby high schools.

"How are we going to deal with transferring millions of students if the districts are reduced to 100?'' he said.

Mr. Dinniman asked where the number of 100 came from.

Mr. Zahorchak, who is Mr. Rendell's point man on several emotional education issues, said some people had talked about having just one school district per county, and there are 67 counties. Larger counties, such as Allegheny, would probably need several school districts, so the figure of 100 came up, he said.

Mr. Zahorchak said the upcoming merger of Monaca and Center districts in Beaver County could provide a blueprint for other combinations.

The school district consolidation idea did get some support from Sen. John Wozniak, D-Cambria, who said a study by a legislative committee a couple years ago supported the idea and said that about 2,500 students was a good number for each district

Mr. Rendell wants the Legislature to set up a committee to study the consolidation idea and settle on a different, lower number of districts if it chooses.

Mr. Zahorchak also took flak from Sen. Jane Orie, R-McCandless, over his plan to create new "Graduation Competency Assessment'' exams that all high school students would have to pass in order to graduate. He said that too many students are now getting diplomas while still being unprepared academically for college or the work force.

He said that if a local school district wanted to develop its own assessment exam that was just as rigorous as the one the state is developing, it could use the local exam.

But Ms. Orie didn't like either idea, saying it could ultimately cost the state up to $45 million to develop the tests. She said it's an unnecessary expense when the state is facing a $2.3 billion budget deficit.

Perhaps the most poignant protest at the budget hearing -- even if it was silent -- was the appearance by 25 students from the Scranton School for the Deaf, who don't like the Rendell/Zahorchak plan to save $7 million by closing their school. It serves 100 deaf students and has 100 staff members.

Mr. Zahorchak said it's the only school in the state that is directly run by state government, and he thinks it's time for the state to stop such direct education. The students might be served by an intermediate unit in the Scranton area or even with programs from the Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf, he said.

An interpreter, using sign language, told the students what was being said at the hearing. Sen. Lisa Baker, R-Luzerne, strongly protested the Rendell administration's plans to close the school.

Mr. Zahorchak also faced criticism over a higher education idea -- Mr. Rendell's proposal to legalize thousands of video poker machines in bars, taverns and clubs around the state as a way to raise millions in tuition relief for college students whose families don't earn more than $100,000 a year. It would be limited to students at community colleges and State System of Higher Education collegtes.

"I have a significant issue with that form of revenue. I object to the state instituting video poker," said Sen. Michael Brubaker, R-Lancaster.

Mr. Rendell said thousands of illegal poker machines are already in use in bars, and he merely wants to replace them with legal machines from which the state gets some revenue.

But Sen. John Rafferty, R-Montgomery, complained that the administration hasn't yet discussed the idea with his Senate Law and Justice Committee, which oversees liquor issues. "Our committee has serious reservations about this," he said.

He also objected to Mr. Rendell talking about trying to generate tuition relief money from video poker as soon as this fall. "That's unrealistic" for such a controversial idea, he said.

"Students shouldn't rely on such a pie-in-the-sky idea as video poker," he said.