Duquesne still may keep its last school
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It appears there is still hope that a K-8 school will exist in Duquesne next year despite announcements by state Education Department officials that the district's school would dissolve after the 2011-12 school year.
State board of control chairman Francis Barnes said that at a meeting Friday with state Education Secretary Ron Tomalis, the secretary expressed a desire to know what options the Duquesne community wants to pursue for educating the elementary children.
Mr. Barnes made those comments after a more than two-hour community meeting Tuesday night called by elected school board members who lobbied heavily to keep a school in the city -- but not the same failing system that now exists.
"We want the kids to excel, not just be proficient. We want a system with clear, high expectations," said Mr. Barnes, who served as state education secretary from September 2004 to September 2005.
The district's high school was closed in June 2007, and high school students currently attend West Mifflin Area and East Allegheny high schools on a tuition basis. A similar plan had been expected for the elementary students after this year.
Mr. Barnes, who was appointed to the board last month, said the plan to send the elementary students to neighboring districts on a tuition basis is not written in stone and that more meetings should be held for the community to discuss its options. He said if a school does exist in Duquesne for the 2012-13 school year, it will have to structured differently than the current academically failing school.
He floated the idea of a charter school operating the district, which was one of the options mentioned earlier in the meeting by former board of control chairman Stanley Denton, who tried to outline for the elected board and residents what their options for change are. Another option he suggested was sending the elementary students to West Mifflin Area schools.
First Published February 8, 2012 12:00 am
