State May Force Duquesne School District To Shut Down

DUQUESNE (KDKA) -- The state may force the Duquesne City School District to close at the end of the school year.

In 2007, the state closed down the district's high school, but they still have more than 400 students in elementary and middle school classes.

Students in the district do not meet any adequate state test score standards; however, it is the district's finances that may shut it down.

"That's a lot of money on the governor's budget and that cannot be ignored," Butch Santicola, a spokesman for the PSEA, said. "They lost over 12 percent of their budget - $1.2 million and that's going to impact that school district. They just don't have the money to pick it up."

The state said: "…it is the opinion of the Pennsylvania Department of Education that it is unlikely for Duquesne to function in its current form after the conclusion of the 2011-12 school year."

If Duquesne closes, students will be assigned to other districts. Some parents are supportive of the idea, while others don't want it to happen.

Former Duquesne High School students now go to East Allegheny and West Mifflin.

More than 100 employees stand to lose their job if the district shuts down. A spokesperson for the school district did not have any comment.

RELATED LINKS
More Local News
More Duquesne News