The chairman of the state board of control in the Duquesne City School District said today that the transfer of high school students from that district to a school or schools in another local district, if successfully arranged, will likely not affect the students currently in grades 9-12.

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Yesterday, state Sen. Sean Logan, D-Monroeville, said talks are underway to transfer students in grades 9-12 to another district as tuition students since the small size --- 195 students and 14 teachers --- and poor finances have made it nearly impossible to provide an adequate high school curriculum in Duquesne.

But Mr. Farr said today the plan he is working on would involve transferring the 60 students currently in eighth grade in Duquesne to other high school programs --- by the fall if possible --- and allowing the students who will be in grades 10-12 in the fall to remain at the Duquesne Education Center.

"We would phase out the high school program over a number of years," Mr. Farr said.

Mr. Farr and Mr. Logan both said discussions have been held with several local districts about the possibility of transferring high school students on a tuition basis and that talks are continuing with one particular district. They declined to name that district.

"We are having conversations. Nothing is solid at this point. We need to get it firmed up and then we will go out to the community and parents and present what are actual possibilities. So it remains to be seen what may or may not be accomplished," Mr. Farr said. "This is pretty much unchartered territory."

Mr. Farr and Mr. Logan both said that the West Mifflin Area School District, which is the district located closest to Duquesne, has not been approached.

Mr. Farr said that he is hoping to arrange for future high school students in Duquesne to have a choice of schools to attend in the future, "some traditional, some non-traditional."

If the plan is carried out, Mr. Farr said, at some point, there may be too few students left at the high school to operate a program there and those students also may be transferred to other schools.

Mr. Farr said he is expecting to hear some reaction from the public at the board of control meeting set for 6:30 p.m. next Wednesday in the auditorium of the Duquesne Education Center.

Though the board of control can't take any action since it doesn't have a quorum in the wake of the resignation of Board Member Jo DeBolt, Mr. Farr said he plans to continue to hold the meetings to keep lines of communication open between the district and the public.

He said a new board member is expected to be nominated by the state Education Department soon. That nominee then has to be confirmed by Allegheny County Common Pleas Court.

More details in tomorrow's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.