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Background on the District

Background

The Duquesne City School District is a suburban public school district located 12 miles south of Pittsburgh in the east hills of Allegheny County, and serves the City of Duquesne, a former mill town on the banks of the Monongahela River.  Census figures indicate that Duquesne had a population of 11,410 people in the early 1970’s when the steel mills employed thousands of people and provided good-paying jobs.  The Duquesne City School District encompasses approximately 2 square miles. According to the 2000 federal census data, it served a resident population of 7,352; however, according to the 2010 federal census data, the resident population declined to 5,566 people. The median household income in Duquesne was $21,714 compared to $51,651 statewide, according to the same Census year. 

City of Duquesne

Since 1991, the City of Duquesne has been designated by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as “distressed” under the Municipalities Financial Recovery Act of 1987 and a state-appointed coordinator assists the city with a Recovery Plan, as amended in 2014. The state provides municipalities experiencing financial difficulties in order to ensure the health, safety, and general welfare of its citizens.  The City can levy certain taxes it otherwise could not, and it can tax non-residents who work in the community.  

The City provides municipal services for fire, police, and emergency medical services and other municipal government services including public works, water and sewage, recreation and parks.  The City of Duquesne works with the Regional Industrial Development Corporation (RIDC) of Southwestern Pennsylvania which has a bilateral approach to economic and workforce development opportunities by attracting new industries and by sustaining existing jobs and creating new jobs.  By the very nature of this bilateral approach, expansion of the tax base bodes well for the local economy, government services, and its citizens.  

Historical accounts indicate that after taking control of the former Duquesne Steel Works site in 1987, Allegheny County asked the RIDC to acquire and redevelop a 240-acre site in conjunction with the McKeesport Area Recovery Plan.  RIDC embarked on redeveloping this site when the adaptation of existing industrial sites was not common, and the framework RIDC developed for addressing this site led to new state legislation.  

Since then, the RIDC has renovated six existing buildings and recently built a new 30,000 square-foot flex building that is now available for lease. In total, RIDC’s City Center of Duquesne is home to 15 companies, employing nearly 700 people. Seventy-eight acres remain available for development. (RIDC, Website, 2019) 

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf recently announced seven new projects funded by the Industrial Sites Reuse Programs (ISRP). that will clean up former industrial sites in several counties, including Allegheny County, to prepare them for use as parks, and business and residential properties.  Refurbishing an old property for the benefit of the community is a vital step in attracting business investment and job creation, noting that these projects will provide a clean and safe environment for communities and businesses. 

 The ISRP program is designed to foster the cleanup of environmental contamination at industrial sites, thereby bringing blighted land into productive use.  The RIDC was granted $33,700 for environmental remediation of the former Open Hearth building, a 3,200-square-foot building located at the City Center of Duquesne. RIDC plans to redevelop the site into a planned urban industrial park.  (Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Governor’s News Release, November, 2019)  

A new high-tech Aquaponics indoor farm industry, under the ownership of a Minnesota-based company In City Farms, will construct a 180,000 square foot facility -- with an initial investment of $30M for phase one -- which will employ 130 people with another 100 workers as the industry expands.  The facility will be constructed on the former Duquesne Steel Works property as an indoor city farm that will raise edible fish (trout and Arctic char) for commercial wholesale and will also grow and produce vegetables year-round.   (Machosky, Michael, City Design, November, 2019) 

The city and school district leaders believe the new high-tech industry will provide a boost for full-time employment and will expand the tax base over time which will benefit the city  As well, leaders believe the expansion of the Mon/Fayette Expressway will give an economic boost to the  Duquesne City School District and the City of Duquesne; and, they are optimistic that economic, community, and workforce development efforts will have a positive impact on the greater Duquesne community. 

 The Mon/Fayette Expressway (MFE) system consists of four independent but interconnected projects between I-68 near Morgantown, WV and I-376 in Monroeville, PA. The MFE is completed and open to traffic from I-68 in WV to PA Route 51 in Jefferson Hills Borough in southeastern Allegheny County creating 54 continuous miles of expressway. (Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, 2019)  

The remaining project, PA Route 51 to I-376, will extend the current MFE system 14 miles north from PA Route 51 in Jefferson Hills through West Mifflin, Dravosburg, Duquesne, North Versailles, Turtle Creek and Wilkins before connecting to the Parkway East, I-376, near Thompson Run Road in Monroeville. This will complete the 68-mile MFE system allowing continuous travel from West Virginia north to an interchange with the Parkway East in Monroeville.  The acquisition of land between the City Duquesne and I-376 will begin in 2020.  (Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, 2019) 

Duquesne City School District

The current building that houses the Duquesne City School District at 300 Kennedy Avenue was constructed in 1913. It was renovated and had a gymnasium added in 1998. Once a full K-12, the senior high school grade levels (9-12) were closed in 2007, and junior high school grade levels (7th and 8th) were closed in 2012. In the 2021-22 school year, the district returned 7th graders. In 2022-23 school year, the district returned 8th graders.

In 2000, the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) acted under state legislation and appointed a Board of Control for the management of School District budgetary and educational policy. The School District was officially certified as a “Financially Distressed” School District. (Financially Distressed Determination, Pennsylvania Department of Education, October 2000) 

Since that time, the Board’s membership changed every few years and more than a dozen administrators have served to address academic and financial matters.   Pittsburgh Public Schools provided oversight for one year ( 2006-2007) and the Allegheny Intermediate Unit (AIU) managed all academic and business operations for four years (2007-2008 to 2010-2011).  Throughout those years, there were frequent changes in superintendents, principals, teachers, and support staff.   

Similar to the City of Duquesne under an Act 47 Recovery Plan, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania issued a Declaration of Financial Recovery Status for the Duquesne School District in November 2012, noting that Duquesne eliminated its senior high school program in 2007 and its junior high program beginning with the 2012-2013 school year in an effort to reduce overall expenses.  The School District was not able to offer comprehensive educational programs and services such as advanced placement courses, foreign languages, extracurricular activities and competitive athletics, especially at the high school level. 

Further, during the 2012-2013 school year, the Department of Education, working in conjunction with the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas, placed the School District in Receivership and the Court appointed a Receiver to provide oversight and management of academic and financial matters to ensure children and families are provided adequate educational programs and services.  (DCSD Financial Recovery Status, Act 141 of 2012) 

The Duquesne City School District is not governed by an elected school board, but continues to be a state-controlled initiative for oversight of academic and financial matters.  Under the direction of a Court-appointed Receiver to ensure compliance with district-wide systems, policies and procedures, the District's nine school board members are elected by the community at large and serve in an advisory role.  The Chief School Administrator (Superintendent of Schools) is contracted by the Receiver and is commissioned by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. A Chief Recovery Officer, appointed by the Department of Education, serves as an advisor to the Receiver and Superintendent for academic and financial matters. (Financial Recovery Status, Act 141 of 2012, Pennsylvania Department of Education, November 2012) 

The Receiver has authority to take certain actions that streamline approval processes to meet state and federal compliance; to act as the elected Board of School Directors; and to take formal action for all School District matters at the scheduled monthly Receiver Business meetings.  School Directors vote semi-annually, in June to set the Real Estate and Act 511 tax levies and in December at its Reorganization Meeting.  (DCSD Financial Recovery Status, Act 141 of 2012).

The district brought back its eighth graders during the 2022-23 school year and its seventh graders the year before that, becoming the first Pennsylvania school system to reopen its middle school after it had been shuttered.

Today, the School District operates its K-8 school and provides a continuum of educational programs and support services for approximately 482 students. Students in grades 9 to 12 are given the choice to attend either the West Mifflin Area School District or the East Allegheny School District Duquesne City provides transportation and tuition payments for students who attend the secondary school of their choice.