The Pittsburgh school board approved a one-year contract last week that allows Superintendent Mark Roosevelt and other city school administrators to help manage a small, troubled district nearby.
The 800-student Duquesne district, about 10 miles southeast of Pittsburgh, has two schools located at a single education center.
The district, which has been on the verge of bankruptcy for several years, has cut spending every year since 2000 and eliminated many academic and extracurricular programs, according to Brian McDonald, a spokesman for the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
Local residents have resisted the option of dissolving the school district and sending students to neighboring districts, Mr. McDonald said.
Under the new management agreement, the Pittsburgh district will oversee day-to-day operations. For its services, it will be paid $500,000 from a state allocation made to help Duquesne hire an outside manager to address its problems.
