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| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
| State Rep. Marc Gergely |
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Gergely: Open communication needed for Duquesne schools solution
HARRISBURG, Oct. 13 – State Rep. Marc Gergely issued the following statement on the state Department of Education indicating the likely closure of the Duquesne City School District:
“If the Corbett administration is moving forward with plans to close the Duquesne City School District, then I am ready and willing to sit down to discuss all of the challenging issues we will face in this difficult process. This conversation requires open communication among all parities affected by the closure, including parents, taxpayers, Senator Brewster and other legislators, the Department of Education, and other stakeholders.
“We must remember this is about finding a long-term solution that meets our obligation to ensure every child in our community has access to a first-class education. The decisions that will be made in the coming months will affect the quality of their education and that impact will last a lifetime.
“I am eager to talk to the governor about the inequities in cuts contained in his budget that slashed per-student support for struggling districts like Duquesne, but contained minimal per-student reductions for affluent districts. If the governor is sincere about his statement this week that some students are consigned to failure because of their ZIP code, then he should immediately begin work to create a fairer school funding formula that doesn’t punish struggling communities with limited means.”
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