Douglass Elementary in Walnut Hills next year will be the first Cincinnati Public elementary school to offer a year-round calendar that includes extra school days.

        When school starts this summer, Douglass will be one of just a handful of Tristate schools to have mandatory classes during summer months.

        The district administration has recommended for the 400-student neighborhood school to have 17 more school days than now, increasing from 181 days to 198.

        “I think it's going to impact student achievement by providing less down time for students to forget (what they've learned during the school year),” said CPS director of curriculum Terry Joyner. “This is going to be a big plus for urban children.”

        The school's budget is expected to increase by about 9 percent to accommodate extra staff hours, transportation, and school operational costs, said district spokeswoman Jan Leslie. Now, Douglass' general fund amounts to $2.1 million.

        The projected increase could change depending on the students who enroll, Ms. Leslie said. Enrollment is open first to current Douglass students, then students who were in Crest Hills this year, and finally to other students in district quadrants 3 and 4. Interested parents should call the district for information.

        Ms. Joyner and a handful of educators and community members began last fall designing the school plan to replace a program at Crest Hills Year-Round School in Roselawn. That program, which was launched in the mid-90s, offers the same number of instructional days as other CPS schools but spreads the days throughout the school year and summer.

        “That model was not shown to be successful in improving student achievement,” Ms. Joyner said.

        She said research shows alternating the school calendar is not enough to improve student achievement.

        Sharon Johnson, a Douglass parent, said the extra instructional time can be helpful but she's not happy about the change and may move her daughter out of the school. She said the school's schedule could get in the way of family vacations because her older child who goes to Woodward High School would be on a different schedule.

        “They're not close in age but they're close to each other,” The Walnut Hills resident said. “This will make it hard for them to spend time together when the younger one is in school.”

        If the board of education approves the school's calendar, Douglass' year will be broken into four quarters with a fall recess, winter recess, spring vacation and monthlong summer recess. Students will have an option of attending a two-week summer enrichment program during July.

        Several school districts in Northern Kentucky have or are shifting to year-round calendars, but they haven't added instructional school days like Douglass. Instead, they spread their school days throughout the year to include summer classes.

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