By James Hannah
The Associated Press

DAYTON, Ohio - Putting all the city's public schools on a year-round calendar would likely improve academic performance and shorten what some feel is a summer vacation that's too long, says school board member Mario Gallin.

"My sense is we have a lot of working parents who would appreciate not having to fill up three months of time," she said. "Even the kids, after the first flush of summer is gone it's like, 'What are we going to do?'"

Superintendent Percy Mack said Thursday he expects the school board to approve his plan, which would convert all the public schools to a year-round calendar with a halved summer vacation. It would be the first major school district in Ohio to go to year-round schools districtwide.

Seven of Dayton's 33 public schools, with about one-fourth of the district's 18,600 students, are already on a year-round calendar.

"You've got two districts on two different calendars," Mack said. "I feel that our board knows we have to get one calendar. They've been very supportive of that all along."

There are only a few year-round schools in the other big-city school districts around the state.