Longer school year, longer days for Philadelphia students under voluntary pilot program

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Mayor Cherelle Parker revealed the next phase of her administration's plan to implement year-round schooling in Philadelphia's public schools Thursday, a key element of Parker's election campaign and 100-day action plan .

Speaking at City Hall Thursday, alongside School District of Philadelphia Superintendent Tony Watlington and other public and charter school officials, Mayor Parker discussed her "Full Day Full Year" initiative, which would extend school hours and programming and the number of days students spend in school throughout the year.

"Today we are announcing that this fall we will pilot... 25 pilot extended day, extended year schools," Parker said.

The mayor said the initiative will help close the opportunity gap facing Philadelphia's students and prevent students from forgetting what they learned throughout the year over the summer months.

The district said schools in the program will be open "with programming and specialized enrichment five days a week and for six weeks during the summer, between the hours of 7:30 a.m. - 6 p.m." and that this program is targeted at students in grades K-8.

Speaking alongside Watlington and other educators, the mayor reassured families, students and stakeholders that extended day schooling will not keep children at their desks, inside classrooms, for hours on end.

"We keep them safe. We keep them engaged in productive activities, in things to do when the traditional school day ends," she said.

Parker also reiterated that the extended day pilot program will not change the upcoming school year calendar, and is not mandatory for students to participate.

Here are the schools in the extended day, extended year pilot program

The following 25 schools, 20 Philadelphia public schools and five charter schools will be included in the extended day/extended year pilot program:

1. B. Anderson Elementary School
2. Belmont Charter School
3. Laura H. Carnell Elementary School
4. George W. Childs Elementary School
5. William Cramp Elementary School
6. Franklin S. Edmonds Elementary School
7. Louis H. Farrell Elementary School
8. Edward Gideon Elementary School
9. Samuel Gompers Elementary School
10. Joseph Greenberg Elementary School
11. Juniata Park Academy
12. Alain Locke Elementary School
13. Mastery Charter School - Pickett Campus
14. Thomas G. Morton Elementary School
15. Northwood Academy Charter School
16. Overbrook Educational School
17. Pan American Academy Charter School
18. Thomas M. Peirce Elementary School
19. Joseph Pennell Elementary School
20. Southwark School
21. Solomon Solis-Cohen Elementary School
22. Universal Creighton Charter School
23. Vare-Washington Elementary School
24. John H. Webster Elementary School
25. Richard R. Wright Elementary School

Following the mayor's announcement, Philadelphia Federation of Teachers president-elect Arthur Steinberg said in a statement, "The Philadelphia Federation of Teachers has requested more information about the pilot and its potential impact on our members from Superintendent Watlington's administration. As we await direct communication from the District, we intend to have more information to share with our members in the very near future."

"Research shows us that extended day and extended year, when coupled with highly qualified and well supported teachers, highly qualified and well supported principals... and when we build equal partnership with parents, we can't do anything but rise and improve achievement," Watlington said Thursday.

Back in April, Watlington told Philadelphia councilmembers that he and the mayor were looking initially at 20 schools to include in the pilot program for the 2024-25 school year.

"For year one, we are looking to expand before and after school and to layer on some enriching activities," Watlington said. "The Mayor has been very clear that we ought to have state-of-the-art chess and STEM and robotics, the things that extend reading, math, science, but that are also fun and engaging that give our kids. Things that they're really interested in."

Watlington went on to tell the council that after year one, the district would work on extended summer programming. Then for the 2025-26 school year, the district would work to extend the full school year calendar.

"We eliminate the long break in the summer, but they'll get breaks during the year," he said. "So they won't go to school 365 days or 300 days a year. They'll have holidays and they'll have small breaks built in."

Earlier this month, the city council gave preliminary approval to Parker's $6.3 billion "One Philly" budget , which includes $239 million for her educational priorities.

That funding includes support for extended-day and "extended-year enrichment" opportunities. Parker has also said she plans to invest in modernizing the city's schools.

The mayor and a coalition of leaders, including public and charter school leaders, lawmakers and union heads, came together in June to voice their support for a Pennsylvania House bill that would inject $5.1 billion in new state funding to schools across the Commonwealth over seven years. Philadelphia public schools would see $1.4 billion in that time and $242 million in new money for the upcoming school year.

At the time, Watlington said the money would be "significant" and help the district fund a variety of areas. House Bill 2370 passed 107-94 but faces an uncertain future in the GOP-controlled state Senate.