Why families won't move to Chicago?: Daley envisions year round school

Daley sees year-round school in Chicago's future (AP) - It's only a matter of time before Chicago's public schools switch to a year-round schedule, Mayor Richard Daley said Tuesday. Daley did not have a timetable for the plan, but he said American schools need to do more to prepare students to enter the work force and college. "The idea, still having two months off, is ridiculous in this country," Daley said. "If you're going to compete with India and China, they're going to school six days a week and they don't take the summer off." Money is the biggest hurdle to extending the year for the nation's third-largest school district, Daley said at the dedication of the new Little Village High School campus on the city's southwest side. "We're spending $16 billion for the NASA program, why can't we spend money for summer programs for every child here in this country?" Daley said. Schools could use the summer to conduct a "camp" that combines recreation and education programs, Daley said. A group of Hispanic lawmakers plan to introduce a bill to extend the school year for the entire state, said state Sen. Martin Sandoval, D-Cicero. Officials would have to hammer out the details of a year-round plan with the teachers' union, said Michael Scott, president of the Chicago Board of Education. "Time on task is a part of our union negotiations and working with the union to make sure that they appreciate the fact that if you want to be a better car driver, you have to drive more," Scott said. "In order for us to get better and better at reading and better at math you have to do it more often.">