PUB TYPE Speeches/Conference Papers (150) Information Analyses (070) Viewpoints (Opinion/Position Papers, Essays, etc.) (120)

This paper presents a case for the implementation of year-round education, arguing that education needs to effectively and efficiently utilize school facilities. The paper focuses on the cost of implementing and operating year--round schools--the impact on support services, transportation, facilities, and maintenance. Data are based on a review of several studies across the nation that examined the costs of year-round schooling. Findings indicate that when moving to a multitrack vear-round program, the break-even point in cost occurs when a school's enrollment exceeds 16 percent of its stated facility capacity. Students in a school that exceeds 120 percent of its capacity will probably generate both operational and capital savings. A study of six school districts (Coleman and Freeborn, 1993) found that when building capacity was up to 110 percent, mobile units were less expensive than the initiation of a multi-track program. Single-track programs appear to offer cos