Boston one of 16 districts to receive state grant for extended school day planning

BOSTON - Boston Public Schools was one of 16 school districts in Massachusetts to be awarded state grant funds to begin planning strategies to extend the learning day as approved by the Board of Education yesterday.

Boston was awarded a total of $40,000 to begin planning to expand the learning time in seven middle schools: Edison in Brighton, Edwards in Charlestown, Irving in Roslindale, Timilty in Roxbury, Umana/Barnes in East Boston and Wilson and McCormack, both in Dorchester.

"We have made a commitment to find new ways to provide additional resources to students who need extra help," Superintendent Thomas W. Payzant said. "Extending the school day is one strategy to support those students and their schools."

Each school will use the state grant to explore various models for expanding the day for students in their school community. The principals of each of the seven schools will collaborate with district officials, union representatives, parents and partners to devise plans.

BPS will report back to the Department of Education with specific proposals by January 13, 2006 and, if approved, implement the expansion plans with the start of the new school year in September 2006, contingent upon the availability of additional state funds.

The other school districts selected for the grants, each receiving $25,000, are Cambridge, Fall River, Lawrence, Leominster, Lowell, Malden, North Adams, Old Rochester Regional, Peabody, Randolph, Reading, South Middlesex Regional, Springfield, Ware and Worcester.