Fenty wants longer summer jobs program

D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty is pushing to extend this year's six-week Summer Youth Employment Program by seven business days, but he needs Council Chairman Vincent C. Gray's help to approve the change, the D.C. Wire reports.

Initially designed by former mayor Marion Barry in the late 1970s, the city's summer jobs program places thousands of city youths with local business or city agencies to give them a paycheck and something to do after the school year has ended.

After taking office in 2007, Fenty expanded the program from six weeks to 10 weeks, but costs soared. Last year, the council pared back this summer's program to six-weeks to try to save money and improve efficiency.

The program, which serves nearly 20,000 youths, is slated to end Aug. 6. But the Fenty administration is asking the council to approve legislation to authorize a new end date of Aug. 17.