Year-round schools have a place in the urban education process. However, the many fiscal pressures facing large city school systems may prohibit them from instituting the rescheduled school year. Only if State governments make fundamental reforms in their educational finance systems can urban school districts participate in the benefits of year-round schools. Without such reforms, urban school systems will be bypassed in the course of educational reform. The author shows how the fiscal capacity of cities is overstated; he documents municipal overburden in cities; and he shows how most suggested alternative methods of State financial aid discriminate against cities. (Author/JF)