Mayor John Hickenlooper's edict that a department head drop the graduate studies she was pursuing on city time turned out to be short-lived.

In May, Hickenlooper said Kim Bailey would have to "discontinue" her doctorate program after the Rocky Mountain News reported that the parks and recreation manager missed more than 13 weeks of work over a 13-month period.

On Tuesday, Bailey said she planned to return to her studies in the fall.

"I was not taking classes over the summer, but I am committed to finishing my Ph.D.," she said. "I'm very conscious of trying to make sure that work remains the priority and that the classes that I take work within my schedule."

But Bailey also said a playground master plan she's been working on for the city may "count toward independent study" as part of her degree.

The registrar's office at the University of Colorado at Denver said Bailey, who is pursuing a doctorate in design and planning, is enrolled for three credit hours in the fall.

Hickenlooper, who is recommending Bailey get a $5,197 raise on top of her $110,423 salary, said he didn't know of her plans to return to school until Tuesday but was going to talk to her about it today.

"If she's planning to go back to school, I feel fairly certain that she has addressed the most pressing issues that I was most concerned about," he said. "We will discuss those in some detail and make sure that her first and highest priority is parks and rec."

Between March 2006 and March 2007, Bailey was away from work for 534.5 hours, or 13.4 weeks. Of that total, an estimated 110.5 hours were spent going to school during regular business hours. Since the Rocky reported her absences, Bailey has taken 20 hours of personal time off.

Hickenlooper, an English major, said he didn't mean Bailey would end her studies when he used the word "discontinue."

"If we had agreed to terminate her studies, I would have said 'terminate,' " the mayor said.

Hickenlooper said he's hearing good things about Bailey and her department in the community.

"In the last three months, I think there is a marked difference," he said.

Hickenlooper also said he doesn't mind that Bailey may use the playground master plan, which was developed on city time, as part of her course work.

Parks and Recreation spokeswoman Jill McGranahan said Bailey used the plan "as an example of how she could try to do independent study rather than actually attend classes."

The plan will set standards for playground development, including where new playgrounds are needed and where existing playgrounds are outdated and need to be replaced, McGranahan said.

chacond@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5099