From: root@dogear.spk.wa.us (Bob Kirkpatrick)
Newsgroups: alt.child-support
Subject: Re: knee jerk
Date: 11 Apr 92 07:32:46 GMT
Organization: Dog Ear'd Systems of Spokane, WA

In article <1992Apr8.234931.1779@memstvx1.memst.edu> thrushea@memstvx1.memst.edu writes:
>Question:  I have an 18 year old who is about to start college.  The
>schools, understandably, are not willing to give us much financial aid
>because of her father's income - why should they use their money to
>educate a child who has parents with income when there are other kids
>who don't? 

Schools base their financial aid according to federal regulations. They go
by the income tax forms of their custodian for the previous year. (If the
student did not have significant income of their own).

Since you are the custodian, they're basing their determination on your
income, not the income of the dad. That is, unless you filled out the
application forms in such a way as to lead the evaluators to determine that
the father is a custodian, and therefore his income may be used.

>But her father doesn't want to pay what the schools consider
>his rightful contribution. He wants to "get the shackles off". So
>does she give up the chance for a good education?  I've saved and
>have some home equity and I'm perfectly willing to use it, but should
>I have to be wiped out because he doesn't want to carry his share?

Child support amounts are set according to tables which include educational
costs, and in circumstances where the courts believe that an NCP has
disposable income sufficient to assess 'special educational costs' then they
do.

Also it is not the school's job to determine what support an NCP must pay.
The courts do that, and if they can find a penny to take, they take it.

>Of course, she plans to work while in school - that's part of the
>aid we ARE being offered. She's very bright, and an investment in
>her education will definitely pay off all the way around.  Most of
>you must have gone to college - and a lot of it was probably paid for
>by your parents. How would you have felt about having to give it
>up and resign yourself to either an inferior education or a lifetime
>in minimum wage jobs while one of your parents lived in a house with
>a pool and a hot tub and flew himself places in private planes?

I paid for all of my education. It took me nine years. I have no sympathy for
you. I know that a number of the people here paid for their own educations
--going to school at night. 

The man whose post you're responding to paid his own way --and he did it
while supporting a family.

Dads get tossed out of school condemning them to a low-pay careers all the
time. For someone who is interested in equity, then you should be willing to
point out the employment office to your daughter --or do what the court had
me do --either quit the only full-time job I could find and get some etherial
'better paying job' or get a second part time job. Maybe you might think that
helping to earn her way with a full-time job and part time college is
inferior, but hey, it's equal. If you don't want her to, then do what I had
to. Work a full time job and a part time job.

-- 
Bob Kirkpatrick                      "Stone cold."
Dog Ear'd Systems of Spokane, WA      ...and I thought I knew you so well."
root@dogear.spk.wa.us                                           
Xref: sparky alt.child-support:1081 alt.dads-rights:662