They asked the kids what kind of reward they wanted to work for. Schools also must sometimes pick up the bus drivers' overtime pay. If enough children go, Marquee throws in free popcorn and a drink. There have got to be better ways to reward people. Each fall, schools receive money for field trips from the school system's general budget.
Principals can spend the money as they see fit.
They can haul students to Sunrise Museum to explore scientific principles, the state Capitol Complex to learn about government, the Civic Center to watch a play, and Kanawha State Forest and Coonskin Park to picnic and hike. Or they can take them to the movies. In their reviews of school systems in West Virginia, state education auditors sometimes cite schools for shortchanging students on instructional time. If the school is having a number of activities that are not academically related, then it might lead to a noncompliance. Davis said the agency wouldn't necessarily flag a school that took large numbers of students to a bowling alley or movie.