Opinion ID: 1811795
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: whether the trial court correctly apportioned the amount of college expenses to be paid by each party.

Text: ¶ 19. Fancher argues that the 70/30 college expense split is unfair because he is already paying 35 percent of his net pay in child support, and this figure is higher than the statutorily mandated 22 percent of the child support guidelines of Miss.Code Ann. § 43-19-101 (2000). ¶ 20. This Court has said that an award of child support is a matter within the discretion of the chancellor and that determination will not be reversed unless the chancellor was manifestly wrong in his finding of fact or manifestly abused his discretion. Gillespie v. Gillespie, 594 So.2d 620, 622 (Miss.1992). Furthermore, [t]he process of weighing evidence and arriving at an award of child support is essentially an exercise in fact-finding, which customarily significantly restrains this Court's review. Id. ¶ 21. Pell cites Clark v. Clark, 754 So.2d 450 (Miss.1999), which cites Clausel v. Clausel, 714 So.2d 265, 267 (Miss.1998), as precedent explaining that the statutory guidelines are not intended to per se control how much child support a party pays. In Clausel, we found the chancellor manifestly in error for upholding an award of $750 in child support for two children, which was nearly $530 above the statutory guidelines. We found the chancellor in Clausel made no evidentiary finding of the husband's financial ability. We did hold, however, the guidelines do not control per se the amount of an award of child support. (citing Draper v. Draper, 658 So.2d 866, 869 (Miss.1995)). The award in Clausel accounted for nearly half of the father's monthly income and we reversed, finding the chancellor manifestly in error. ¶ 22. In Clausel, we gave several guidelines for courts to consider when making or modifying an award of child support. To overcome the rebuttable presumption that the statutory guidelines are appropriate, thereby making application of the guidelines unjust in a particular case, this Court looks to these factors: (a) Extraordinary medical, psychological, educational or dental expenses. (b) Independent income of the child. (c) The payment of both child support and spousal support to the obligee. (d) Seasonal variations in one or both parents' incomes or expenses. (e) The age of the child, taking into account the greater needs of older children. (f) Special needs that have traditionally been met within the family budget even though the fulfilling of those needs will cause the support to exceed the proposed guidelines. (g) The particular shared parental arrangement, such as where the noncustodial parent spends a great deal of time with the children thereby reducing the financial expenditures incurred by the custodial parent, or the refusal of the noncustodial parent to become involved in the activities of the child, or giving due consideration to the custodial parent's homemaking services. (h) Total available assets of the obligee, obligor and the child. (i) Any other adjustment which is needed to achieve an equitable result which may include, but not be limited to, a reasonable and necessary existing expense or debt. Clausel, 714 So.2d at 266 (emphasis added). ¶ 23. Additionally, this Court has held that although college expenses are not technically `child support', a parent may be ordered by the court to pay them. A parent may also be ordered to pay some portion of the resulting expenses of college, in addition just to tuition. Lawrence v. Lawrence, 574 So.2d 1376, 1382 (Miss.1991). Moreover, payments such as college tuition will seldom qualify [as offset for child support], as they do not diminish the child's need for food, clothing and shelter. Varner v. Varner, 588 So.2d 428, 435 (Miss.1991). ¶ 24. The divorce decree stated that all three children will be provided with a college education at the appropriate time according to the ability and desires of the child and in keeping with the means and ability of Husband and Wife. This is in addition to the child support provisions of the agreement, which were $1350 per month at the time of the divorce. ¶ 25. Pell offered into evidence numerous letters wherein she offered to pay half of the college expenses. Fancher testified at the hearing that he did not think the 50/50 split was fair and he wished to pay less than that. The chancellor ordered Fancher to pay 70 percent of Phillip's USM education, including tuition, books, meals, and housing. Also, Fancher was ordered to reimburse Phillip for 70 percent of the summer school classes and to reimburse Pell for 70 percent of the dual enrollment classes. Fancher's per-child support of $553.00 was ordered reduced by 70 percent as to Phillip for the time he was in college. The chancellor found Fancher's adjusted gross income was $72,975.00, while Pell's was $30,660.00. With the 70 percent reduction in Phillip's child support during college, Fancher would pay a monthly child support payment of $1273.00. The chancellor also ordered Fancher to pay the full personal expenses of Phillip, amounting to ten monthly installments of $185 for the months Phillip was in college. He was to pay this amount directly to Phillip. Finally, the chancellor ordered Fancher to pay $2500.00, representing a lump sum attorney's fee payment for Pell's attorney's fees to bring the action. The chancellor believed the attorney's fee award was justified because we could have gotten this all worked out without doing this (the hearing). ¶ 26. Pursuant to the chancellor's ruling, Fancher was required to pay $5,835.20, or 70 percent of one year's tuition and expenses at USM. Additionally, Fancher was required to pay $165.90 per month in child support for Phillip during the college months, reduced by 70 percent of the usual per-child rate. Fancher was also directed to pay Phillip $185 per month for various college expenses during the months Phillip is in college. Thus, Fancher would have to pay a total of $9,344.20 for the ten months Phillip would be attending in college. As the chancellor found, Fancher's adjusted gross income is $72,975.00, thereby meaning that the college costs are 12.8 percent of Fancher's adjusted gross income. When one adds in the per-child cost of child support ($553 × 2 children)=$1,106 per month times 12 months=$13,272.00, along with Phillip's college expense and support, or $9,344.00, the total amount is $22,616.00, or roughly 30 percent of Fancher's adjusted gross income. This figure is 8 percent higher than the statutory mandate, and we have said that payment such as college tuition will seldom qualify to diminish child support payments. Varner, 588 So.2d at 435. ¶ 27. This 8 percent award over the statutory guidelines is appropriate when considering the facts and circumstances peculiar to this particular case. It certainly is more appropriate than a fifty/fifty split of the college expenses, as Fancher simply makes more and can afford to spend more than Pell, who had an adjusted gross income of $30,660.00, as found by the chancellor. ¶ 28. When the guidelines we handed down in Clausel are considered, namely guidelines (e) and (h) found in Miss.Code Ann. § 43-19-103, which provide, respectively, for greater expenses for older children, and consideration of the assets of each parent, we find no manifest error in the chancellor's findings. Also, as we held in Varner, the child support payments can not be used to offset the responsibility for the costs of education.