Not everything happens during a convenient time. Family vacations or bonding time might just occur during the school year, and we're not talking about spring break. Sometimes parents can't even get vacation time during the summer. Leave it to a district in California to come up with a solution. If you miss the time, your money is mine. If you want the thrill, pay the bill. If you want to do the hula, give me the moola. Oh, no, the grandma is on a roll.
SCOTTS VALLEY, Calif. — Tired of parents pulling their kids out of school for a ski trip or a visit to Disneyland, the local school system is billing them for the missed class time at $36.13 per day.
That is how much the Scotts Valley district calculates it loses under a state formula that doles out school funding according to daily attendance.
In truth, the bills are merely a request; no one is actually required to pay.
But some parents in the well-to-do community 30 miles south of Silicon Valley are paying up to ease their guilty consciences.
Others are refusing, saying the request is offensive in a state where nearly half the annual budget — $66 billion — already is devoted to education.
I find all of this amusing. As a teacher, I often thought it was strange that we had to provide tutorials and work for students who missed school due to a scheduled vacation. This actually takes a lot of time preparing and grading the work. I used to hate getting a lot of work together and then find that either the student didn't do it or we were in a different place when the kid returned. "Oh, you've already done that assignment. Let me come up with something else. No problem. I have all of the time in the world." As a parent, I understand that sometimes one has to think of the whole family and what works with a schedule. Now, if the ones doing all of the extra work could get a little of the money . . . Or, maybe if the family goes on a hunting trip, they could bring the teacher some fresh game.