(sigh) the lunacy never ends - suggestion on how to handle?

[DecentDad]

Soc,

Per orders, we have joint/joint.  Orders don't specify how major decisions are to be made.

Biomom, who claims she only makes $200 per month and who went Chapter 7 bankrupt in 2004, is wanting to enroll daughter in private elementary school for kindergarten this fall.

Given that biomom has no money, and that I'm repaying $50k of debt due to attorney/evaluator costs, private school ain't an option.

I asked her to outline her proposal for paying the $15k tuition.  She refuses to address it.  Her fashion is to ignore reality, do what she wants, and expect others to swoop in and fund/support her.

If we were lacking for good public schools, I'd see private school as a necessity.

However, the public elementary school for biomom's neighborhood is in top 10 percentile in state for API score.  I downloaded state data for API scores.  For API, that school is in the top 1% of all 2,000 public schools in L.A. County.  In LAUSD, it's #3 out of 600 schools.

In my neighborhood, the public elementary school is also in top 10 percentile in the state for API score, but not as stellar as the one in biomom's neighborhood.  However, there is also a magnet school in my district that opens a lottery April 15 for fall kindergarten, and residents of the district are weighted more heavily.

I'd hope daughter could attend either the public school near biomom, or the magnet school near me.

Child doesn't have special needs, btw.

1.  If biomom refuses to discuss a reasonable plan for kindergarten, should I just move forward with registering daughter in my district for kindergarten and trying to get her into the magnet school (i.e., and perhaps let that be a back-up if biomom's plan inevitably fails)?

2.  It's idiocy to ask the court to get involved, but given the vagueness of the orders-- is it reasonable to outline the above to the court, and ask the court to decide?  Or better approach to outline the above and ask the court to give me the decision-making on education?


Thanks,
DD

[socrateaser]

If mom enrolls child in private school, then she will have to pay for it, unless you agreed to pay in the stipulated judgment.

I would do nothing and wait and see what mom does.

[DecentDad]

We're ordered to split health expenses not covered by insurance, but no mention of any educational expenses.

If not mentioned in orders, I assume that's why I pay child support -- and education expenses are paid out of that support, no?

Thanks

[socrateaser]

>We're ordered to split health expenses not covered by
>insurance, but no mention of any educational expenses.
>
>If not mentioned in orders, I assume that's why I pay child
>support -- and education expenses are paid out of that
>support, no?
>
>Thanks

As long as there is a public school available, the court cannot lawfully order you to pay for the child's education.

[DecentDad]

.