Why would YOUR support go down becasue SHE makes less money? If you're saying that the higher level she'd make when she starts working again, once figured into the formula, will make your support amount lower, then great... wait till she's out of school and earning at a higher level and apply to have your support lowered. If the formula makes it a substantial change, then you'll have no problem with it.

But if you somehow think your support should be lower because she now earns less? That makes no sense. Why would you want that? Are you jealous that she was able to get funding to pay for another year or two of school and you want to... what... make it so she can't afford to feed your child while she's in school?

I understand being frustrated when the ex seems to be able to afford stuff when they're getting supported by you and you can't afford it, but you have no idea what she's doing to get funded for school, and you have no right to examine it and say whether you think she's making a good investment in her future by taking this sacrifice in lifestyle for a year or so. And that's why, if she ASKED for an increase in support because she was earning less, she should be slapped down by the jduge... the judge would just tell her that this was her choice and she can't get more from you just because she chooses to earn less for a year or two. Same if you found funding & went to school. You could get your employer to finance it like my husband did, or you could sell your house and use the proceeds, or you could get your parents to lend or give you the money, or maybe you'd be eligible for a grant or scholarship. You would have to decide whether it was a good investment to take the loans and home equity and go back to school, and you'd not be allowed to reduce your child support whiel you were in school, because again, the child still eats even if you are choosing not to earn as much... you'd simply have to figure child support as a part of the price of living that you'd have to pay to go to school.

And then when you got out & got a job again, your new income would be calculated & teh child support amount would probably go up... just like when she gets out of school and her income goes up, her new income amount will be put into the formula if your state counts the receiving spouse's income, and the total amount of support will be adjusted accordingly.

But I don't see what her decision to go to school has to do with your child's need to eat and have a roof over thier head! Or why your own support would go down just becasue she figured out a way to support herself in returning to school on a temporary basis! I mean, you DO want your child to EAT, right? And clearly if her income is now nothing, the child's sole support is coming from you, so why would you think it made sense to REDUCE your portion of support? It doesn't make sense unless it's pure jealousy over her having figured out how to finance some college for herself.

Will it help you to remind yourself that she'll probably be living off of credit cards and will have a ton of loans to pay off once it's over? I mean, that also has nothing to do with your child and whether or not there's enough food for your child to eat, but if you understand that your ex will be suffering for her choice to return to school, it might make you feel somehow better?