worth it.”
“Ooh, I’ll have a diploma that says I can follow the rules and nothing else. I can apply to college and show I can get passing grades but have no athletic talent whatsoever. They’ll be lining up to let me in.”
The girl’s tone should irk me, but the message underneath was too important. “What about your drawing?”
Jaycee frowned. “How’d you know about my art?”
My chest constricted. My mind flashed to being wrapped in Chris’s arms. How was I going to explain this?
“It’s my job to know things about students.” That was the biggest pile of crap I’d ever shoveled. Would Jaycee buy it?
“Lot of good it does me.” Jaycee’s gaze slid out the window, where the gray overcast sky should be the same color blue as the girl’s hair. “Do you know that there is not one single art class available? But we have to take phys ed—for both semesters each year. And play flag football,” she finished bitterly.
I sat back and assessed her. It wasn’t often that a kid wasn’t a good fit for the school. Brains and brawn were treasured more at Preston Academy than artistic skills, and parents tended to raise their kids in their image. Ceramics wouldn’t conquer Wall Street.
And even if I wanted to add alternative programming with the argument that it molded well-rounded students? There wasn’t the money. Offering ten full-ride scholarships to football players, another five to basketball players, and three more for track stars cut into the budget. All the teachers were paid more than in public schools, with the sought-after health insurance and retirement perks to go with it. It was critical to retaining excellent staff.
But it wasn’t the scholarships sinking the school. Investing in the students wasn’t where my concerns were. It was the expectations placed on the large donations from alumni and current families. I had to plan for the drop in contributions when I dropped Thor’s hammer on the spending funneled into the sports programs.
Arguing that touchdowns didn’t conquer Wall Street was as welcome as the Death Star was to Alderon.
Was Jaycee the only student feeling the pressure, or just the only one fearless enough to say it? Punishing her and telling her to suck it up seemed counterintuitive to helping her grow into adulthood.
“Tell you what.” My mind reeled through possibilities and my own excitement increased. What would Jaycee think? “While you’re suspended for the next three days, research what other schools do for their art programs. Types of classes, a club versus a course, and if you’re ambitious, the cost of each option.”
Jaycee’s mouth set in a troubled line. “That sounds like a lot of work for it to end up just another stack of paper on your desk.”
I scanned my desktop. The wide computer screen and keyboard were set to the side and five ordered piles of paper filled the rest.
I tapped a finger on the closest pile. “Health insurance plans.” I moved to a new pile with each description. “Performance evals. Continuing ed options for the staff. School year calendars for each school in the district. And everyone’s favorite, pay sheets.”
“I thought you were like, a teacher or something.”
“In many schools, the principal is a teacher, not that they do much teaching when they reach the office. Preston Academy is a bit different. I’m still a trained educator, but my function is more administrative.”
Her gaze landed on the papers. “You’ll really consider it?”
“The school board has the final approval. I can’t promise anything.” I hesitated with my next thought, but it wouldn’t be fair to falsely raise her hopes. “I’ll be honest. It’ll be a hard sell. That field isn’t a priority to the families that send their kids here. But coming armed with data is the first step.”
“All right. I’ll do it. If only to show the school board that this place is lame.”
“Sometimes the motivation isn’t as important as the outcome.”
Jaycee raised a skeptical eyebrow. “Getting deep there, Shaw—Ms. Shaw.”
“Nice save.” I sought out the phone on my desk like it was a phaser set to kill. “Why don’t you wait out in the main office while I call your dad.”
I waited until Jaycee walked out before dialing so the girl didn’t notice that I knew his number by heart.
Chapter 7
Chris
I locked up the store. My Saturday to work, and I’d spent the whole day waiting for Natalia to wander in like she had a month ago.
Jaycee was with her grandparents. Neither one of us had told Nana and Papa about