Tomorrow, students really count

"Now, let's see. I count one, two, three, four..."

Your kid's got a test tomorrow morning and he's not prepared -- so he's pretending to run a fever. Well, double-check that thermometer, because if he's absent, it'll cost your student and his school in the long run. That's because October 1 is Colorado's official "Count Day" -- the date when attendance numbers at public schools are used to determine how much money each school receives from the state. The Colorado Springs Gazette estimates that facilities will receive between $6,334 and $12,566 per head, meaning that if the one belonging to your kid remains on his pillow, his school will be that much poorer. If he's sick, keep him home. But if he's trying to pull a Ferris Bueller, tell him to get his butt out of bed -- or else write his school a hefty check to make up for the difference. -- Michael Roberts