re-training for a PhD?

[thefunone]

My STBX - worked before our children were born - worked after our first was born and has worked...gradually during the last couple of years at teaching part time at the local college - since our second has started school. Now working a grand total of 6hrs a week. I am understanding of that as our youngest is in school half days until Sept 2012....and can accept it.
In the initial stages of trying to get an agreement worked out - she has indicated that while she currently holds an MBA - she would like to pursue a PhD and I should be prepared to cover her schooling - re-training - for this. There is absolutely no way I could afford to pay for her to get a PhD. She has the qualifications to be teaching more - or doing something...anything....more.....but she is claiming no work. She threatens this PhD to try to get me stop demanding that she provide me a date when she expects to be back working FULL TIME.
How do you get blood from a stone when I'm already providing more than half of my salary in SS and CS? There are jobs out there that she could easily obtain in the 40-60K range given her education but...she likes her summers and time off ....and given the current SS and CS I pay she has no financial need to work more than what she is....she wants me to front load SS payments so she gets her PhD...but offers no time limit...no end result. I can't leave something so open ended....suggestions?

[HammerDad]

File a motion to impute her income to a full time teaching wage in her district.

She can claim no work, but it will be on her to prove she has attempted to find work and it does not exist.

She can get her PhD all she wants. But you also have the right to request that her income be imputed to a level that she is capable of earning. Go on the school district websites and look for job posting in the area. You can use those as evidence there is work and that she is willfully under-employing herself.

[thefunone]

You have been a source of help today Hammer - thanks again

[happy_dad]

I'm no expert in what your agreement says but it seems unreasonable to me. I do have experperience in the PhD thing. Depending on her field, it will take her at least 4 years with no gurarantee of full time work afterwards. She is probably just as employable right now with the MBA. In fact she is probably more employable now. Add the PhD and she will then be over-qualified for lots of jobs.

[thefunone]

That was part of my argument - plus by that time she will be in her mid 40s with no teaching experience at the PhD level. If she wants to have it in the SA that upon completion of her PhD in four yrs - she will forego SS because she will make similar to my wage - then I may just have to think about it...but she will never do that because she can't guarantee a PhD job will appear. She IS more employable now...she just doesn't want to be. As I indicated - I am fine with no fulltime work until Sept 2012...after that...there is no reason she cannot be employed full time. Thanks