"Why did some school districts (e.g. Rochester, Troy, Oxford) wait until after 5 a.m. this morning to make the decision to close school?" asked one reader. "Couldn't they have made the decision last night? Wasn't it obvious by 10 or 11 p.m. that the snow was falling and that the meteorologists got this one right? What an inconvenience to parents who live in the districts that dragged their feet on making the inevitable decision."

This comment came from a reader today and it's a good question, especially because I suspect that school leaders knew they were going to cancel classes, due to the impending school count day on Wednesday.

Why hold school on a day when everyone is told that it is likely to be a snow day, a day that everyone is blasted with media reports of a foot of snow, a day that is bound to keep a large percentage of students home.

Some people just don't like to drive in the snow. 

It's too bad that school leaders cannot have more flexibility with their school count days. I say, instead of debating the issue or closing just for the count, if weather appears to be a problem, then a school leader (or even a county-wide Intermediate district) could simply announce that the count day is moved a week back.

That would help the state's school districts, who nowadays seem backed into a corner of playing games on count day. 

I mean, winning prizes for coming to school???? Cash gifts or iPods? 

What has happened? 

We live in Michigan, and weather should be factored into these funding-based rules.