SEBRING — Creating a smaller budget, due to reduced state funding, should not be done by eliminating teaching positions, School Board of Highlands County members said Tuesday. To provide time for more discussion, the board discussed tabling the reappointment roster – the listing of teachers and administrators who will have jobs with the district in 2008-09. But with the contract year ending June 30 and the next scheduled school board meeting on July 8, that would have left a gap where employees would not have a job. ...more

June 25, 2008

LAND O' LAKES - It could have been a time for celebration when Sandra Toner's 10-year-old son, Jacob, conquered the third grade FCAT reading exam, even if he did it with a minimal passing score. ...more

June 21, 2008

LAND O' LAKES - Athletics has always served as a microcosm of life for its participants. When things go awry, on or off the field, adjust and move forward. ...more

May 22, 2008

LAND O' LAKES - Pasco County third-graders showed improvement in FCAT scores for reading and math, but their math scores still lag behind the state average. ...more

May 22, 2008

SEBRING — The school district's state funding will be cut about $3.3 million for the 2008-09 fiscal year, prompting the district to consider cutting teaching and support positions. The two-year teacher contract needs to be funded, and health insurance and electricity and fuel costs are increasing, Mike Averyt, assistant superintendent of business/operations, said Monday. So the budget needs to be cut by about $7 million, he said. ...more

May 12, 2008

Hillsborough County School District officials are shaping new cell phone rules likely to ignite some fiery text messages among students. ...more

May 8, 2008

A Seven Oaks Elementary paraprofessional who was investigated after a parent complained she taped students' mouths shut has resigned, a Pasco County School District official said Wednesday. ...more

May 8, 2008

WESLEY CHAPEL - A Seven Oaks Elementary paraprofessional who was investigated after a parent complained she taped students' mouths shut has resigned, a Pasco County School District official said today. That puts an end to the case because the sheriff's office already determined no crime was committed and the paraprofessional held no certification that state officials would need to review, Assistant Superintendent Renalia DuBose said. ...more

May 7, 2008

LAND O' LAKES - The telephone call that spelled the end of Jim Piculas' career as a substitute teacher in Pasco County came on a January day about a week after he performed the disappearing-toothpick trick for a group of rapt middle school students. ...more

May 6, 2008

SEBRING — Highlands County School Board members said Monday they want to move forward with the Career Academy in some form, even if the first year has a low enrollment. Through the joint venture with South Florida Community College, the Career Academy would allow students to earn a high school diploma and a certificate or associate's degree in a technical discipline such as computer networking, automotive service technology, medical secretary, cosmetology, computer engineering, culinary arts or electronics. ...more

May 5, 2008