After Bob Germaine was elected Highlands County Clerk of Courts, he retired in December from his old job, senior director of court services. For the rest of his life, he'll get a check from the Florida Retirement System. ...more

April 2, 2009

Hillsborough County School Board member April Griffin said she feels like Charlie Brown's schoolteacher when she travels to Tallahassee to talk to lawmakers about increasing education funding. ...more

April 1, 2009

Florida's senators would spare schools from much of the cuts they feared but would force conditions that education leaders call too heavy-handed. ...more

April 1, 2009

The scary thing, say those who advocate for schools and their leaders, is that a Florida Senate committee came up with a budget that's not so bad, considering the economy. Scary because senators would start making financial decisions advocates say are best left to local school districts. ...more

March 31, 2009

Work crews have plugged most of the sinkholes that closed six area roads. ...more

March 25, 2009

The upcoming dedication of Sgt. Smith Middle School will feature a patriotic theme to match its name. ...more

March 25, 2009

School board members indefinitely shelved the issue of student uniforms during a workshop on Monday. ...more

March 24, 2009

A year ago, it seemed the perfect match. Two physical education teachers at San Antonio Elementary planned to start a before- and after-school program to provide a mixture of homework time, exercise time and child care. ...more

March 21, 2009

In the face of state budgets cuts and a faltering economy, the School Board of Highlands County is boosting its usual annual presence at the legislative session in Tallahassee. ...more

March 20, 2009

We all know current economic times are stressful; there is a significant lack of funds coming into our state and local government. Our schools are suffering losses in income. I have read reports that Highlands County will need to operate with at least 30 less teachers next year. My basic question is, can we continue to offer quality education to our students with 30 fewer teachers? ...more

March 19, 2009