FAMU - A FAMILY TRADITION:  Florida A&M University is more than a troubled institution in the state's black communities. It's a way of life, and families remain fiercely true to their school despite its woes. Speaking of which, new president James Ammons will investigate why 242 employees didn't get paid this week, the AP reports. As for the school's problems, former interim president Castell Bryant gives her perspective in a Q&A with Bill Maxwell.

TOO FAR TO WALK: School children who attend Wimauma Elementary are losing their bus route because they live closer than 2 miles from campus. District officials say it's a financial decision. Parents have other concerns, like the 22 sexual predators who live within 5 miles of the school, and the unkempt roadways, and speeding trucks.

YOU PROMISED: To get their children into Challenger K-8, a Brooksville-area magnet school, parents had to sign papers pledging to volunteer at least 8 hours a year. Some failed. Now their kids are getting kicked out.

GETTING IN IS HARD TO DO: Competition to attend the University of Florida is at an all-time high, three years after the school capped the size of its freshman class. This year, just 42 percent of applicants were accepted, the Herald-Tribune reports.

DID THEY REALLY DROP OUT? Nope. In many instances, students simply left high school to attend adult ed programs, the Stuart News reports. But whether they finish or not, they're not considered dropouts, raising concerns about whether the state calculates graduation rates appropriately.

TAKING A CHANCE: Even as several charter schools close, failed financially or academically, a larger number seek to open as parents seek something new for their kids and educators strive to provide it, the Miami Herald reports.

A TRIP TO STAPLES COULD HELP: A disheveled package headed for Eastern Illinois University's admission office prompted emergency officials to evacuate a building. It was, of course, an application, the AP reports. Yes, they kept it.