TAKE NO KICKBACKS: Attorney General Bill McCollum offers a code of conduct for Florida's university financial aid officers. A national expert calls the proposal, which the Board of Governors will consider Thursday, "unambitious."

BACK PAY FOR THE HOLIDAYS: The Pasco School Board approves raises for all district employees. If the workers ratify the deal later this week, they will get their checks before winter break.

TOO AMBITIOUS: Hernando school officials should take more time to plan a school for the gifted, the Times editorializes.

PROTECTING THE PENSION FUND: Gov. Crist is reluctant to bail out the investment pool that school boards and other local governments put their money into, the Tallahassee Democrat reports. "What I think is mandatory and most important is we protect the pension fund for people rather than this municipals fund in essence for local governments," Crist said Monday. Here's the Washington Post take on what's happening.

GETTING ON THE SAME PAGE: Florida's public universities are considering performance contracts with the state, to help guide overall funding decisions, the Sun-Sentinel reports.

CHARTER REFORM: The Florida Senate is poised to begin writing legislation that would hold charter schools to tougher standards, the Orlando Sentinel reports.

CRACKDOWN ON DOWNLOADS: Several colleges and universities, including UCF and the University of Tampa, are installing  programs to prevent illegal music file sharing, the Palm Beach Post reports.

ARTS SUFFER: As schools deal with state and federal accountability measures, kids get less music and art education, the Panama City News Herald reports. Schools are losing their electives to add courses like remedial reading.

RILED UP: The St. Lucie school district removed "condom field trips" from its proposed new sex-ed program. But opponents are not appeased, the Palm Beach Post reports.

NEVERMIND THAT NEVERMIND: Broward's superintendent had recommended not building a new high school after months of failure trying to find a site. Less than a week later, he floats a new proposal to build the school in yet another place, the Miami Herald reports.

LAGGING IN MATH AND SCIENCE: Students in other industrialized countries outperform US teens on the Program for International Student Assessment, the AP reports.