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Today's news

ARRESTED YET AGAIN: Former Hillsborough teacher Stephanie Ragusa, already facing charges for having sex with two underage male students, is picked up Monday leaving one of the victim's home. Officials say they had sex.
EVOLUTION BILL DANGLING: The House doesn't like the Senate version, and the Senate isn't too thrilled with the House language. The bill sponsors are trying to work out a deal.
LET THE GRADUATIONS BEGIN: Pasco-Hernando Community College is getting ready for its big day. USF is having extra ceremonies to pass out a record number of diplomas.
WORSE BY THE DAY: Pasco school leaders had talked about cutting the budget by $20-million. Less than a week later, they upped the figure to $30-million. The 2008-09 state budget came out Monday, the Tallahassee Democrat reports. Lee officials keep on cutting to meet new budget goals, this time targeting such areas as overtime, musical instrument repair and intramurals, the Naples Daily News reports. In Miami-Dade, there's talk of postponing raises, increasing meal prices and cutting some transportation, the Miami Herald reports.
PRAYER IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS: The Americans United for the Separation of Church and State is preparing a complaint against Manatee principal Mike Rio, saying he and his teachers regularly use the school for prayer meetings, the Herald-Tribune reports.
VOUCHERS WORK: Florida's McKay Scholarship program has improved the education of special needs students, Marcus Winters and Jay Greene of the Manhattan Institute write in an op-ed piece for the Washington Times.
ON THE PROWL: University of West Florida president John Cavanaugh is a finalist for another job for the second time in two years - a surprise to trustees who recently gave him a five-year contract, the Pensacola News-Journal reports.
NEW LIFE FOR CLOSED SCHOOL: A charter school operator wants to operate at a campus that Volusia's school board plans to shut down, the Daytona Beach News-Journal reports.
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Gradebook features education articles and insights on schools in Florida, focusing on Tampa Bay area schools. What's the latest from the Florida Department of Education? How is the FCAT being used to compare Florida schools? What's going in on in Tampa Bay schools? Get an insider's view from the Times education reporting team.
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THE TEAM
| Rebecca Catalanello covers Pinellas County schools. E-mail her: rcatalanello@tampabay.com. |
| Tony Marrero covers Hernando County schools. E-mail him: tmarrero@tampabay.com. |
| Marlene Sokol covers Hillsborough County schools. E-mail her: sokol@tampabay.com. |
| Ron Matus covers Pinellas County schools. E-mail him: matus@tampabay.com. |
| Jeffrey S. Solochek covers Pasco County schools. E-mail him: solochek@tampabay.com. |
| Kim Wilmath covers the University of South Florida. E-mail her: kwilmath@tampabay.com. |
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