MEET THE CANDIDATES: The four aspirants to become Pinellas superintendent sit down with the School Board for a talk.

DROP IN: Michael DaConceicao left high school six years ago to have his own little party. Now he's graduating from Pasco's adult education program. (Photo special to the Times)

BALLOT SET: The Pinellas elections office settles the question of who will appear on the November ballot for School Board.

FIX IT OR FORGET IT: The Hernando School Board gives Mavericks in Education an Oct. 1 deadline to improve its charter school application.

SEEKING A RAISE: Pasco employees ask for 3 percent raises during contract talks. Maybe FSU offers a clue, with administrators making additional budget cuts to give employees 3 percent raises, the Tallahassee Democrat reports.

HOW KIDS LEARN: Boys and girls are not the same when it comes to schooling, and James Elementary in Tampa is trying to meet the different needs.

READY TO ROLL: Newly elected Pasco School Board member Joanne Hurley is doing her research so she can "hit the ground running" when she takes the oath of office.

EDUCATION EDITORIALS: A dip in enrollment is not a good reason to stop building new schools in Pasco, the Times editorializes. Hernando's offer of a 3.5 percent raise to teachers shouldn't be contingent upon their acceptance of a dress code, the Times editorializes.

SUPERINTENDENT NEWS: Collier superintendent Dennis Thompson has had his share of controversy during his first year, the Naples Daily News reports. Miami-Dade board members suggest superintendent Rudy Crew will be gone soon, the Miami Herald reports.

NOT SO SMART: The Smart School in Broward, a charter school, closes its doors as the state pulls its funding because of repeated academic failure, the Sun-Sentinel reports.

SEEKING CLARIFICATION: Challenged by the power companies, the Lee district will ask the state whether the Jessica Lunsford Act requiring background checks applies to utility workers, the Fort Myers News-Press reports.

NO LAYOFFS: Sarasota finds jobs for all its displaced teachers, the Herald-Tribune reports.

SCHOOL PRAYER LAWSUIT: The ACLU has sued Santa Rosa schools over graduation prayers, the Pensacola News-Journal reports.

EXPANDING THE MIDDLE: A Valparaiso middle school adds fifth-graders to the student body to help with the transition to the older grades, the Northwest Florida Daily News reports.