NO MOVEMENT: Pasco's administration and employees fail to reach one agreement during eight hours of mediation. Board members suggest they aren't likely to show the workers the money any time soon. "I'm not even sure about the number of employees we'll have at the end of the year," member Kathryn Starkey says.

BE THE ADULT: The Hillsborough School Board needs to set some firm and fair rules about holidays and the academic calendar, columnist Sue Carlton writes

 MORE AWARDS: Bus driver Shirley Price wins Hernando's School Related Employee of the Year honors. Leslie Pohley of Largo Middle is the state's 2008 outstanding middle school science teacher.

THE ESTIMATES ARE IN: State economists project a $2.3-billion deficit this fiscal year, with cuts likely for education, health care and justice programs, the Tallahassee Democrat reports. Perhaps we might see a special session after all, the Palm Beach Post reports. Some leaders signal that even higher taxes might be an option, the AP reports (via Daytona Beach News-Journal). Lawmakers must fix it now and do it right, the Times editorializes.

DRUGS AND DRINKING: Florida students cut their usage a bit, the Stuart News reports

WHO WOULD PICK THE PROGRAMMING? Palm Beach schools explore acquiring a local public broadcast radio and television station, the Palm Beach Post reports.

CHEAP CARE, AND A LESSON, TOO: East Lee High offers teachers child care for $10 a week as part of its introduction to education program, the Fort Myers News-Press reports.

CHECKING IT OUT: A Japanese documentary crew visits a Jacksonville school for examples of good alternative education, the Florida Times-Union reports.

Visit the Gradebook at noon for an interview with Scott Howat, president of the Florida Education Legislative Liaisons.