BROOKSVILLE -- As with many Florida school districts, these are frightful times for the Hernando County Schools.

And now its finance department needs a new leader.

Deborah Bruggink, the much-praised budget director for the 23,000-student district, said Tuesday that she was leaving for a new job in Alabama to be closer to family. Her last day will be Jan. 16.

Officials let out a collective groan of dismay.

"Oh my gosh," said Sandra Nicholson, chairwoman of the School Board. "In all my experience,with all of the finance directors I have worked with, she is by far the most knowledgeable, the most reliable. I am very upset to see her go."

Bruggink will leave just as the district grapples with the prospect of a new round of state funding cuts. What started as a $3-million shortfall could become $6-million by spring, she said.

For more details, read tomorrow's story in the Hernando section of the St. Petersburg Times or visit Tampabay.com.

-- Tom Marshall, Times Staff Writer