Starting today, you'll notice one big change at the Gradebook. An absence, actually.

Ron Matus, who helped launch this blog five years ago, will no longer be making his many daily contributions to our Florida education conversation. Ron has left the Tampa Bay Times to take the post of assistant director of policy and public affairs at Step Up For Students, the Tampa-based group that oversees Florida's corporate tax credit scholarship program.

So now instead of writing the news, Ron will be one of the voices helping make the news as it comes to school choice and vouchers. He'll run the group's redefinED blog and help write legislation that the organization will promote.

Replacing Ron is in the works. Until then, if you've got news we can use, please contact Jeff Solochek (jsolochek@tampabay.com) for state and regional stories, and Rebecca Catalanello (rcatalanello@tampabay.com) for Pinellas stories.