COUNT HER OUT: Lee chief academic officer Constance Jones drops out as a finalist for Hernando superintendent.

EXPANSION PLANS: Pepin Academies charter school seeks to open a new site in Pasco County.

TIME TO GROW: St. Petersburg College moves forward with new building construction in Midtown.

CUTS LOOM: Local schools and other agencies prepare for sequestration of federal funds.

TIME TO TWEAK: Florida's political leaders begin to reform the state's education reforms.

RETIREMENT PLANNING: Florida lawmakers propose changes to the state's employee pensions, the Florida Current reports.

UP IN ARMS: A bill to require at least one armed person in every Florida public school raises eyebrows, the Bradenton Herald reports.

SAGGING: Broward schools require millions in overdue maintenance and repairs, the Sun-Sentinel reports.

CHARTER NEWS: More than 1,200 students apply for a seat in a new Brevard charter school, Florida Today reports. • Palm Beach prepares to shut down three charter schools, the Palm Beach Post reports. • Parents and faculty overwhelmingly reject a proposal to convert Key Biscayne K-8 into a charter, the Miami Herald reports.

THEY CAN'T AFFORD IT: Applications to Florida law schools are down, the Orlando Sentinel reports.

CAREERS MATTER: Proposals to expand career and technical education in Florida have bipartisan support in the Legislature, Redefined reports.

SUSPENDED: Sarasota High's band director is placed on paid leave during an investigation into undisclosed criminal matters, the Herald-Tribune reports.