Today's news

BULLY-FREE CLUB: As the campaign against school bullying (including the cyber kind) intensifies, groups of Pinellas children are joining Students Against Violence Everywhere. The group even has a national web site, if you want more info. (Times photo, Jim Damaske)

HERE COMES THE MILLENI-BOOM: Hillsborough school planners are calling for 21 new elementary schools between 2017 and 2028, as they prepare for the grandchildren of the baby boom.

FIND A BETTER WAY: Gov. Crist tells lawmakers that Florida needs a more comprehensive approach to operating its higher ed system.

SCHOOL CHOICE AFFECTS HOME CHOICE: Lee County real estate agents complain that the school district's choice program makes it harder for them to market homes, the Naples Daily News reports.

CUT SCORES TOO HIGH? Manatee school officials join the growing chorus in calling upon the state to reset the high school FCAT passing score, the Bradenton Herald reports.

NO MORE FEES: Osceola school officials are tired of paying development-related fees to government agencies and want to stop, the Orlando Sentinel reports.

WHAT'S HER POINT? Martin School Board members question the motives of one of their colleagues' complaints about construction costs, the Palm Beach Post reports. Could it be because her husband didn't get the district's building official job?

LEARNING ABOUT COMPUTERS: Some of the Fort Lauderdale middle schoolers have rarely used computers. Now they're taking classes about what's inside, and when they're done refurbishing the machines, they'll get to take them home, the Miami Herald reports.

LOOMING CRISIS: Too many parents don't save for their kids' college education, and end up with what amounts to a second mortgage to cover tuition, writes Washington Post columnist Michelle Singletary, who also offers a few tips.

A REAL CURRICULUM BATTLE: Spain's leftist government and the Catholic Church are feuding over a civics curriculum that the church sees as an attack on faith, the LA Times reports.