Today's news

AG PROGRAM'S LLAMA KILLED: Gaither High mourns the death of a llama named Adonis after someone killed it with a blow to the head. (Times photo, Kathleen Flynn)

CRIST'S BUDGET: The governor builds his proposal, which includes a boost for education, on gambling funds and a series of controversial accounting moves. Critics line up quickly, suggesting the plan doesn't have much future with the Legislature.

SEX WITH STUDENTS: Another teacher apparently didn't get the memo that you're not supposed to do this. Newsome High coach and computer lab manager Ronald Lewis apparently had multiple encounters with a  female student. He's in jail.

YOU'RE FIRED: Linda Foy, who oversees early childhood programs for Hernando County, is dismissed amid charges that she misused public funds. The Pasco-Hernando Early Learning Coalition also votes to put its surplus funds toward reducing its waiting lists, rather than doling out grants for supplies as in past years.

BOUNDARY DISPUTE: A redrawing of some middle school attendance zones in northwest Hillsborough has a group of parents upset that their children would be transferred from an A-rated school to a C-rated one.

FCAT AND SPAGHETTI: Pierce Middle in Town N Country has a spaghetti dinner to get parents and students pumped up about FCAT. They eat and dance and talk testing. Time will tell if the pasta helped boost the kids' scores.

ONLINE DEBATE: As a growing number of students attend online classes, such as the ones offered by Florida Virtual School, a debate ensues over whether the initiative is working, the NY Times reports.

PARENT ACCUSES SUPERINTENDENT OF ELECTIONEERING: A St. Lucie mom has filed a complaint against superintendent Michael Lannon, saying he improperly used the district's phone system to campaign against Amendment 1, the Palm Beach Post reports. And just like that, Pasco superintendent Heather Fiorentino is no longer alone in facing such accusations.

INCREASED PENALTIES: Suwannee County school officials worry that the district could lose a larger percentage of its Title I funding if students don't perform well on the FCAT, the Suwannee Democrat reports.

TEACHER CLEARED: The DCF finds that a Miami-Dade kindergarten teacher is not responsible for the traffic death of her student who was walking home alone after school, the Miami Herald reports.

TWO OUT OF THREE AIN'T BAD: A special magistrate sides with Martin teachers over the administration on two of three disputed contract issues, the Palm Beach Post reports.

DISTINGUISHED SCHOOL: Willis Elementary in Bradenton is one of 18 schools nationally recognized by Apple for integrating technology into the classroom, the Herald-Tribune reports.