Today's news

DEMS FOR VOUCHERS: Partisan lines are shifting in the discussion over public support of a private school education, as one-third of Florida's Democratic lawmakers vote for expansion of the state's corporate income tax credit scholarship program.

SIMPLY THE BEST: Wesley Chapel High chemistry teacher Leslie Peake is the only Florida educator to receive a 2007 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. (Photo special to the Times, Peake is in the middle)

BUDGET COULD WORSEN: State tax revenue continued to decline through April, with expectations slipping. Lawmakers made plans to avoid a politically sensitive special session during election season, though, by authorizing Gov. Crist to spend from existing resources through the rest of the year if necessary, the Tallahassee Democrat reports.

YOU NAME IT: For a price, folks can get their names on buildings at Florida Gulf Coast University, the Fort Myers News-Press reports.

HOMEWORK HOTLINE LIVES ON: Miami-Dade's 20-year-old "Dial A Teacher" program was headed for the chopping block until a School Board member stepped forward with a private donation, the Miami Herald reports.

POINTLESS: Some Brevard sophomores suggest that state education leaders should have decided not to count their FCAT Writing scores toward graduation before making them take the test, Florida Today reports.

AROUND THE NATION: The Dallas, Texas, school district experiments with electronic monitoring to ensure that chronically truant students make it to school, the NY Times reports. Preschool participation grows as more states come to believe that early preparation leads to better achievement, USA Today reports. Universities are trying to get their message out - and bump down the negative ones - on YouTube, Facebook and other electronic networking sites, the Washington Post reports.