Today's news

SEEKING A NEW STYLE: Pinellas school district leaders are looking into whether a new management style might produce better results for students. Topping the list is a decentralized business model.

TWO RACES FOR HILLSBOROUGH BOARD: Of four incumbents shooting for reelection, just two draw opposition.

WELCOME TO THE TOY MOBILE: When Pasco and Hernando preschools need new toys but can't afford them, they turn to Shannon Dewey, who comes with her van filled with toys and books.

DO IT RIGHT: The Lee school district implements dozens of new financial controls to respond to an audit that said the district had a high risk for fraud, the Naples Daily News reports.

USE THE SUN: Collier explores the possibility of running some schools on solar energy, the Naples Daily News reports.

EFFECTS UNKNOWN: School officials around Florida have concerns that the state's new educator ethics law goes too far, the Tallahassee Democrat reports.

IT'S NOT OVER: Florida school districts begin preparing for the extra round of cuts that Gov. Charlie Crist called for by holding back 4 percent of general funding, the Herald-Tribune reports.

BETTER THAN NOTHING: Jacksonville's mayor slashes support for Duval's after-school education initiatives, the Florida Times-Union reports.

GROWING STRONG: Florida Virtual School continues to expand, the Port St. Lucie Tribune reports.

AROUND THE NATION: It's not easy to fire bad teachers, something reformers are trying to change, the AP reports. Actor Will Smith's new school comes under fire for hiring Scientologists as teachers and using teaching methods developed by L. Ron Hubbard, the LA Times reports. Many Texas schools use bureaucratic rules, rather than education, to bump up their state ratings, the Dallas Morning News reports.