Today's news

CLAYTON HAS LEFT THE BUILDING: Clayton Wilcox came to Pinellas as the first outsider superintendent in  decades. He brought big plans and said he'd stay as long as 10 years. Four years later, he's gone, replaced by an insider. (Times photo, Carrie Pratt)

WHERE HAVE ALL THE OTHERS GONE: As nearly 7,000 Pinellas seniors cross the stage for graduation this week, ponder this - as freshmen, their class was about one-third bigger.

WHAT TO CUT? The Pasco School Board continues to review possible spending cuts, but arrives at no conclusions.

SUPPOSEDLY, THEY WANTED THIS PROGRAM: Registration for Hernando's new gifted center falls far short of expectation.

THEY REMEMBER: South Ward Elementary in Largo has shut its doors for good, and leaving residents to push for its historic value as a museum instead of a school.

SCHOOL'S OUT. WATCH YOUR KIDS: Parents need to make sure their kids make it safely through the summer with no school to watch them, the Times editorializes.

GRADUATIONS: STAR Education Center (Hernando); Nature Coast Technical High (Hernando)

TOP OF THE CLASS: Survey results about government surprise Dayspring foursome; Parents' summer to-do list

THEIR SCHOOL GOT AN F, BUT THEY DIDN'T: Seventeen graduating seniors from F-rated Hialeah High are headed to the Ivy League, NBC-6 in Miami reports.

LAST-MINUTE DISCIPLINE: The two Lee County freshmen who sprayed chemicals into their school, sending 44 people to the hospital, are officially suspended, the Fort Myers News-Press reports. Up to 10 Manatee high school students face disciplinary action after posting rap songs on MySpace that threaten teachers and staff, the Bradenton Herald reports.

BUSINESSES MUST STEP UP: St. Lucie superintendent Michael Lannon says business leaders must do their part to help students compete in the global economy, the Port St. Lucie Tribune reports.

BICKERING IN THE RANKS: Miami-Dade teachers are fighting among themselves even as they gear up to fight the district over proposed budget cuts, the Miami Herald reports.

BUDGET ROUNDUP: Lee officials look at cutting another round of employees, on top of the 150 layoffs already announced, the Fort Myers News-Press reports. Collier works out the ballot language that will ask voters to put more money into its operational budget, the Naples Daily News reports. St. Lucie plans to cut athletics - including all middle school sports - as part of its spending plan, the Port St. Lucie Tribune reports. Sarasota looks at charging employees for health benefits, the Herald-Tribune reports.

AROUND THE NATION: Texas is the latest state to face the battle over evolution under the guise of what we here in Florida came to know as the "academic freedom" argument, the NY Times reports. The Los Angeles school district fails to stop its teachers from protesting coming budget cuts, the LA Times reports.