Today's news

FINAL EXAM: The three candidates for Pinellas superintendent meet with the public and the board before Wednesday's decision. The Times editorializes that current interim superintendent Julie Janssen is the best choice for the job.

THE WALLS COME TUMBLING DOWN: Decaying and neglected, the historic Gary School in Tampa is razed.

STILL UPSET: About 200 parents attend Hillsborough superintendent MaryEllen Elia's town hall meeting in Brandon to complain about busing problems.

FLORIDA NEEDS NURSES: But the state's budget crunch is causing universities to scale back nursing programs, which could exacerbate the need, Nurse.com reports.

THE NAMES LOOK FAMILIAR: Twenty-three people, including Pinellas candidates Nicholas Gledich and Alberto Carvalho (above), apply to become Manatee schools superintendent, the Herald-Tribune reports. Carvalho's name also pops up on the short list of possibilities to replace ousted Miami-Dade superintendent Rudy Crew, the Miami Herald reports.

ANOTHER ENROLLMENT DIP: St. Lucie schools report their second straight year of declining student population, pushing the district back to 2006 levels, the Port St. Lucie Tribune reports.

IT'S OFFICIAL: The Broward School Board tells the failing Smart School charter school it must close immediately, the Miami Herald reports.

COMPROMISE REACHED: Manatee schools agree not to increase the YMCA's rental fees by 40 percent to run after-school programs, though they will increase the cost somewhat, the Bradenton Herald reports.

AROUND THE NATION: State college might seem like the cheaper option these days, but many are raising fees to bring in extra cash, Time reports. Only 9 percent of elementary teachers are men. Boston Globe columnist Derrick Jackson talks on NPR about why more men should consider the profession.

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