The Hernando school district will soon be leaner. A split school board on Monday night voted 3-2 to approve a staffing reduction plan that cuts 201 instructional and support positions, among other measures, to trim next year's budget by about $11.6 million. ...more

March 25, 2009

More than half of the district office resource teaching positions are among the latest position cuts Supertendent Wally Cox is recommending to trim the budget. ...more

March 25, 2009

In this economy, downsizing is the norm. When it comes to education, downsizing often means upsizing classes, and that's the strategy the Hernando County school district is taking to help meet a $25 million budget shortfall. ...more

March 8, 2009

Stephanie Bowyer, who has two children in Highlands County public schools, has a suggestion for the school board: Don't do any budget cuts. ...more

March 8, 2009

Apparently the school budget for our county faces the same pressure as school budgets across the nation. What has struck me as different is the response of the local school administration. It appears to be myopic. It lacks creativity. It presents a solution that will burden students with increased class size and inflicts pain on the teaching staff and support team. ...more

March 4, 2009

Due to a drop in student enrollment and expected cuts in funding, Superintendent Wally Cox recommended cutting 45.5 full-time instructional and administrative positions in the 2009-10 budget including 43 (5 percent) school-level teaching positions. ...more

February 26, 2009

Businesses and governments looking to trim expenses during this economic downturn have cut jobs because salaries and benefits typically represent the largest cost of doing business. ...more

February 23, 2009

The Issue: Cutting $25 million from this year's school budget. Our Opinion: Tough decisions, strong leadership needed. ...more

February 22, 2009

More than 500 teachers in Marion County are being laid off as the school district anticipates big cuts in state funding. ...more

February 13, 2009

Despite opposition from parents about too many early release days, the School Board of Highlands County approved a 2009-10 calendar that doubles the number of days students will get out of school early. ...more

February 12, 2009