Hernando County Schools

Pinellas and Sarasota counties earned A’s, while Polk was the only district to improve its grade. Factors used to determine grades include state testing in English, math, science and social studies and grad rates.

The state teachers' union president says "constantly" changing tests may be leading to failing scores at the national level. "We've got to look a little broader than just the state assessments," he says.

Sarasota, Manatee and Hernando counties will be voting to continue their current property taxes, while Pinellas is looking to double their rate to match them.

The board went against previous review committees' recommendations to keep more than half the books.

Removing a book from school libraries, classroom indoctrination, and the future of its superintendent were the main points of contention in a Hernando County School Board meeting Tuesday night that lasted over eight hours.

The school board says the tax is essential to help plan and allot money for new schools as more housing is built — and an influx of people move into the area.