Enloe High School officials are saying there's no connection between the cancellation of the Homecoming Dance and pep rally and a gang-related fight earlier this month.

On Sept. 11, six Enloe students were arrested after a series of fights at school that Raleigh police have labeled as gang-related. It was on the minds of some Enloe students when it was announced Thursday that the dance was canceled.

Enloe Principal Beth Cochran said the Oct. 4 dance was canceled strictly because not enough tickets were sold. She said only 180 tickets were sold instead of the 300 needed to break even.

How safe do your kids feel in school right now?

As noted in today's article by Thomasi McDonald, Wake school officials are trying to downplay the recent highly publicized cases of school violence. They're arguing that violence has actually decreased in recent years.

Anthony Pecoraro, a school district critic, disagrees.

The national financial crisis could hold up some school construction projects.

As noted in today's article by David Bracken and Michael Biesecker, Wake County has postponed the sale of $454 million in bonds over the past two weeks. Of that amount, $370 million is for school construction from the 2006 bond.

Wake County Manager David Cooke said the county has enough cash that the delay in selling bonds will not have an immediate effect on projects already under way. But things get tricky if the delay gets too long for borrowing the money.

Del Burns is no longer the highest-paid superintendent in the state.

The Charlotte Observer is reporting today that Charlotte-Mecklenburg Superintendent Peter Gorman got a $18,200 bonus and $7,150 raise on Tuesday. That lifts Gorman's total package to $320,350, above the $312,790 that Burns got earlier this month.

Gorman also got a perk that Burns doesn't have. At Gorman's request, he got a new clause in his contract promising to provide “reasonable security measures” to him and his family in case of “public controversy” or any other reason.

How much should be spent on renovations in the next bond issue, especially when it comes to issues of equity?

As noted in today's article, those are among the difficult questions that will have to be answered as the school board formulates the next capital improvement plan and bond issue.

“We need to have expectations for our older schools that have been around for a generation or two," said Kevin Hill, vice chairman of the school board.

It's safe to say that Leesville Road Elementary parents will have a tougher time than their peers at Baucom Elementary or any of the Knightdale schools of being unconverted.

As noted in today's North Raleigh News article, not even Leesville's own school board member, Patti Head, is supporting switching the school back to a traditional calendar.

“I supported the conversion,” Head said in today's article. “To date, I haven’t been presented any information that would cause me to change my mind. But that doesn’t mean I’m not listening to people.”

Sixth-grade centers are officially on the table to deal with overcrowding in some middle schools.

Chuck Dulaney, assistant superintendent for growth and planning, proposed today delaying the 2009 opening of Alston Ridge Elementary in Cary to serve as a sixth-grade center for West Cary Middle School.

He also suggested delaying the 2009 opening of Herbert Akins Road Elementary in Fuquay-Varina to serve as the sixth-grade center for Holly Ridge and Fuquay-Varina middle schools.

We should get a first look this morning at the renovation projects that could be part of the next bond issue and capital improvement program.

During today's facilities committee meeting, the board will "review a list of candidate projects" that could be in the next CIP. Determining the right mix of renovation projects and new schools is definitely a balancing act.

The amount being spent no renovations became an issue in the 2006 bond campaign.

You've got a chance today to eat out and help some at-risk Wake County students at the same time.

Today is the 10th Annual Dine Out For Kids event. Participating restaurants will donate a portion of the day's proceeds to Communities in Schools of Wake County.

CIS Wake helps enlist volunteers to tutor at-risk students and operates community learning centers

Click here for a list of participating restaurants.

There's going to be at least one new school board member next year.

Lori Millberg says she won't seek a second term, citing the impact of the long hours on her family. She's telling people now so they can get ready for the race in October 2009.

Click here for the online story.