As debate goes on, school projects wait.

Byline: Ann Doss Helms

Nov. 20--Nine Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools are still waiting for renovations voters approved over the past eight years.

An additional six schools landed in limbo when voters shot down the 2005 bonds. Those schools are left with blueprints that are quickly growing obsolete.

The stalled schools are scattered around the county, and range from jam-packed suburban schools to a center-city school that will close because of dwindling enrollment.

They are in the spotlight as officials struggle to rebuild public confidence and ease the burden on taxpayers following the Nov. 8 bond defeat.

The schools are caught in a twilight zone created by controversial bond tactics and shifting political winds.

For instance, renovations to Northeast Middle School near Mint Hill were approved in 1997, 2000 and 2002. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools says the work won't be finished until 2009, stalled by controversy over construction priorities.

Meanwhile, soaring construction costs have eroded the budget, causing CMS to scale back.

This time, 57 percent of voters -- and three out of four who voted at Northeast Middle -- said no to CMS bonds.

Beverly Cannaday, a Northeast parent, says she wasn't going to keep voting yes when her school's…