Two new buildings under construction at Palo Alto High School will not be completed until September 2013, meaning teachers and students will not be able to move into them at the beginning of the 2013-2014 school year, according to assistant principal Kim Diorio.

The estimated finish date for the math and social science building, as well as the media arts building, has ben pushed from August to September, the contractor announced this week.

The two buildings, which had an original deadline for completion of June, have a combined total of 26 classrooms.

As a result of this delay, construction on the performing arts center and modernization of the library will also be delayed, according to Diorio.

Diorio did not feel that the news came as a total shock, as those involved in construction know that delays are common.

However, it does cause problems for the teachers who were ready to move their classrooms and offices to the new buildings prior to the start of next school year.

Math teacher Arne Lim, who serves on the Facilities Steering Committee, is one of those affected by the delay.

“I’m slightly disappointed,” Lim said.  “I’m not surprised.”

Diorio said that the math/social science and media arts buildings will not sit empty once completed.  The administration will work on a contingency plan to move into the buildings in phases and as quickly as possible.

“We’re going to move into them as soon as we can,” she said.

Taisei Construction Corporation, the contractor in charge of the construction at Paly, “has been helping private and public sector clients build and renovate projects in the Western U.S. and Mexico since 1982,” according to its website, which goes on to state, “We are focused on the complete satisfaction of our clients.”