Two art rooms, the Commons and a Grab-N-Go station at Central Bucks West remained closed when students arrived Monday, Aug. 31. Construction crews had not finished the spaces by opening day.

Superintendent Joanna Wexler told the Central Bucks School Board on Thursday, Aug. 27, that the district was pursuing a temporary certificate of occupancy for portions of the Doylestown Borough school outside the active construction zone. She said the two art classrooms would need roughly two to three more weeks.

"We feel confident that, with the exception of just this one area and I think two classrooms that we know won't be online … for probably another two to three weeks, we can divert those classes," Wexler said at the meeting.

Art classes affected by the closures have been relocated elsewhere in the building. Three new art and digital-technology classrooms at CB West were ready for use, with furniture moved in ahead of opening day, according to Central Bucks News. The cafeteria and other areas that had raised concerns were expected to be accessible when school opened, the district said.

The terrazzo floor in the main lobby was installed and usable for the first day. Its final grinding and polishing will wait until winter break.

A code-approved temporary firewall and marked travel routes now separate students, staff and visitors from the unfinished sections. Wexler said on the first day of school that disruptive construction would occur outside school hours, Patch reported.

The delays are part of a broader $70 million construction effort across four Central Bucks buildings, Patch reported in August. The school board authorized additions and renovations at CB East, CB South, CB West and Mill Creek Elementary in November 2024 to support the district's grade realignment.

That realignment moved sixth-graders into middle schools and ninth-graders into high schools this fall. The district also launched full-day kindergarten at all 15 elementary schools.

Contractors at CB West had been working extended hours, seven days a week, in the weeks before the opening, according to a Central Bucks News report published Aug. 18. Board members at the Aug. 27 meeting thanked the district's facilities, operations and custodial staff for preparing the buildings while construction continued.

Wexler estimated the two art rooms would reopen within two to three weeks of the Aug. 31 start, with the lobby floor's final polish scheduled for winter break.