DEKALB JUNCTION — Classes will start Thursday even though construction at Hermon-DeKalb Central School won't be complete.

"The rumor that classes wouldn't start was out there. It's just because of the way it looks right now. When people go by, it looks torn up," Superintendent Ann M. Adams said. "Everybody will survive."

Most of the work at the school is where district officials expected it would be by the start of school.

"The roofs, it finally stopped raining, so they're done," Ms. Adams said. "The windows are in and caulked. The two canopies are done. The sidewalks are poured. The lockers won't be done until Christmas because the wrong size was ordered, but we never pulled out the old ones."

The $6.3 million renovation was approved by voters in 2006.

There's a new floor in the cafeteria, but the stage won't be refinished until November.

One soccer field that has parking will be usable.

"The athletic field won't be done, but it wasn't supposed to be," Ms. Adams said. "We knew that."

The playground will be completed the third week in September.

"There's a couple of bathrooms in the classrooms that won't be done, but the ones in kindergarten, first and second grades will be done," Ms. Adams said.

The dust will settle soon and be wiped up.

"We'll have to clean all weekend long," Ms. Adams said.