The Issaquah School District will delay breaking ground for the new Issaquah Middle School and reconstruction of Clark Elementary by one year.

The decision was made to ensure that its capital projects are completed within the budget approved in the 2012 school bond, school officials said in a news release.

Issaquah Middle School will break ground in July of 2015 with the new school opening to students in fall the 2016. Clark Elementary will subsequently open in the fall of 2017. The district does not anticipate this to cause a change to the scheduled opening of the new secondary campus in the fall of 2016, which will be located on the current Issaquah Middle School site.

The cost estimate for the initial design submitted to the district for the reconstructed Issaquah Middle School came back over budget. Further, the district learned of the city of Issaquah’s redevelopment plan to increase population density within the downtown core area. Recognizing the likelihood of an even greater increase in enrollment, the district sought a revised design to accommodate more students in the near term and allow for future expansion. The cost estimates for the revised designs also came in over initial project budget.

“We are committed to building the highest quality schools while maintaining the district’s fiscal integrity,” said Superintendent Ron Thiele. “While the revised timeline is a disappointment, we still expect to complete all of the 2012 bond projects before 2020 as promised.”

The Sunny Hills Elementary rebuild timeline and budget are not affected and the school is still scheduled to open in the fall of 2017. Liberty High School is finishing Phase 3 of construction and will be ready for students in September. In addition, the completed remodels and additions at Issaquah Valley Elementary and Apollo Elementary still are set for ribbon cutting ceremonies on Sept. 2.