The renovation and restoration work required at Memorial Middle School following Hurricane Irene cost just about $1.2 million, Superintendent Bruce Watson said Friday.

To date, Watson said the district had been reimbursed about $400,000 for the damages, but that it expects to eventually be completely reimbursed.

"We’re very confident we’re going to get it," Watson said. "We have the acknowledgement that that’s coming. It’s just a matter of when."

Watson said he wasn't sure when all of the insurance and FEMA money would come in, but said that until it does, existing funds will have to be shuffled between accounts wherever they're needed.

"It’s all now accounting management," he said. "What money do we have? Let’s put it over here, declare it and we have a receivable to come in to cover it."  

In the aftermath of the hurricane, extensive damage to the school's boiler room forced the district to delay the start of school at Memorial for about a month and temporarily educate students in various community locations until the school building was suitable for use.

Under the district's temporary relocation plan, which Watson said went smoothly, Memorial sixth graders had classes on the first floor of the Community Center, seventh grade students at Thomas Jefferson Middle School and eighth graders in the C-Wing of Fair Lawn High School.