Water damage and termites have caused extensive damage at the West Tisbury School, sending town officials scrambling to make repairs before the start of the school year in September.

Vineyard schools superintendent Dr. James H. Weiss said this week it was too early to tell the extent of the damage or cost of the repairs. But he confirmed the windows and frames in at least 12 classrooms in the new wing of the school will need to be replaced, with an eye toward completing the work by the start of the school year on Sept. 10.

“There are some issues with the heating units that are built into the wall. It appears the work was not up to par, and as a result there may be some rot in there. What happens is that when water gets in, it forms rotten wood, which in turn attracts termites,” Mr. Weiss said.

He said the damage is confined to the school’s newer wing, built over a period of two years and completed in 1996 by contractor J.K. Scanlon of Falmouth. The town sent a letter to the contractor last month asking if the company will make the repairs, and so far there has been no response.

The school department has also contacted its insurance company, which said it will not cover the repairs.

West Tisbury school principal Michael Halt said there may be damage to all the rooms in the new wing, totaling 32 rooms.

“The damage has been confirmed in one room, but it appears to be symptomatic of the work done in all the rooms in that wing,” he said.

Mr. Halt said it was unclear if the work can be done in time for the start of the school year.

“It’s still soon to tell . . . but I am hopeful,” he said.

Mr. Weiss said repairing the damage will be costly, but he said he is optimistic J.K. Scanlon will do the work in good faith. The company is also the general contractor for the West Tisbury town hall renovation project, he noted, which may give the town an advantage when negotiating repairs at the school.

“They have a long relationship . . . which might give us some leverage,” he said.