School Budget: More Students Than Expected Enrolled, State Funding Increase Not as Big as Advertised

Saline Area Schools expects more student enrollment than originally planned, along with a state funding increase. Board Treasurer Tim Austin gave the Saline Board of Education a Finance Committee update at Tuesday's meeting.

Austin said the district is seeing positive growth in the number students between kindergarten and ninth grade.

"We are still going to be roughly 66 full-time equivalent (students) down, but that's better than we budgeted," Austin said.

Saline budgeted for a decline of 108 students.

In terms of the state budget, Austin said, many of the grants Saline uses will remain in the budget.

"We don't really know what that looks like, dollar-wise," Austin said.

In terms of the "historic" per-pupil state funding increase, things may not look so rosy for the district.

"It's still good, but it's not maybe historic," Austin said.

President Michael McVey added to Austin's point.

"It's not $455 per student good," McVey said. "It's maybe $200 per student good."

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