The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District has nearly $3 million more in funds than originally projected for the current year, the amount of the deficit finalized in June 2015.

The Board of Education passed a revision to the FY16 Operating Budget at Monday’s regularly scheduled meeting to reflect an increase in funding and decrease in expected expenditures.

Assistant Superintendent Dave Jones said the state finalized the process of verifying the number of students enrolled in Alaska’s 54 public school districts. While there was a decrease in the local student population by 32, 17 more intensive needs students enrolled than was projected, he said.

That means state funding increased by a little more than $1 million, Jones said. That also means the school district could receive an additional $253,694 from the Kenai Peninsula Borough, but is not making a request at this time, he said.

Further, there were $1.6 million in reductions to projected salaries and benefits because of unfilled teaching positions, Jones said.

“We will not have use of fund balance we anticipated,” he said. “We are adjusting that as well at this time.”

— Kelly Sullivan