Following a decade-long trend of decline, South Whidbey School District’s enrollment is expected to drop by five students from what was budgeted for in the 2015-16 school year.

Assistant Superintendent of Business Dan Poolman said at a May 25 school board meeting that the district budgeted for 1,345 full-time equivalent (FTE) students, but is currently at 1,340 for the year. Poolman said the enrollment count is the second to last counting period, the final count being in June.

“We’re fairly close and I expect to be at 1339 as our ending number for next month,” Poolman said. “The importance of the count is that our funding is based upon our enrollment count.”

A full-time equivalent student equals about $6,000 in state funding. Less enrollment results in fewer monies from the state, which has substantial impacts on the district’s budget. School officials expect enrollment to level out sometime in the next four to five years.

Despite enrollment shortcomings, the district’s current budget is holding strong with no red flags. Poolman reported that the district received $11.7 million in revenue while spending $10.7 million. Its general fund balance is $2.9 million, which Poolman said is at its highest point of the year due to an influx of levy money that arrives in the month of April.

“We will spend that down for the next several months because our portion from the state is actually reduced in May,” Poolman said.

The district collected $1.7 million in capital projects, spent nearly $1 million, and has about $1.2 million in the fund balance. The student body fund generated $135,000 in revenue while spending $132,000. Its current fund balance is $138,000.

There was no activity in the debt service and transportation funds. The fund balance for debt service is $45,000 and $60,000 for transportation.

There is also $494,000 available in a private purpose trust fund, Poolman said.