News Photo by Crystal Nelson Students play at the playground earlier this month at Ella White Elementary School in Alpena.

ALPENA — Leaders of many Northeast Michigan school districts are cautiously optimistic about what a slight increase in per-pupil revenue will mean for them.

Lawmakers approved a $65-per-student increase in the 2021 School Aid Fund that made its way on Monday to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s desk.

The bill keeps the minimum foundation allowance at $8,111 per student and adds a one-time payment of $65 per student for this school year. The bill includes an additional $66 million for growing schools, $37 million for student mental health support, and $3 million more for early childhood literacy.

“It’s a welcome surprise,” Carl Seiter, superintendent of Hillman Community Schools and Atlanta Community Schools, said. “Due to COVID(-19) and the shutdown of the economy, we were told to expect the revenues not coming in at the state level, and thus the School Aid Fund would be impacted.”

Hillman and Atlanta schools had budgeted for a $650-per-student decrease in state aid, Seiter said. Getting the additional $65 per pupil leaves both of his districts’ budgets in “pretty good shape.”

Nick Hein, superintendent of Rogers City Area Schools, said that, while the increase was “tremendous news,” it wouldn’t alter his district’s budget plans. Officials would continue moving forward conservatively.

The Rogers City Board of Education earlier this year adopted a budget calling for a $600-per-student decrease.

Hein said that, if the coronavirus and the stalled economy continues into the next year, budget cuts might have only been put off for another year could become “very real” in the future.

“It’s great news, no doubt about it, but, looking at the big picture of things, a lot of those budget holes in the state were filled with federal money that may or may not be available in the future,” Hein said. “We’ll see what happens.”

Alcona Community Schools Superintendent Dan O’Connor said expenses may come up during the 2020-21 school year that district officials might not have realized at this point. As the year goes on, there may be additional technology and cleaning expenses, he said.

“It does give us the tools and the funding to have a much better chance to be prepared for whatever may come for the rest of this school year,” he said.

He said things tend to look better than they actually are when federal stimulus funds are available, but the most significant cuts come later.

“Now’s not a time to worry about that or predict doom and gloom, but we need to be conservative, too, in terms of our budgeting, to make sure we’re ready in case tougher times are ahead,” he said.

Onaway Area Schools Superintendent Rod Fullerton said the funding should put the district in a better position than school officials forecasted, but “I’ve been doing this long enough to know to be cautiously optimistic.”

Alpena Public Schools Superintendent David Rabbideau could not be reached for comment.

Crystal Nelson can be reached at 989-358-5687 or cnelson@thealpenanews.com.