COURTLAND
The Southampton County Public School Board announced at Monday evening’s meeting that student enrollment numbers are higher than projected — good news for a district that has faced a shortfall in state funding in recent years.

The Virginia Department of Education projected that 2,537 kindergarten through 12th-grade students would roam the halls at Southampton’s six schools this year, yet 2,635 are enrolled. If that trend holds through the spring, when the 2017 fiscal year budget is assessed, the district would receive revenue beyond what was expected.

“We’re excited about the enrollment,” Superintendent Dr. Alvera J. Parrish said.“[It] is a welcome increase in students. However, it is still too early to confirm increased revenue.”

Last year, the school system planned to pull in more than $18.2 million in state revenue. When the county’s 2016 fiscal year budget was determined in May, however, Southampton saw a shortfall of $934,097 thanks to an actual daily membership of 2,634 — far below the 2,721 that the VDOE projected.