Schools and Education School District

BRADENTON — The Manatee School District's fund balance for 2014-15 is now projection at $18 million, up from a $16.5 million projection which had been given in December.

The announcement, which was made by Superintendent Rick Mills, is reportedly due to increased state funding and a spending freeze that the district enacted in late February 2015. The increased state funding was given to accommodate the county's growing student population, which increased from 46,607 to 46,914 this school year.

In a statement, District CFO Rebecca Roberts said, "We will continue to monitor the fund balance on almost a weekly basis to see if there are fluctuations. We will keep the School Board and community updated as we go.”