MERRILL, Wis. (WSAU) – Merrill's school district could see several hundred thousand extra dollars in state aid next year.

District staff presented their final budget for the 2012-13 school year this week with an extra 600-thousand dollars in unallocated funding. Interim superintendent Bruce Anderson says a portion of that funding will come from extra students who signed up for a new online charter school the district is offering. “That's going to end up producing dollars on paper... But again we're talking about students that haven't enrolled yet.” District officials approved 447 open enrollment requests to join the district at a meeting in May.

Anderson says the district has to be careful with the possible income because it might not all be there in the fall. “If some of those students enroll one semester and then drop out in the next that's money we won't have as well.” The district also has to complete negotiations with their three unions ahead of any funding being placed for final allocation.

That budget is set to be published in the Merrill newspaper later this month, and the whole budget will come to a public hearing on July 23.