The financial picture for the Mehlville School District looks a little rosier than district officials expected. The district will see higher revenues and lower costs than anticipated for the remainder of the year.

However, the district is preparing for future expenses including a program to give laptop computers to high school students, and the purchase of new buses. The district also is dealing with uncertainty about state funding.

The board of education discussed these items during its meeting on Feb. 16.

"We've been running a pretty tight ship," Superintendent Eric Knost said. "The budget was pretty conservative at the beginning of the year, so we thought there would be some adjustments later on."

The 2011-2012 budget was planned with $100.17 million in expenses and $100.11 million in revenues.

Expenses are about $958,000 less than anticipated. Salaries and benefits are $288,000 less because the district did not need to fill three jobs. Supply costs also are lower by $232,000.

The district will make an additional $1.767 million in revenue. Most of it comes from an additional $300,000 in sales taxes and $400,000 in state funding.

Mehlville currently receives about $11.4 million from the state. A complicated formula is used to determine the amount for each school district. Because of the economy, there are always concerns about budget cuts. State funding could range from $9.8 million to $13.2 million, Chief Financial Officer Noel Knobloch said.

Future expenses include the laptop program, which would cost about $600,000 annually. The district also hasn't bought new buses in three years. Four new buses will cost about $300,000.

"We also can look into leasing them," Knobloch said.