An area school district is bracing for big budget troubles with the possibility of losing hundreds of thousands of dollars. The reason behind the shortfall is a decline in student enrollment.  And in the Antrim County area school leaders say the worst news could be next fall with an even larger drop in student numbers leading to more cuts for the students that do stay in the classroom.

"We've lost 20 students since the beginning of the school year since the beginning of the school year people moving out of the district," said Jeff DiRosa, Superintendent of Mancelona Public Schools.  When major factories near the district like Dura closed, people lost their jobs, and families moved out. School leaders fear more will follow. "We do anticipate several students who have indicated they are going to move," said DiRosa.

The superintendent says for each student lost, the district loses more than $7,000 in state funding, but losing more students is something they can't afford. The district has already made about $220,000 worth of staff cuts this year, and to balance the budget next year it could mean more cuts.  "We will probably make several cuts in several areas, we're not sure at this point how significant they will be but all areas will be effected," said DiRosa.

But while the Mancelona district is trying to cut and keep its students during these challenging times, just seven miles away the Alba district is budgeting for an increase in students.

"We're actually a few students up from our September count so we don't have any indication it will go the other way," said Superintendent  of Alba Schools Darrel Kent.

The superintendent says people are enrolling in this district because of where it is located. "We're kind of in the center of things people can still live here at a low cost in a small town and commute to work," said Kent.

But whether or not things change in both schools depends on how much money they get from the state.