DIXFIELD — Enrollment at Western Maine Regional School Unit 10 schools unexpectedly increased 10 percent over the final number enrolled during the spring, Superintendent Tom Ward said during the first board meeting since the start of the new school year.

“We expected a continued decline in enrollment,” he said. “Most seem to be movement from out of state.”

The preliminary student number came in at 2,876, up from 2,849.

Most schools in the three-region district gained a few students, but not enough to require additional staff, at least for now, said Ward.

“I’ll be coming back with recommendations for math at MVHS, but I don’t think we’ll need more staff,” Ward said.

A study conducted by a consulting firm several years ago predicted that the student population in the River Valley area would decline for several years, which it had done, until this school year.

An official student enrollment number will be reported to the state on Oct. 1.

SAD 44, based in Bethel, also reported a slight increase in its enrollment when classes resumed last week.

Also at Monday night’s meeting, a reception and supper were held for about 10 new staff members.

Food service director Jeanne LaPointe and district cooks prepared a meal that was made from produce and meat almost entirely grown by a dozen local farms.

She said the goal of the food-service program is to buy locally grown foods as much as possible. The additional funds needed to buy such foods come from the federal Fresh Foods and Vegetables grant for kindergarten through grade eight students in schools that have a high rate of free and reduced-price lunch qualified students. All elementary and middle schools in RSU 10 have a significant percentage of such students. Although the high schools do, too, the grant applies only to elementary and middle school students.

In other matters on Monday, social studies teacher Mike Nolette was granted permission to launch a Dirigo High School Mock Trial Team.

He said the organizational meeting is scheduled for later this week, but already eight high school students have indicated they want to join the team.

The board also agreed to provide bus transportation for up to four meets in which the team could participate.

Although board member Barbara Chow agreed that the high school should have such a team, she was concerned that students from all three high schools in the district were not included.

Ward said the Dirigo team could be a model for Mountain Valley and Buckfield high schools.