Student enrollment is slightly down this year in Martha’s Vineyard public schools, according to the annual Oct. 1 school census.

Around the Island, an expected 2,155 students are dusting off backpacks, sharpening pencils and choosing first-day outfits. The first day of school is Tuesday.

A renovation project at the Chilmark School went slightly over budget this summer, leaving not enough cash on hand to address a faulty boiler in the school heating system. Members of the up-Island district committee discussed the problem.

In the Chilmark School Thursday morning head of school Susan Stevens stood among parents and grandparents, giving kids high fives. “Welcome back! Glad you’re here!” she said. It was the common refrain as students around the Island headed back to classrooms to begin a new school year.

A new garden on Chilmark School grounds will honor a late Island educator and leader in the public schools.

The small native plant garden being built behind the school will honor the memory of Susan Parker, who died in June.

In 1992 a group of parents and teachers collaborated on a new academic program for the Chilmark School. It sprang from the belief that children and adults can learn together outside the classroom.