Driver’s education is back in the high school curriculum for next year, despite deep cuts in school revenues and pressure from finance committees to keep town assessments as low as possible. At their meeting Monday night, the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School district committee certified a high school budget for fiscal year 2011 with two notable changes from the budget principal Steve Nixon presented to the public last week.

One change adds $25,000 to contract for a driver’s education instructor. Mr. Nixon explained that he and Vineyard schools superintendent Dr. James H. Weiss met with union leaders to discuss restoring the program, formerly offered as a course at the high school but eliminated due to budget cuts. The money for the program will be offset by an approximate $30,000 decrease in transportation expenses.

School leaders also discussed how best to structure the program.

The new driver’s education program will be open to any student over 15 years and nine months old, as required by the state. Students will be able to take the course during study hall so it does not conflict with their regular course schedule. The classroom portion of driver’s education will be free.

Another positive change in the budget is due to the superintendent’s shared services budget, which came in lower than originally thought.

The changes mean town assessments will drop slightly from an earlier budget draft. Totaling just under $13 million, assessments will increase by roughly $475,000 over last year. The increase can be tracked mostly to cuts in state aid for transportation, special education and tuition reimbursement, which partly compensates the school for students who attend the charter school.

Total operating expenses in the 2011 budget are $16.5 million, a .12 per cent decrease from 2010. This marks the first time in more than 10 years that high school operating expenses have decreased.

And despite threats of a continuing trend of falling state revenues this year, high school finance manager Mark Friedman reported no recent changes. “We’re now approaching the halfway mark in the school’s fiscal year,” said Mr. Friedman. “I’m heartened to report to you that there have been no negative surprises since the last meeting . . . I’ll be looking at the next two or three months very carefully to see if we have any surprises.”

“As of now, we’re okay,” said Mr. Nixon.

In other business Monday, the school committee accepted several grants, including $1,000 from the Permanent Endowment to the Adult and Community Education on Martha’s Vineyard, and $750 for the English Language Learning (ELL) program. The Tower Foundation gave $10,000 to middle school science programs.

Next year’s history programming will be restructured at the high school. Students will take U.S. history courses in ninth and tenth grades, followed by global studies courses in eleventh and twelfth grades. The current curriculum offers the opposite — global studies in ninth and tenth grades and U.S. history to upperclassmen.

A single-semester government course for seniors was eliminated from the curriculum, but a civics course offered to eighth graders will provide similar instruction.

Mr. Nixon also announced the first wellness day for high school students. Held on Wednesday, the day included two dozen different seminars on subjects such as depression and anxiety, substance abuse and diversity. School adjustment counselor Amy Lilavois was involved in planning the program, which consisted of an assembly led by keynote speaker Tony Lombardi, who works as a special education assistant at the high school, a workshop of the student’s choice, and a group advisory in which students broke into groups to discuss what they had learned.

Reached by telephone yesterday, Ms. Lilavois said the event was a success. “The whole building was so energized,” she said, adding: “I hope for it to be an annual thing.”