When the 2008 general election comes around Nov. 4, Litchfield School District residents may be asked to open their wallets.

The Litchfield School Board is expected to consider asking voters to approve a larger excess operating levy to give the district a boost in revenue.

District administrators will conduct a levy presentation at Monday’s meeting to give School Board members a better view of the district’s financial picture.

Litchfield voters approved a 10-year, $300 per pupil operating levy in 2002. The levy raises approximately $775,000 annually, with about one-third coming from the state.

The extra dollars, however, have not been enough for the district, which has faced tough financial times recently. The district’s general fund balance has continued to drop during the past six years because of declining enrollment and rising special education costs.

Last month, the School Board approved a preliminary 2008-09 budget that would leave the district with a general fund balance of $364 on June 30, 2009.

While ideally the state would fund K-12 education in full, Litchfield Superintendent Bill Wold does not believe that’s likely to happen. Therefore, financially strapped districts, like Litchfield, must rely on the operating levy system.

“I think it is essential given our very limited fund balance,” Wold said, “and I just think with things as they are, it’s a fact of life.”

Read the full story in the July 10 Independent Review.