Litchfield Schools requesting May 19 referendum from Dept. of Education

Updated 2:30 p.m.

LITCHFIELD -- The Litchfield School District is requesting permission from the state Department of Education to propose a May 19 operating levy to local voters.

Superintendent Bill Wold said the Litchfield School District sent a referendum request to the state Department of Education today after the School Board approved a resolution during Monday's meeting that calls for a May 19 polling date.

Wold said the district expects to receive a decision from the state education commissioner within a week.

The district is requesting a referendum for an increased operating levy to help the school system recover from statutory operating debt. Litchfield Public Schools fell into statutory operating debt in late November after voters denied a $300-per-student increase in the district operating levy on Election Day.

Last month, the state Education Department approved the district's three-year recovery plan that included $1.2 million in potential budget cuts.

If approved by the state commissioner, the Litchfield School District must notify the county auditor about the referendum 53 days prior to the polling date, Wold said.