Littleton Public Schools will face budget cuts of more than $7 million for the 2011-12 school year if nothing changes before the Colorado General Assembly adjourns May 11.

Funding from a $12 million mill levy override passed in November will help offset the losses, but school officials had hoped to stretch that money over three to five years.

With more cuts expected for fiscal year 2012-13, school officials worry the mill levy money will be gone long before planned.

“We did have $12 million. We don’t anymore, because of the state cuts,” LPS Superintendent Scott Murphy said.

The state Legislature earlier this month approved a $250 million reduction to education statewide, down from Gov. John Hickenlooper’s original proposal of $332 million. House Bill 1277, which passed the Colorado House of Representatives on April 25 and is currently being heard in the Senate, may reduce the blow by an additional $90 million.

HB1277 pulls money out of the State Education Fund, an emergency cash reserve that lawmakers want to keep above $100 million. The bill calls for withdrawing money from the fund without going below the minimum balance.

Even if HB1277 passes, school officials are bracing for substantial losses.

“This year and last year are the biggest cuts that Colorado public education has seen, ever,” Murphy said.

LPS currently stands to lose $5.4 million as a result of normal cuts and $700,000 based on declining enrollment, Murphy said. State-mandated increases to health insurance plans and pensions raise the deficit to above $7 million.

The district likely will use the mill levy funding to cover the entire $7 million, Murphy said. Doing so will save 120 to 140 jobs.

“People are our greatest asset in this school district, so it’s important to take care of people to maintain long-term stability,” district spokeswoman Diane Leiker said.

The mill levy override has allowed LPS to maintain the status quo, but the district is avoiding expansion and administrators remain wary about the future.

 “The challenge is now how do you allow that to help you maintain stability as long as you can, given the cuts the state is giving us,” Leiker said. “It’s a challenge.”

The school board usually sets its next year’s budget in June. LPS has lost a total of $14 million worth of state funding over the past three years, Leiker said. The cuts have meant staff furlough days, a reduction in positions and programs, larger class sizes and more.

School officials aren’t expecting the forecast for the 2012-13 school year to look any brighter. The mill levy override leaves LPS in a better situation than many other districts, but when that money runs out more painful cuts may become necessary.

“If these cuts continue, we are heading toward a cliff,” Murphy said.