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WALES — A majority of voters in Sabattus, Litchfield and Wales on Tuesday approved a nearly $19.6 million budget for Regional School Unit 4.

The amount for the 2020-21 fiscal year, which began July 1, is about $428,000, or 2.2%, more than last year’s $19.1 million. Superintendent Andrew Carlton has said salaries and benefits account for most of that increase.

Unofficial results show Sabattus voters approved the budget 511-283, Wales voters approved it 184-112 and Litchfield voters approved it 469-326.

“I’m really happy. I appreciate the community coming out to vote,” Carlton said.

The school board typically holds a vote on the budget in April, followed by a district meeting on the budget in May and a referendum in June. That timeline was disrupted by COVID-19 and the state’s order for people to stay home.

The governor allowed school systems to skip district budget meetings, that intermediate step between the board vote and referendum. RSU 4’s proposed budget went straight from the board vote in June to Tuesday’s referendum.

For a home valued at $100,000, the new budget will increase taxes in Litchfield by $2.11 per month, in Sabattus by $2.36 per month and in Wales by $3.47 per month.

Lindsay Tice began as the Sun Journal's education reporter in 2001. Today, she covers health care, pets and RSU 4, as well as breaking news, investigative stories and long-form features. She was named...

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