WALES – Regional School Unit 4 directors Wednesday agreed to cut $51,000 from the school budget that voters rejected last month.

The revised budget of $18.56 million will be presented at a special town meeting at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 22, at Oak Hill High School.

Voters turned down an $18.61 million spending plan last month.

On Wednesday, directors cut $5,000 from technology fees because of new contracts with vendors for existing equipment.

The amount to maintain the sports fields at Carrie Ricker and Oak Hill Middle schools was decreased by $16,000. Glen Reynolds, RSU 4 director of operations, said the fields will still be repaired and carefully maintained but certain aspects, such as the use of herbicides and pesticides, will be decreased or eliminated altogether.

The sum of $30,000 for the lease-to-purchase of a school bus was cut. Hodgkin said he considered the reduction reasonable.

Included in the budget is $10,381 owed by Sabattus and $7,417 owed by Litchfield for a school lunch deficit.

Mark Duquette, chairman of the Sabattus Board of Selectmen, said he thought there was money to cover the debt when the communities formed RSU 4 approximately six years ago. He wondered why it wasn’t promptly resolved.

Duquette questioned the validity of the debt and said auditors are looking into it.

RSU 4 officials estimate the district will receive $176,895 from the state’s Essential Programs and Services program.

The school budget will go to a referendum at the polls in all three towns Tuesday, July 28.