WALES — The Regional School Unit 4 board of directors passed a $22.45 million budget Wednesday for the 2023-24 fiscal year. The budget, up 5.46% from last year’s $21.3 million, will go to Sabattus, Litchfield and Wales voters May 17.

After state contributions and applied unassigned funds, taxpayers will be asked to raise a combined $10.9 million, which is 14.69% more in local contributions than last year’s $9.5 million.

Sabattus property taxpayers would see a 17.2% increase in contributions, for a total of $4.55 million compared to last year’s $3.88 million.

Litchfield taxpayers would get a 12.5% increase, for a total commitment of $4.67 million compared to last year’s $4.15 million.

Wales taxpayers would see a 14.1% increase, for a total of $1.7 million compared to last year’s $1.49 million.

Estimated increases to property taxes are $184, $133 and $165, respectively, for the three towns, per $100,000 of assessed value.

The highest proposed increases are for special education at 17.22%, or $687,236.79, and maintenance at 13.77% , or $428,341.34.

Other increases are: regular education instruction, 2.05%, or $152,931.53; staff and student support, 2.47%, or $62,815.21; system administration, 2.79%, or $23,522.32; other instruction, which includes summer school and extracurriculars, 4.68%, or $23,267.33; and school administration, 1.86%, or $19,148.51.

Career and Technical Education would see the largest decrease at 21.85%. State subsidies for CTE have fallen 76% for RSU 4, leaving Sabattus, Litchfield and Wales with proposed increases of $17,025.42, $14,069.62 and $5,704.89, respectively.

Transportation and debt service cost centers would fall 9.34% and 3.98%, or $116,873 and $18,814.23, respectively.

The board agreed unanimously to amend the proposed warrant to exclude articles 18 and 19. Article 18 would have allowed the board to establish a new capital reserve fund for maintaining school facilities and acquiring capital equipment, would have transferred up to $100,000 to the fund, and would have given the board discretion to spend from the fund in the upcoming year.

Article 19 would have allowed the board to transfer funds exceeding 5% of the total appropriation from one cost center to another, as long as the transfer did not increase the authorized total school budget.