The Hall County school board unanimously approved a plan that will shift three South Hall schools to different buildings in August to save $1.5 million in startup costs associated with opening the new Spout Springs school.

The board approved the proposal Monday, saying it will save about 24 system teachers’ jobs and $1.5 million on staffing the new Spout Springs school’s media center, cafeteria and front office, among other expenses.

South Hall Middle School students will relocate to C.W. Davis Middle School, and Davis students will move into the current Flowery Branch High School building on Hog Mountain Road. Flowery Branch High students will move to the new $36.5 million school building off Spout Springs Road.

Schofield said the relocation plan will cost about $50,000 to implement.

The board plans to renovate the South Hall Middle School building over the next two years. It could reopen it as a charter school.

Sally Krisel, Hall County schools rigor specialist, proposed Monday the new wing of the vacant South Hall Middle School be used to house a new educational approach called the "Da Vinci Program" as the rest of the school building is renovated. Krisel said Da Vinci would require less resources for its students as they receive an education focused on art, science and technology. Hall County schools Superintendent Will Schofield said the program may actually save the school system money while delivering a more challenging curriculum.

Hall County school board member Nath Morris said the school shuffle plan is a result of officials "thinking out of the box."

"I think it’s a great fit for the number of students we have and the number of facilities we have," Morris said.

"This opens the door for us to jump in and really be progressive," said fellow school board member Brian Sloan, who represents South Hall.

Before the school board presented the plan Feb. 2, it had settled on a plan to move Flowery Branch High 10th- through 12th-graders into the Spout Springs building. Flowery Branch High’s ninth grade was to remain in the Hog Mountain Road building and be joined by Davis’ eighth grade. Instead of operating with 35 schools in the Hall County system next year as planned, the system is sticking with its current 34 school programs.

Schofield said the system faces an anticipated $10 million or more in budget cuts next year due to dwindling state and local revenue sources, and the latest state budget outlook and revenue figures triggered the unorthodox school shuffle plan.

Compared to this fiscal year, the school system is now preparing to operate with $10 million less — with a total budget of $208 million — in fiscal year 2010, which begins July 1.

Lee Lovett, Hall County schools deputy superintendent, said while he’s working with the board to whittle away next year’s budget, this year’s budget could be forced to absorb another $3 million in austerity cuts from the state. Lovett said the $3 million state cut could come on top of the system’s $1.5 million state austerity cut it factored in to this year’s budget last spring. The potential $3 million in additional cuts would force the school system to dip into its reserve fund because contracts for this year are already locked in, he said.

Lovett projects the state could deliver another $4.5 million austerity cut to the Hall County school system next year. Also, the fate of the Homeowners Tax Relief Grant hangs in the balance. If the General Assembly cuts the grant this fiscal year, which ends June 30, the system may have to absorb a $3.2 million budget cut. Lovett said local systems have already been advised not to expect the grant next year.

Additionally, Lovett said it remains to be seen whether the General Assembly will fully fund school system equalization grants next year. He said the General Assembly could cut about $2.2 million in equalization grants to Hall County schools.

The school board also decided Monday to delay its re-employment of teachers and administrative employees another month, and will now re-employ staff in early April.

The board must eliminate 75 to 100 certified positions from the school system to operate within its budget next year, Schofield said. He said he had hoped attrition would reduce layoffs to only a handful of positions, but very few system employees, "a number approaching nobody," are resigning or retiring at this time.

"Given this extra time, I think we can make wiser decisions," said Richard Hill, Hall County schools assistant superintendent.

Schofield said the school board is "dealing with very incomplete information" for building a budget for next year.