3 new Hall County principals named, budget approved

GAINESVILLE - Hall County School Superintendent Will Schofield stayed within the Hall County system as he recommended three new principals for the 2012-2013 school year.

"These are 100 percent home grown; these are our folks that have been trained in the Hall County way," Schofield said proudly.

Recommended for the top spot at Chestatee Academy is Dr. David Robles, former assistant principal at Davis Middle School. Dr. Robles is also a special education teacher and currently serves in the district technology office.

Schofield has tapped Robert Wilson for the job at Lyman Hall Elementary School. Wilson has been serving as Assistant Principal at Flowery Branch Elementary.

And Schofield recommended that current East Hall Middle School Assistant Principal Vickie Tribble be named interim principal.

While majority ruled throughout, the superintendent's recommendations were not unanimously approved by the board. Bill Thompson had the lone dissenting vote for Tribble as interim principal at East Hall Middle School.

The Board also gave final approval to a fiscal year 2013 budget just over $194.5 million, a decrease of $3.3 million compared to last year.

Schofield noted that $7.6 million of reserve funds would be needed to meet the budget.

When asked about setting a millage rate, Schofield said, "It will be at least July, it could possibly be August. We just feel in these uncertain times we need to wait until we see what our pending balance is and when we can get a very clear picture of what the appeals (of local property tax appraisals) are looking like…before we can set a rate."

Schofield added, "I think we’ll be forced to recommend some level of a roll-up, certainly not a full roll-up."